A question for parents of children who like Cena.

[The Butcher]

How do you think your kids would respond if John Cena took a step back, went away for an extended period, or changed his persona?

As a youngster, I was a Hulkamaniac. However, when Hulk started to step away for movies and the steroid scandal, then subsequently left the then World Wrestling Federation for World Championship Wrestling, I didn't jump ship entirely. I'd already been watching WCW before Hogan joined the promotion, but I was a WWF guy. I remained a WWF guy.

The declaration of a "new generation" piqued my interest. I was happy to see Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels come to the foreground. I appreciated the in-ring action that they, along with guys like Owen Hart, Razor Ramon, and The 1-2-3 Kid provided. Diesel was cool. Having guys like Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, and Gorilla Monsoon assume new roles worked for me. In short, I was okay with Hogan leaving because even at a young age, something different was refreshing after years of sameness. I got a kick out of the Huckster and Nacho Man parodies. It wasn't until Hulk Hogan significantly changed his persona that I became reinvested in him, and clearly I wasn't alone based on what followed his heel turn.

I don't have kids, so my finger isn't on the pulse of today's youth. Times are different and so are children. If Cena started to fade away, disappeared for a while, then came back and changed things up, would kids just stop watching WWE at any point during the transition? Would they never come back to WWE based solely off of Cena leaving/changing? The topic is open to all of course, but I really want to know what parents think.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Cena will step away I mean he has to because Cena is approaching his 40s, well like in the next 3 years he will be 40 years old and really do you want to base your company around the face of the WWE who will be nearing the twilight of his career perhaps even the end of his career when you can have someone else take over Cena's spot becoming the top guy in the WWE? Cena needs a change in character perhaps a change in persona because that could perhaps help revitalize his career, I mean look at what it did for such superstars like Hogan or even Rock for that matter when they turned heel?

Cena going off doing movies going away for a bit and then coming back, and Cena developing a Hollywood type persona it would be a refreshing change to say the least

 

[Navi]

How do you think your kids would respond if John Cena took a step back, went away for an extended period, or changed his persona?

I don't have kids, so my finger isn't on the pulse of today's youth. Times are different and so are children. If Cena started to fade away, disappeared for a while, then came back and changed things up, would kids just stop watching WWE at any point during the transition? Would they never come back to WWE based solely off of Cena leaving/changing? The topic is open to all of course, but I really want to know what parents think.

My son is 23 and not a John Cena fan. As a matter of fact it was Rey Mysterio who got him interested in wrestling to begin, which subsequently brought me back, after a long absence.

I have friends who have young children and they idolize Cena. They all wear his merchandise and I know my friends spend a fortune on wrestling paraphernalia. The young ones would be devastated to see him go and that's the one thing you can credit Cena with, is bringing young viewers too the WWE.

As they get older they move onto other wrestlers like the Shield, but there are always more to take their place. That's why I think they were trying so hard with Daniel Bryan. He was seen as a credible contender to take over the Cena role, and it succeeded. Unfortunately for them he was injured now it seems we have no one.

Reigns could never fit into Cena's shoes. He's not seen as kid friendly enough, too intense and let's face it the mothers love him, kids are well meh. I don't know what the little ones see in Cena that makes him so attractive to them, but he has something. It might be his down to earth persona, his "never give up" or just the fact that they see him as some sort of real life Superman. And I think they are making a mistake of trying to make Reigns another Cena. Make him something else the kids will latch onto, cause once they latch onto you, they don't let go.

If Bryan comes back healthy and ready to go again, the WWE will be lucky, if not then they have a problem on their hands. If you lose the youngsters, you also lose the parents who take them to the show, and buy the t-shirts. That's a huge demographic they can't afford to let go.

EDIT: The kids don't want to see a Cena heel turn, they are happy with him just as he is. And I do believe that's why he has never done one. He is playing up the the people that pay to come and see him.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

My 8 year old daughter loves John Cena, but she only watches when he is on the TV. Well him or Roman Reigns but she has about 3 Cena shirts and just screams when he comes on. I love it and the fact that John Cena is her favorite. I don't think she would really mind if he went away for a while though or forever. She would probably ask me where he is and things like that, but it's like Stone Cold said "This is entertainment, this is wrestling, you are a gear in the machine work, you take this gear off throw it in a pile of old gears in, put a new gear in the machine keeps rolling."

I said she loves Roman Reigns earlier, so if Cena left, or hell even if Roman left Im positive she will always find a new guy to cheer for. It is like Butcher stated in his opening post, once Hogan left he saw the new generation rising and got interested in new stars. WWE and millions love John Cena and will love Roman or anyone they please, but if they were to leave or change, those fans and WWE would move on to someone else. There is always plenty of other fish in the sea.

 

[Pedigree1]

Like the Butcher i also have no kids.. When i was a youngster like him,I grew up on Hulk Hogan.. I specifically remember one time,when i thought Hogan was going to sell the WWF title to the MDM and then said HELLL NOOOOO!! I idolized Hogan growing up,he was my role model.. When Hogan left as i grew older Bret hart took his place.. I also respected hart in fact TBH,i liked him more than Hogan..

Cena is a terrific role model and i do in fact like him... I recognize him as the greatest WWE/WWF superstar and champion of all time.. He is the true ambassador of the company overcomes the odds,15 time World champion.. Damn there what 500 make-a-wishes granted.. Amazing!

Im not sure if the Kids would stop watching if Cena wanted to step away and wrestle less and less.. WIth the amount of injuries he has had,movies that day is fast approaching IMO.. I dont know who could take his place right now.. Daniel Bryan is the odds on favorite,but with his health in question i am not sure..

Roman is too serious and growls a lot.. Women like him only because he is buff i guess.. Not super Kid Friendly.. I mean after Hogan left we had Bret Hart,HBK,SCSA,Rock,John Cena.. After Cena though,if Daniel cannot return they dont have anyone..

Could be why their fast tracking Roman,but he is so green in the ring and not all that good on the mic.. Its a huge huge demographic as been pointed out if Cena left! Maybe a question is does Cena feel obligated into staying with the E past his time. I know he enjoys it,but what if one day he just looks himself in the mirror and says I have done Enough?

 

[Headman]

My kid is 3 and has four favorite wrestlers. John Cena, Hulk Hogan (Lots of WWE network), Roddy Piper (Sleeps with his LJN figure) and Kane (No F**king idea how that happened.). If Cena changed his behavior it wouldn't really affect him very much. If he changed his look or theme music it might. He's younger than a lot of you guys' kids but he's really taken to it thanks to his old man.

 

[CinderblockDean]

Cena is the guy simply because this is the "kid era" of wrestling. Of course we are slowly coming out of it. Throughout the years the wwe has always had to have a shift in perspective. Form each era comes a tweak on the product. Eventually these kids will become young teenagers and they will slowly realize that they do not want to follow superman anymore. They want to follow wrestlers that are "cool" and "in". And this is why I believe they really do not know who the next face of the company will be. Vince knows his days of running the whole show are coming to an end and he is slowly passing the torch to HHH. HHH I believe understands the new future demographic he has to tap into. That is why he is going to give three guys (reigns, then Rollins, then finally ambrose) a chance to become the face of the company. With not one but 3 potential faces of the company, you cater to all fans of all ages. Call me crazy but it could be possible.

 

[Alastor]

I don't have kids but I think kids will just support whoever is winning the most at the time. I think it is easy to build up any wrestlers' appeal to kids, just have him win and win and win. Look at how Reigns is slowly getting kiddy pops.

 

[RKO920]

I think there will always be someone who kids gravitate towards even if something were to change with Cena (he either goes away for movies or has a change in character). Remember Sin Cara was a big hit with kids so it doesn't have to be a main event player to be over with children.

As for me personally, it's a matter of when I grew up, Hogan was the guy but I liked Warrior and as I got older Bret Hart became my favorite. My top spot then went to Stone Cold Steve Austin and pretty much stayed that way for the longest time until CM Punk started to come into his own on Smackdown with the stuff he did with Jeff Hardy and the Straight Edge Society. There were plenty I respected and liked their work over the years: Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and now Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, just guys that could go in the ring and put on an amazing match.

Maybe the kids of today who love Cena will still watch wrestling and learn to see the little things in matches and not just cheer for who is shoved in front of them but learn to cheer for the guys who can go and put on a great show.

 

[Headman]

Cena is the guy simply because this is the "kid era" of wrestling. Of course we are slowly coming out of it. Throughout the years the wwe has always had to have a shift in perspective. Form each era comes a tweak on the product. Eventually these kids will become young teenagers and they will slowly realize that they do not want to follow superman anymore. They want to follow wrestlers that are "cool" and "in". And this is why I believe they really do not know who the next face of the company will be. Vince knows his days of running the whole show are coming to an end and he is slowly passing the torch to HHH. HHH I believe understands the new future demographic he has to tap into. That is why he is going to give three guys (reigns, then Rollins, then finally ambrose) a chance to become the face of the company. With not one but 3 potential faces of the company, you cater to all fans of all ages. Call me crazy but it could be possible.

If this is the "Kid era" what was the 1980's? And I disagree with your assumption that when these kids grow up they won't want to see "super heroes" as you called them. It really depends on the times. The attitude era fans grew up in the most cynical decade ever (1990's) when angst and mindless rebellion were the in thing. If the next decade has a more up beat vibe you won't see the anger that you see in today's adult wrestling fans. Hopefully the days of entitlement and instant gratification are numbered, otherwise I don't think pro-wrestling can survive.

 

[The Butcher]

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely keeping tabs because I'm genuinely interested. You parents are doing right by your kids. My dad and big brother got me into wrestling, and look at me now! ...moving on. I wanna hop in on this:

Cena is the guy simply because this is the "kid era" of wrestling. Of course we are slowly coming out of it. Throughout the years the wwe has always had to have a shift in perspective. Form each era comes a tweak on the product. Eventually these kids will become young teenagers and they will slowly realize that they do not want to follow superman anymore. They want to follow wrestlers that are "cool" and "in". And this is why I believe they really do not know who the next face of the company will be. Vince knows his days of running the whole show are coming to an end and he is slowly passing the torch to HHH. HHH I believe understands the new future demographic he has to tap into. That is why he is going to give three guys (reigns, then Rollins, then finally ambrose) a chance to become the face of the company. With not one but 3 potential faces of the company, you cater to all fans of all ages. Call me crazy but it could be possible.

If this is the "Kid era" what was the 1980's? And I disagree with your assumption that when these kids grow up they won't want to see "super heroes" as you called them. It really depends on the times. The attitude era fans grew up in the most cynical decade ever (1990's) when angst and mindless rebellion were the in thing. If the next decade has a more up beat vibe you won't see the anger that you see in today's adult wrestling fans. Hopefully the days of entitlement and instant gratification are numbered, otherwise I don't think pro-wrestling can survive.

All eras of WWE since Vince the Younger took over could be considered "kid eras," even Attitude. As Headman rightly points out, the era was a product of the times. I certainly remember seeing little ones at shows, hearing them say "suck it!" and WWE certainly didn't stop churning out action figures, children's apparel, birthday cards, and video games. The product was adult oriented and not suitable for kids, sure, but the WWE still sought to exploit that market. There were news reports then, some of which are viewable on YouTube, that addressed that issue. WWE was certainly successful at appealing to that demo, as I'm sure many of you were those little ones I saw back then whose parents either didn't hover over you or were just okay with you watching it, even if they'd still tan your hide for quoting Stone Cold.

Headman, I think the days of instant gratification are far from over thanks to technology and modern culture at large. The WWE Network itself puts nearly everything in the library right at a fan's fingertips. Now, I certainly don't know what that spells for WWE, but the onus is on them to adapt to the times if they want to survive. I think they will, because the company has shown that it can adjust. Even when they lag behind mainstream culture, they embrace it eventually. Along with all that, and sort of in-line with the topic, parenting plays a role. Again, I'm not one so I'm just saying this as a thought not a lecture, but in cases such as SummerSlam, hopefully parents of kids in the Cenation consoled their children and used it as an opportunity to show that not everything goes our way or the way of those we root for. Simple, kid-friendly teachable moments like these can go a long way, as perhaps it could foster a less toxic environment in areas such as politics for future generations.

 

[Headman]

Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely keeping tabs because I'm genuinely interested. You parents are doing right by your kids. My dad and big brother got me into wrestling, and look at me now! ...moving on. I wanna hop in on this:





All eras of WWE since Vince the Younger took over could be considered "kid eras," even Attitude. As Headman rightly points out, the era was a product of the times. I certainly remember seeing little ones at shows, hearing them say "suck it!" and WWE certainly didn't stop churning out action figures, children's apparel, birthday cards, and video games. The product was adult oriented and not suitable for kids, sure, but the WWE still sought to exploit that market. There were news reports then, some of which are viewable on YouTube, that addressed that issue. WWE was certainly successful at appealing to that demo, as I'm sure many of you were those little ones I saw back then whose parents either didn't hover over you or were just okay with you watching it, even if they'd still tan your hide for quoting Stone Cold.

Headman, I think the days of instant gratification are far from over thanks to technology and modern culture at large. The WWE Network itself puts nearly everything in the library right at a fan's fingertips. Now, I certainly don't know what that spells for WWE, but the onus is on them to adapt to the times if they want to survive. I think they will, because the company has shown that it can adjust. Even when they lag behind mainstream culture, they embrace it eventually. Along with all that, and sort of in-line with the topic, parenting plays a role. Again, I'm not one so I'm just saying this as a thought not a lecture, but in cases such as SummerSlam, hopefully parents of kids in the Cenation consoled their children and used it as an opportunity to show that not everything goes our way or the way of those we root for. Simple, kid-friendly teachable moments like these can go a long way, as perhaps it could foster a less toxic environment in areas such as politics for future generations.

Oh I'm sure the age of instant gratification has only begun, but I hope the WWE can retrain their audience to appreciate a slowed down style of story telling. But getting back to the topic at hand. I agree with your point of using Cena's loss as a teachable lesson. But rather than "You can't always get what you want" which is true, Cena's very creed of "Never give up" comes into effect. You can't honestly display perseverance without also showing adversity. Kids are going to fail at things in their lives, but failure shouldn't stop them from trying again. Cena is going to try again, and even if they don't put the belt back on him I hope he can obtain a measure of retribution so that the "Never give up" motto holds true in the eyes of his more impressionable fans.