Anyone Else Noticing Changes In John Cena's Character?

[BestSportsEntertainer]

John Cena, specifically his promos, has changed since his return.

In his return promo, he talked down the new era and said it was still his time. He then demanded a title shot before being granted one.

He then beat Styles at the Rumble, which was fine. Styles was champion nearly 5 months, and he had a great run.

However in Cena's promo last night, he said Wyatt didn't deserve it and that he had to earn it. Well didn't he do just that at the Elimination Chamber PPV? I know it's a work and Cena's not supposed to come out to the ring and say Wyatt deserves the title, but it was really odd and IMO showed a new side of Cena's character. He also seems a little more arrogant and cocky (in his promos in general). He could be preparing for a heel turn.

What do you guys think about this? Am I reading too much into this, or is Cena's character changing? Could we get a heel turn in the near future?

 

[Navi]

Cena will never turn heel, his character is not a heel character. If he did they would literally have to change everything about him, clothing, everything. His motto has been "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" for so long now it's ingrained with him.

Cena's fanbase is women and children, primarily children and that's what brings in the money. They are the WWE's cash cows, once they stop spending that's it. While the male demographic will buy a t-shirt here and there, kids buy everything associated with a wrestler and that's why Cena has more merchandise out there any anyone else on the roster.

They've been playing up his absences for awhile now with Styles telling the crowd each week that Cena doesn't care about them. Cena has turned around and said he does care and that's why his time is now. Let's face it his time has never really gone away, just taken a vacation here and there. I think he will be more and more part time from now on, but I'll be the stunned person on earth if we ever see a heel turn from John Cena.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

I'd argue he's always been a subtle heel. Good guys honor the Bro Code. Cena and Zack Ryder were buds, but Cena still made out with Eve, wheelchair-bound Ryder's girlfriend. To win a Last Man Standing Match, John Cena taped Batista's legs together, which was a fairly dishonorable thing for a face to do. Cena cracked homophobic jokes to get cheered early in his career...wait, he did that with The Rock too. Cena secretly filmed Vickie Guerrero kissing Big Show as blackmail to get a shot at her then-husband Edge's title.

But yes, I agree with BSE here. Dude is showing more ego than he has in a while. But I doubt anything is going to come out of it, and I gave up on a pure heel Cena about five years ago.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

John Cena's WWE career is slowing down in the sense that he's becoming a part timer for the most part. Cena's almost 40 and while he's in great shape and has been doing the best overall work of his career the past couple of years, he's long since done everything there is to do in WWE; he's also getting more into outside projects like doing movies, hosting competition reality shows, commercials, etc. It's being alleged that Cena's mixed tag team match with Nikki Bella against the Miz and Maryse was requested by Cena himself due in large part to Nikki possibly retiring after WrestleMania. John Cena in a mixed tag team match for WrestleMania? It's hard to fathom when you consider that he's been WWE's top guy for over a decade so, if true, it shows Cena's slowing down in terms of being the undisputed "face" of the company. Hell, on top of all that, look at how many times he's lost cleanly over the course of the past several months. Since SummerSlam, Cena has cleanly jobbed to AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and twice to Bray Wyatt within a 48 hour period; WWE hasn't had Cena lose so consistently and so consistently clean at any point in his career.

Cena's character has had more of an edge about him; I mean, after all, when's the last time he played the "I'm John Cena" card when it comes to justifying why he should get a title match? Cena's all about "earning" everything you get, so that's a noticeable change for him. However, I don't know that we'll ever see a full out heel turn for Cena though if it does come about, it'll almost certainly culminate in some sort of feud with Roman Reigns so that Cena can officially pass the torch.

 

[OYDK]

WWE has teased a Cena turn off and on over the years so many times that I'm hesitant to even open myself up to the possibility anymore. If it's going to happen, within the next couple of years is the time to do it. He's slowing down, at least in terms of wrestling, and they seem to be moving away from the Cena-era more or less by pushing new stars and having him put them over. The fact that they're not protecting him anywhere near as much as they used to even a couple of years ago gives me faith that Cena will eventually turn sooner or later.

We get it, Cena's the penultimate good guy. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, Make-A-Wish, Never Give Up and all that jazz, and that's all good, but he's done literally everything there is to do as a face and than some. There's the ever-common "merch" argument but Cena's a merch-moving giant and that's not going to change with a turn. It didn't affect Hogan's marketability, it didn't affect Austin's, it drove Punk's, etc. Even if it does, the risk is minimal at this point because he's not the franchise anymore. He's 40 years old and sooner rather than later he's not going to be around very much.

So to get to the point, yes I have noticed a change in Cena's character. But I've also noticed changes in Cena's character before. Whether they decide to actually do anything this time around is based on a number of factors that I won't even try to get into. In my opinion, there's no better time to pull the damn trigger... you can almost say (this is going to be bad)... his time is now (I told you it was going to be bad).

 

[Navi]

We get it, Cena's the penultimate good guy. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, Make-A-Wish, Never Give Up and all that jazz, and that's all good, but he's done literally everything there is to do as a face and than some. There's the ever-common "merch" argument but Cena's a merch-moving giant and that's not going to change with a turn. It didn't affect Hogan's marketability, it didn't affect Austin's, it drove Punk's, etc. Even if it does, the risk is minimal at this point because he's not the franchise anymore. He's 40 years old and sooner rather than later he's not going to be around very much.

I disagree that the risk is minimal and I'll tell you why. Have you ever been to a house show or any WWE show period? If you have, and I know you have, you can see it with your own eyes. Kids, hundreds of them, spending hundreds of dollars each on Cena hats, sweatbands, shirts, necklace, towels, you name it they will buy it. If it even looks like Cena has anything to do with it, they have it in their hands. If the kid next to them has something, they want it too. I have literally seen mom's and dad's forking over hundred's of dollars just so their kid can be a mini John Cena. Also if they don't their lives and all of those sitting around them lives will be made a living hell for that next 4 hours. Seen more tantrums at the merchandise booth than I care to remember.

The guys my son's age and older buy the other shirts, you know the ones they like and don't look like you just jumped out of a bag of Skittles. Where I will spend $25.00, the woman with three kids beside me will spend $400. So even if he did turn heel and the kids stop buying the stuff, the adults won't make up the revenue the WWE has just lost.

Now you can say that the kids will buy someone else's stuff but there is no one that can replace Cena, Reigns doesn't come close, no one does. There used to be lot's of midget Daniel Bryan's running around before he retired, but I don't see a lot of his shirt's moving now if at all. That's the big difference. Even though Cena is part time he is still moving a lot of merchandise, where as other full time wrestlers are doing even a quarter of what he can get out the door. If I'm the WWE and watching Cena slow down, I'm making hay while the sun shines, simply because of the fact I was stupid, put all my eggs in one basket and have no one to replace him with.

 

[OYDK]

I disagree that the risk is minimal and I'll tell you why. Have you ever been to a house show or any WWE show period? If you have, and I know you have, you can see it with your own eyes. Kids, hundreds of them, spending hundreds of dollars each on Cena hats, sweatbands, shirts, necklace, towels, you name it they will buy it. If it even looks like Cena has anything to do with it, they have it in their hands. If the kid next to them has something, they want it too. I have literally seen mom's and dad's forking over hundred's of dollars just so their kid can be a mini John Cena.

The guys my son's age and older buy the other shirts, you know the ones they like and don't look like you just jumped out of a bag of Skittles. Where I will spend $25.00, the woman with three kids beside me will spend $400. So even if he did turn heel and the kids stop buying the stuff, the adults won't make up the revenue the WWE has just lost.

Now you can say that the kids will buy someone else's stuff but there is no one that can replace Cena, Reigns doesn't come close, no one does. There used to be lot's of midget Daniel Bryan's running around before he retired, but I don't see a lot of his shirt's moving now if at all. That's the big difference. Even though Cena is part time he is still moving a lot of merchandise, where as other full time wrestlers are doing even a quarter of what he can get out the door. If I'm the WWE and watching Cena slow down, I'm making hay while the sun shines, simply because of the fact I was stupid, put all my eggs in one basket and have no one to replace him with.

You make a good point, and I find myself agreeing with you to a certain extent. I guess you can never really know how big of a hit his sales would take if he were to turn his back on the fans, but I still don't think it would be anything catastrophic. The guy who gave me the most hope that somebody can be a heel and still sell as much as John Cena is CM Punk, and he definitely wasn't catered to the children. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but CM Punk was one, if not the only guy to compete on Cena's level in terms of merch sales and who did that money come from predominantly? Smarks and the 18-35 demographic. Give them something cool, and they'll shell out as much money as the parents will.

Now if Cena turns, most kids are smart enough to understand that wrestling isn't real and I would think they would continue to buy his stuff because they love John Cena the man, not the character. To put it into perspective, as a kid I loved Randy Savage. When I saw him turn for the first time, I still loved Randy Savage. Cena's case may be a bit different but I highly doubt that every child who idolized John Cena would turn their backs on him and stop buying his stuff because he's a "bad guy" now. You would still have women buying up the Cena junk because they think he's hot (trust me, it happens) and you'd also have older males likely contributing as well. Why? Because a heel Cena would be a cool Cena and everybody wants to jump on what's cool.

Perhaps his marketability would take a bit of a hit, but I'm of the opinion that it would so minuscule it would hardly matter. Again though, I see your side of the argument and it's probably a big reason why WWE hasn't taken the risk up until this point.

 

[Ex-Degenerate]

Cena will never fully turn heel. He doesn't have to, he gets a heel-like reaction from anyone over the age of 12 anyway, so why should they make him a full-out villain.

Hogan, probably the biggest WWF/WWE star of all time had to leave WWE before turning heel. Same with Cena, though I doubt he's ever wrestle anywhere else.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

I have noticed that Cena has changed. 3 and a half years ago he challenged Daniel Bryan to come take a shot at Summerslam 2013 for the World Title. He was respectful and did the job. The ONLY downer to that entire story was the HHH heel turn. After Summerslam - Orton was champ and HHH was the major heel in the WWE.

Cena put AJ Styles and took a break from WWE, and since his return he has been a subtly playing a heel - and been critical of fans who cheer for people like AJ and Bray Wyatt - which to me suggests there is a heel turn on its way sooner than later. But they have to do it right - it will be perhaps the biggest thing in Wrestling in well over 15 years. I think the best thing WWE could have in place right now is a top star ready to take over after Cena's heel turn - I am not sure if they have anyone ready for that spot as "superstar". If they do not, I cannot see Cena turning. It will be interesting either way. Exciting time to be a WWE fan in this respect.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I've also noticed some changes, but I think there's an explanation for them and it is that we see Cena less often these days. Cena always brings out intensity and "angery" in his big matches, he always gets personal. So nowadays we Cena only in big time matches and feuds and he only has this attitude.

Also remember, Hogan was 43 years old when he turned, way past his prime and WCW didn't really needed him as a face anymore.

Cena still gives high quality face matches and WWE still need John Cena as a face. The guy just created magic with AJ Styles. He can have countless of other programms like these with one more coming up with Samoa Joe.

However as a heel, there's a lot of hype at first, but as soon as you get your first major loss, it's over. There's no need to continue the run. See Hogan for example. They had to turn Sting's victory into shit in order to keep the NWO momentum going so that Hogan can also lose to Goldberg. And what happened after they kept insisting on the whole NWO thing even after Goldberg? The whoe thing turned to dust.
Austin's turn was also one big failure.

As long as Cena draws as a face and as long as there's no need for the WWE to go to the next level, there's no reason to change that.

 

[Dave]

I think everyone has noticed some changes in the Cena character. But the real question is what will be the result of that? Honestly, it doesn't seem like a heel turn will be the result. He's definitely shown a little more edge and that's been very welcome. But as gas been pointed out, it's a little late in the day to turn John Cena heel. He's gone through his entire career as a face and it doesn't make a lot of sense to change that now. The added attitude has added a different dimension to Cena but that's about all you can expect.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I agree with most. I don't think the changes are a precursor to anything else. The changes themselves are likely the extent of Cena's character evolution, and I'm happy with that. The only thing I've ever disliked about Cena has been his stale character, and how stagnant it's been for well over 8 years or so. I've clamored for some character refreshment, and I feel like my hopes have been answered.

He is still "Hustle Loyalty Respect". He's still "My Time is Now". The differences are subtle, but present. They've roughed up the edges of his mantras and demeanor to allow that ego to poke through, but not by sacrificing everything else we've learned and accepted about the John Cena character. In that way, it's one of the most masterful character shifts that I can remember.

Smackdown Creative have also made the most of this. They often remind us that Cena's era has more time behind it than in front of it. Yet Cena plants his feet. He's at odds with the new era for this reason. Because of that, Cena has more defiance in him than ever.

On top of that, that new era acts as an obstacle of Cena's strong, concrete goal. He's chasing history. He was actively chasing his 16th title reign because he wants to be in that conversation of "Who's the all-time greatest?". That's something he can't quite accomplish with the new era nipping at his heels.

I've always admired Cena's ring work, but this is the first time in a VERY long time that I've been invested in his character. If this is the extent of the character changes, I'm more than pleased.

 

[Navi]

You make a good point, and I find myself agreeing with you to a certain extent. I guess you can never really know how big of a hit his sales would take if he were to turn his back on the fans, but I still don't think it would be anything catastrophic. The guy who gave me the most hope that somebody can be a heel and still sell as much as John Cena is CM Punk, and he definitely wasn't catered to the children. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but CM Punk was one, if not the only guy to compete on Cena's level in terms of merch sales and who did that money come from predominantly? Smarks and the 18-35 demographic. Give them something cool, and they'll shell out as much money as the parents will.

Now if Cena turns, most kids are smart enough to understand that wrestling isn't real and I would think they would continue to buy his stuff because they love John Cena the man, not the character. To put it into perspective, as a kid I loved Randy Savage. When I saw him turn for the first time, I still loved Randy Savage. Cena's case may be a bit different but I highly doubt that every child who idolized John Cena would turn their backs on him and stop buying his stuff because he's a "bad guy" now. You would still have women buying up the Cena junk because they think he's hot (trust me, it happens) and you'd also have older males likely contributing as well. Why? Because a heel Cena would be a cool Cena and everybody wants to jump on what's cool.

Perhaps his marketability would take a bit of a hit, but I'm of the opinion that it would so minuscule it would hardly matter. Again though, I see your side of the argument and it's probably a big reason why WWE hasn't taken the risk up until this point.

And you too make a good point, but the problem with John Cena and CM Punk is they are world's apart. John Cena is a company guy, first to arrive last to leave, he eats, breathes and most likely bleeds WWE. Punk was not a company guy for the most part. Yes he worked for them and got a paycheque, but if you listened to that podcast he did, he said in a way he was never truly one of them. Cena is, and that's why fans loved Punk so much, he raged against the machine and he had the backing of the crowd. No one else has managed to have the balls to do it since he left.

It didn't really matter whether he was a heel or a face, the fans loved him and yes he outsold Cena while he was there. He is the only one other than Ambrose (on one occasion) to do that. Cena has always been their top merchandise mover. And yes I think they would feel the crunch, as I said before Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose combined might be able to make up what they would lose, but I doubt it.

Guys but Cena shirts now, I see a lot of them in the crowd, but if the kids turn their backs and have no one to look up too, they won't even be at the shows to spend the money anyway. Neither will the Mom's. I was talking to a women at the last house show, and she told me she couldn't wait till her son got sick of wrestling as it was costing her a fortune. I'm willing to bet there are more of her at these shows each night.

 

[rmp0012002]

Cena has upped the attitude and he's always been kind of a tweener but more on the face side. Until the WWE finds that next mega replacement I don't see him turning full heel and them experimenting with a character that is their golden goose.

 

[xavyer]

I'm not an expert like all of you, but i think that the time that Cena could have turned Heel is when Daniel Bryan was active, he was the only one that the Fans loved as much, if not more than John Cena, the Yes movement was something big at the time, but the WWE didn't count on him having to retire early, now to turn Cena Heel they would have to find someone who can fill up the void that Daniel Bryan left, at this moment the best thing is to make him a Tweener, i could be wrong, but the only Superstar who i can see becoming a great face if they push him into the right direction and who is also loved by the younger audience, and could potentially receive the torch from Cena as a Top Face and at the same time turn Heel would be Big Cass, or maybe Cesaro, i could be wrong of course, but those 2 Superstars are the ones in my opinion, (again, i could be wrong) that can replace Cena as a Top Face......

 

[ShinChan]

I'm not an expert like all of you, but i think that the time that Cena could have turned Heel is when Daniel Bryan was active, he was the only one that the Fans loved as much, if not more than John Cena, the Yes movement was something big at the time, but the WWE didn't count on him having to retire early, now to turn Cena Heel they would have to find someone who can fill up the void that Daniel Bryan left, at this moment the best thing is to make him a Tweener, i could be wrong, but the only Superstar who i can see becoming a great face if they push him into the right direction and who is also loved by the younger audience, and could potentially receive the torch from Cena as a Top Face and at the same time turn Heel would be Big Cass, or maybe Cesaro, i could be wrong of course, but those 2 Superstars are the ones in my opinion, (again, i could be wrong) that can replace Cena as a Top Face......

You make a good point about Daniel Bryan being the perfect foil for John Cena's heel turn.

But since he ain't returning due to unfortunate injuries, there needs to be someone else with whom fans can resonate well enough to garner major heel heat. Dean Ambrose could be the right choice. Baron Corbin has gotten major heel heat by attacking him viciously. If Cena turns heel against Reigns, he'll surely be cheered. And that defeats the whole purpose of turning Cena heel.

As for the thread, I also witnessed significant changes to Cena's character and would be happier to get a result from all of this. I didn't expect that "You don't deserve" to Bray Wyatt either. Let's see if it really happens or not.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I don't really see this as a change in character's but more of an evolution of the John Cena character. Now that he's not a full time performer, i think he more in the role of the grizzly veteran that everybody thinks he's over the hill and can hang in big match situations and he wants to prove them wrong. At the heart of all of this, he'S still the same old John Cena that some fans love and others hate.

I really love this evolution of the character because he really should be The super cena character anymore, not at his age and woth the part time schedule he'S doing as a performer. He should be the veteran that'S still wants to prove that he belong in the main event picture. This version is a better version of what he was doing when he started and he's doing some of his best work of his career now.