Cena Taking Time Off?

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm a little surprised that someone hasn't already started a thread on this as the story has been going around for a few days that Cena is not advertised for any WWE shows after Hell in a Cell all the way through December 30. WWE has officially released a statement that Cena won't be part of the upcoming European tour. The latest bit of info states that Cena asked for some time off back during the summer, or rather that he notified WWE back in the summer that he wished to take some time off so as to give them time to set up something. It's also been stated that Cena is taking time off for "personal reasons" and that it has nothing to do with any sort of injury.

Cena taking the rest of the year off after HIAC looks to be legit, which means he'll probably be dropping the United States Championship pretty soon. Various reports suggest that there's going to be something started with Cena and Dolph Ziggler soon, though I haven't read anything about Nikki Bella being involved. That speculation began due to the fallout of the Total Divas season finale in which Ziggler "confessed" to still having feelings for Nikki.

If Cena's gonna be missing the last few months of the year, then this could possibly something of an opportunity for WWE to get behind some members of the roster and it's an opportunity for some to step up. At the same time, however, Cena is the love child of Vince paranoid control issues of putting damn near everything on the shoulders of one guy and I don't see Vince doing much to alter the formula he's relied on so heavily for the last 10 years even though Cena won't be on WWE television.

 

[BringThePain834]

Finally.

A much more "civilized" thread.

Honestly, he along with the Big Show need time off, which I've mentioned the need for Big Show time off in this thread (http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=301345)

But what sucks about Cena's upcoming time off is that the U.S. Championship Open Challenge has been the best match of the week for several months, and Lesnar won't be around until at least the night after TLC to build up to what should be his Royal Rumble win, because of how he's been booked since losing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship via Seth Rollins cashing in at WrestleMania. That's why he's the best choice to win the Royal Rumble, and who the hell would complain about him winning the Rumble again? I'm tired of having the wrong guys winning the Royal Rumble such as Del Rio, Sheamus Cena, Batista, Reigns, and then fans cause riots outside and in the arena. I'm tired of it. Year after year. Stop it. I want to enjoy the Royal Rumble again

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

I'm a little surprised that someone hasn't already started a thread on this

"No1 Cena fan" Crocker did started it. Though it mainly serves for spam and having fun of him.

Dont blame him for taking time off to recharge batteries before Wrestlemania season and possible 16th title reign. If WWE is smart they will just have someone beat him up to write him off TV. Then after he comes back he can chase revenge on who taked him down or even chase Championship. Not to mention that I belive that all those "John Cena sucks" chants at beggining of his entrance would be in lesser extent after he comes back.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

This is an interesting turn of events but hard to comment on. The WWE told the Washington Post that he was missing the European tour for "Personal reasons". That could mean anything but probably means the guy just wants some rest. One could speculate that Cena needs a medical procedure or he's secretly getting married or that Vince has nothing new for him since he has pretty much fought the whole roster but that would all be pointless speculating.

The other part of this that is interesting but hard to discuss is what happens next? I suppose an Owens or New Day or Cesaro or Bryan? could take the title off of him without hurting his rep too badly but who the heck knows? He doesn't have a scheduled opponent for HiaC as it is. And then who or does anyone fill the role of #1 kid appealing baby face? Reigns is the likely candidate. Lesnar won't be around. Who gets to lead the faces for Survivor Series? I don't know, it will just be very interesting to see where WWE takes things.

 

[Blade]

Personal reasons is a strange one, in terms of vagueness. I mean, we would've heard if he needed surgery, or if his dad or someone had died. No break-up rumous between him and Nikki. He's been looking better than ever in the ring. My best guess is that he, or someone very close to him, might be dealing with a bout of depression. Because that's one thing that could disrupt his work that we wouldn't see or hear about.

But this is time for WWE to nut up or shut up. They've put everything onto this guy for the last decade, with the secondary stars like Punk, Edge, and even Orton never coming close to reaching the heights of Cena. This will be a pivotal few months.

So what does WWE do? Their WWE champion has looked like a chump for the last few months. His challengers have been a fifty-something, a 40-something, and Cena himself. Roman Reigns, their next great hope, hasn't been getting over as well as they would've hoped. The likes of Ambrose, Ziggler, and Cesaro are nowhere close to being ready for the next step. No one really cares about Orton or Sheamus. And there's probably not enough money in the world to get Lesnar or the Rock back full time. So what do you do?

Well, my money is on WWE finally bringing back Bryan out of sheer desperation. They've been holding out on it for months, but Bryan is the next closest thing WWE has to a legit star. They might hate it, but it's the truth. So my money is on a Daniel Bryan return the night after Hell in a Cell. Because who doesn't want to see Bryan vs. Rollins for the title?

Then again, maybe Cena won't take time off. He was supposed to take time off after Extreme Rules 2012 for personal reasons. He even cut a promo about it after the PPV, if I recall correctly. And then he didn't leave. So maybe, just maybe, Cena will get cold feet about leaving, such is his life so entwined in WWE.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

Let him take some time off..The dude must be exhausted..His nose injury may have a big part to play in this..
The time has come for him to be a Part Timer..
But the question is who will he drop the title to..Is it going to be The New Day or is it going to be Dolph..
Anyway i see him returning at the Royal Rumble and may even turn heel on his return this time..

 

[kadroan]

I hope all is well with Cena in his personal life. He's done a great job in reinventing himself over the past year working with young talent and elevating the US title. He does deserve a break. Sadly, by the way they've been building stars, Reigns is the only legit face they could build the show around. It could have been Orton or Ambrose but they're in Reigns' background.

 

[No Count Pup]

Cena's absence is no big deal. Post-Survivor Series through New Year's is garbage time. The ratings will sag no matter who is around. The actual Survivor Series event, however, will get a solid build. We'll probably get Rollins vs. Reigns in the main event. Triple H will heavily involve himself in a classic team match. The rest of the show will be par for the course and draw similar numbers to past November showings. No harm, no foul.

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs is a relatively low pressure show. It's Christmas time, nobody cares about wrestling. Cena should take every December off.

The best time to bring Cena back is on the Road to WrestleMania. That's when the fans pay attention. They expect to see Cena then, and see Cena they will.

 

[Eddie]

I imagine he'll win the RR and go on to become 16 time champion, but at that point, how is that going to go down reaction-wise? It's boring. The only way you'd make it interesting is if he turned heel but as someone who has granted a record number of wishes, I can't ever see him wanting to turn at this point. He's maybe one more successful Hollywood film away from becoming a successful movie actor, and then part time status beckons. A heel turn would only be likely if his star faded like Hogan's began to in the mid-90s, pre-NWO.

Having said all that, if ratings continue to fall even after he returns in the new year, I certainly wouldn't bet against them turning him. When things decline to that degree, they normally find themselves willing to give anything a go.

 

[OYDK]

The dude is legitimately a cyborg. I've never seen somebody with the resiliency to bounce back like John Cena. Wasn't his broken nose nearly completely healed after a week? Crazy stuff man. That being said, the last decade has had to have taken a toll on John Cena and his body and the likely explanation for his time off is that he would like a brief rest before being heavily relied on for Mania season. Everybody gets burned out eventually, it had to happen sooner or later with Cena. It's possible that he and Nikki are getting married or trying for kids, I guess, or it could be an issue within the family, but whatever the reason, I believe this is the first time that John Cena has ever asked for excessive time off and he undoubtedly deserves it.

As for the US title, I can see them going the route of The New Day. WWE has been teasing that the problems between Cena and The New Day are not over and it seems as if Woods may be his opponent at HIAC. I wouldn't mind this as it keeps the title on one of the most entertaining acts in the business and would FINALLY allow Woods to show his untapped ability. Of course he probably wouldn't win clean and it would likely take all three members to finish Cena, but it would definitely keep interest in the mid-card at a high.

If they give it to Dolph... I'll be very disappointed.

 

[TDFG]

Cena deserves some time off, any time he picked up an injury he's pushed his body to it's limits getting back quick time.

Let him recharge the batteries and get him ready for the Royal Rumble/Road to WrestleMania.

 

[Mustang Sally]

.... Cena is the love child of Vince paranoid control issues of putting damn near everything on the shoulders of one guy and I don't see Vince doing much to alter the formula he's relied on so heavily for the last 10 years even though Cena won't be on WWE television.

In this vein, I can see McMahon using a lengthy Cena vacation as a vehicle to get a few fans back on John's side. If absence truly makes the heart grow fonder, a long period without Cena might make some folks anxious to see him again, allowing him to come back to a more enthusiastic fan base.

Sure, the folks who are determined to 'hate' and be 'bored' with Cena would still feel the same way if he were away for the next 6 years, but others might very well come to find that things are better with him than without him. Since the guy wants and needs the time off anyway, it's not a bad thing to keep in mind.

In the meantime, if the company is able to push other performers in the time Cena would have occupied had he been there, it can only be good for WWE and it's fans.

 

[Really?]

I said it in another thread and I will say it here: the Dolph "confessing" his love for Nikki will prove to be a prank set up by Brie. If you watched the show, you saw Nikki and Dolph send a drink to Brie at dinner as a joke. Dolph the told Brie that he did not have feelings for Nikki. In the season premiere Brie will pop out and they'll start laughing and then cut to right after he told Brie he didn't have feelings for Nikki and they will have set up the prank. This being said, I can't see the E ever doing an angle with Cena coming out of TD.

As for Cena taking time off, I hope it's just for a rest and nothing serious for him or his family. The guy is a consummate workhorse and if he takes time off and comes back fresh for himself and the crowd, it'll be a good thing.

 

[TJ Matics]

I really don't want to see Woods with the title. I know people find him and New Day in general to be one of the best things going, and to a certain extent I agree, but sometimes it seems like things they say and do are dramatically overrated by some fans just because it's New Day. So as of now, I don't want to see them straying to far outside of the tag team picture, less is more.

What I would love to see is for Cena to just come up short during an open challenge, the reaction would be amazing and the momentum for the winner would be great. Just seemingly another challenge, have someone like Cesaro come out and upset Cena. He looses his rematch at HIAC and tells the crowd he's going to take some time to get his head straight, which according to the reports, or rather lack thereof, is true.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

If this is true and Cena takes time off, he has more than earned it. He has wrestled hurt, come back from injury far earlier than he should plenty of times. He really should have taken time off earlier.

I'm not a fan of his but he deserves a lot of credit. He's been passionate and dedicated to the company. HE has been a huge part of giving the company a positive image. He has been the biggest merchandise seller, the ratings, buyrates andbox office sales are great with him- or at least they used to be.

The fact that this is an issue, really shows how weak the main event roster is and how over dependent they are on Cena. That's a problem that WWE and its main eventers need to own up to. They have failed to build up suitable talent to help shoulder the weight that John Cena has to carry with regards to this company. They have either misread the reaction to performers and pushed them for disastrous pushes or failed to capitalize or push others who were ripe for the opportunity.

Even with Cena's presence, Raw shows have horrible ratings, ppvs have had lousy buyrates and the product leaves the fans -who are still watching- bored with the product. He isn't entirely to blame but he has played a part in that.

The company can survive if he's gone for a short or long time but shorter would be better for WWE. His absence will hurt, how quickly they'll bounce back will depend on how well WWE books its programming in his absence and how well WWE builds up the stars they put in the main event level to replace him while he's gone and supplement / help him when he or if he returns.

WWE has to get its shit together and figure out this problem not just for Cena's absence but its' own preservation.