Cena VS Lesnar Contract Signing Was A Breath Of Fresh Air

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm sure some are probably not all that wild about the contract signing on Raw last night. After all, it didn't follow the standard formula that we've come to expect in these things where both guys talk some smack to each other, they insult each other, toss in a few threats before a wild brawl breaks out. I enjoyed the segment last night because they didn't go that route.

Personally, I'm tired of that predictable contract signing brawl bullshit. It's been done to death and I really enjoyed the story that was told there last night. WWE did a good job of turning a good number of fans against Brock Lesnar and they especially used a lot of common internet fan complaints regarding Lesnar during that segment. You know, how Lesnar is only there for the money and could give a rat's ass about WWE. It's such a potent little jab because there's a very solid ring of truth to it. Fans were hoping that Big Johnny would but the kaibosh on Lesnar's unreasonable demands and the fact that he didn't only put more heat on him for looking like a spineless weasel.

Cena's behavior out there, to me, was an interesting surprise. When was the last time we saw Cena intimidated or outright "scared" of anyone? Cena's facial expressions & body language were spot on in my view and it makes for an interesting story. Is Cena lulling Lesnar into a false sense of security in which he'll unleash his own beast at Extreme Rules? Will Cena put up a valiant struggle at ER but still lose, thus causing him to spiral down into a darker place? Will Cena go out with a whimper, disappear for a while and then return with a much darker character & persona?

Of all the pissing and moaning I've heard about SuperCena over the years, it was unexpected to see Cena looking so completely, 100% human standing across from Lesnar. To me, it has a ring of believability to it because we all know that Lesnar is a legit, 100% badass.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I understand the sentiment. I too have grown tired of the standard contract signing segment. However, if they want to change up the template, last night's segment should not be the blueprint. It may be that Brock Lesnar is just woefully bad on the microphone despite the selective memories a lot of our members seem to have. Whatever the case, there has to be something more than what we saw. That may have been the worse segment I've ever seen on Raw.

I'd much rather see the usual stuff than the remarkably boring bit we saw last night.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

This has to be a joke. I almost had to turn the channel (which I almost never do) just because of how uncomfortable I was trying to listen to Brock fail at improvisation on the mic. For once, I was so glad when Cena came out because I knew that it meant the end of the segment was near.

They need to keep Brock away from the mic. It's funny that they have AW scoping out current talent to manage yet they didn't give Brock a manager when he seems to be the epitome of reasons why they exist in the first place. The feud would be much better if it was just about Brock returning to be the dominate heel rather than to make selfish demands reminiscent of CM Punk's brief angle last year.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

To be honest I thought it sucked. I also don't want to see fights all the time but that would have been way better than having Brock talk. He still sucks on the mic and to be %100 honest it took away every bit of me wanting to see him. He came back as this monster but after a little talking he just got boring. I always thought he was overrated and now I even feel that more.

 

[xcoN]

I didn't like the contract signing at all. I understand it was something different and not the usual brawl breaking out but it was just flat out boring. Lesnar is obviously not the best talker and it makes me think how many tries it took them to make that promo video good. I swear Lesnar said the name "John" 40 times. After every sentence...it became unbearable to listen to. I don't even think the fans were booing Lesnar but more towards how boring and weak the contract signing was.

When Cena came out I was expecting something to happen but they just stared at each other and then Brock walks away. At one point I was actually somewhat releaved that Cena's music hit so the segment could pick up but I was wrong.

Now what I think would have been a little bit better would be if Edge came out and talked seriously to Lesnar like he did with Cena. If they had no intentions of anything happening between Cena/Lesnar then I don't see what they had to lose by doing that.

Just for the record, you (Jack-Hammer) mention fans pissing and moaning over Super Cena and I will agree with you on that. He's been changing a little bit over the past few months. He's lost to the Rock cleanly, he lost to Tensai, he's gotten beat down by Lesnar within the past weeks...nothing to complain about now. Hell, he hasn't even touched the WWE title picture for awhile now.

 

[The_Heat]

How was it a breath of fresh air, when it was a complete reanactment of Punk's contract situation before MITB? It was no coincidence since that occured on the Raw before Chicago's PPV, just like last night was the Raw going into Chicago's ER ppv. These writers are stinking lazy.

 

[KingKulin]

I don't know about breath of fresh air, but i do know one thing John Cena looked like a coward last night n Brock Lesner a straight up badass. I like Brock on the mic he strted making demands and unlike CM Punk u could actually believe the company needs Brock Lesner more than Lesner needs the WWE. John Cena needs to take an extreme beating Sunday and disappear for moths n return a heel or they could go the Sting route n he could talk about how the fans, his fellow superstars n all turned there backs on him n go from there n he could potentially reinvent himself n come back a great face without being Super Cena!!!

 

[jrichardson25]

They brought a dynamic to Lesnar that hasn't been seen (by Lesnar) in WWE before. He did it quite well regardless of what flubs he made in his dialog. (We just have to remember that everyone makes mistakes when speaking so it made it seem more human in that aspect...). He stated demands, ridiculous demands, and Ace caved. That creates another storyline in itself.

I don't feel like it was a breath of fresh air though. I feel like they could have done more. Cena could have not signed the contract, left the ring and came back out as the rapper, throwback Detroit Tigers jersey, etc. He should have verbally assaulted Lesnar... but this was different. Cena looked and acted differently. Does it mean Cena might be out soon? Possibly, dude deserves a break... They could have done a lot more with the signing... it felt lazy to me.

 

[DForce]

I enjoyed the contract signing, and Brock's inability to talk doesn't bother me. That's strange, since talk game is such a big deal to me. However, Brocks lack of speaking ability, to me, adds to his character: not being the loud or obnoxious or flambiout prowrestler enhances his no bull shit., "asskicker" character. He said himself that he is "not a superstar". Therefore, he's not required to dazzle us with his gift-of-gab or some type of colorful persona. He's suppose to be serious, "real" and not "fake". That's his character. However, I don't want Brock to lose his first match, nor do I want Cena to slip off into obscurity after yet another loss. Hope there's a twist that ends the match.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It didn't feel fresh at all. It didn't make any sense to have Cena not come out and then come out. Brock's execution was so bad that it left me thinking that he was intentionally screwing up to turns fans against him and for Cena. Cena's scared routine seems to be completely out of left field. I know we are heading in to ER but are the children supposed to be ok with bringing a chain to a contract signing? Even Lauranitis didn't seem to know what to do.

And most importantly, how are Lesnar and Punk supposed to share exclusive access to the WWE private jet? (Mental note: future storylline idea - Punk and Lesnar feud over who gets the window seat.)

Punk and Jericho's segments may have been campy and unbelievable but at least it provided some emotion in the form of laughs. The contract signing was just head scratching.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

I thought the segment overall was kind of lame, but there were parts of it that I liked.

I thought delaying it from the kickoff of the show was good. Had to laugh that Road Dogg tweeted earlier in the day that it would kick off the show, only to have it delayed because Brock wasn't there yet. Good swerve to get people to tune in early, but don't know if it backfired or not.

When Edge came out to speak to Cena, telling him that he NEEDS to beat Brock on behalf of all of the guys who dedicated their lives to the profession, that was gold. Of course, Edge is always gold on the mic. I hope they can work out a contract to have him stick around.

The segments on Brock were expected. I did think it was a little much to replay the Brock interview from last week TWICE during Raw last night. You have a three-hour show and you STILL didn't use all of the talent you have backstage. Bad move.

Brock attacking Josh Matthews wasn't necessary, IMO, but it wasn't bad. I liked the fact that Cole, even as the heel announcer, ranted about Brock needing to be fined for it... which now, we know, he won't be for that or anything else, apparently.

When they did the actual signing at the end of the show, I thought Cena not coming out at first was actually good, showing the same discourtesy Brock showed him earlier in the night by not showing up to kick off the show.

I absolutely loved what they did with Brock coming off as the megastar who wants his demands. It turned the character relation a bit b/c Laurinaitis went from being elated that he brought Brock in to be the "new face of WWE" to basically being bullied and caving to Brock's demands.

When Cena did finally come out, I expected him to rip into Laurinaitis for bowing to Brock's demands before the signing and expected confrontation, but that didn't happen. The stoic Cena signing the contract and tossing it at Brock wasn't horrible, but I expected a bit more out of the segment overall.

This debacle further proved that Brock still isn't any good on the mic. He stumbled through a lot of that segment, making it difficult to watch at times. There were a lot of awkward pauses between he and Laurainaitis, and he seemed to be lost. He doesn't seem comfortable speaking live. Personally, I think he still needs a mouthpiece, a la Paul Heyman.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Cena's behavior out there, to me, was an interesting surprise. When was the last time we saw Cena intimidated or outright "scared" of anyone?

That's what the whole thing was about, and it's the unanswered questions that make the segment fascinating.

Where was Cena when introduced at the end of the program? The first thought is that he was scared to come out but that would be so contrary to everything we know about Cena that it seems implausible. After all, he was out there quickly enough at the beginning of Raw. What happened during the three hours elapsed that changed things? Best of all, we figured his lateness would be explained during the segment, but it never came up at all.

One thing about Brock having to handle mic duties while waiting for his opponent is that it shows how utterly terrific Cena is with his verbal skills. Without a "talker" to play off, Brock showed no ability whatsoever to carry the talking segment. It's interesting reading someone's lips when they're fumbling and groping for words while trying to come off as glib and confident. Laurinaitis was certainly no help to Brock.....Cena would have been, but even when he showed up, he didn't speak. Instead, his facial expressions spoke volumes. Great theater.

So, where are they going with this? They're planting the notion Cena might be scared of Brock which, on the surface, sounds so absurd as to make us think there's something else going on ......something so out of the ordinary we'll never be able to guess what it is.

Many of the fans who "hate" Cena should realize he has flexibility built into his character that no one has ever had in pro wrestling. Some of you say he can play only "Super Cena?" Hell, that's totally wrong; he's capable of a lot more and I feel we're seeing only the beginning of his character's range.

And Brock? He is what he is: a bully.......and now a spoiled, demanding, self-satisfied bully, as well. That Creative is building his "privileged being" persona in a way that just might mirror what his actual situation is in WWE makes the whole thing doubly exciting.

 

[JaylisJayP]

I guess I'll go with the minority here and say I enjoyed and was into the segment. And I thought Brock was passable on the mic and is becoming believable as that super bully character they're portraying with him.

However, as someone above me posted, Brock saying "John" 100 times was pretty bad. It reminded me of his last run when he used to say "Kurt" at the end of every sentence during that feud.

And, I rolled my eyes through the entire predictable Punk segment. It was so dumb, and it just continues Punk's descent into this cartoony shell of the character he elevated around MITB last year. He's a corny PG stooge and I'd honestly rather watch Cena and Lesnar anyday over Punk right now. The way Punk stopped and scratched his head for a minute before saying "A', ughhh...awful.

 

[JoonDaGr8One]

I liked it alot as well, i liked the entire show but it seems that i'm the only one that enjoyed it. The contract signing fit into what they've been doing with Brock, trying to make things more real. Brock was all chill when Cena came into the ring because he knows he's badass, Cena brings a chain because he has some doubts. Johnny played the weasel perfectly, this is why he went over Teddy Long to cater to the heels and make things harder for the faces. Some people are over thinking things and looking at the program more for errors than actual entertainment.

 

[uguess94]

Ok so the signing just ended and I really have to say that was probably the slowest, no point or finish, awkward contract signing I have ever seen. First off it starts the show and we see a whole bunch of crap that ends with Edge (wtf does he have to do with this) coming out and saying crap to Cena. Then we wait until the Main Event to do it and we get the entrance of Lesnar, then we should be seeing Cena, his music and video play and nothing. Ok? So now for some odd reason Brock Lesnar starts rambling for about 5 minutes on how now that hes here things have to change (said it like 20 times), then he names them he wants more perks and now RAW is apparently called "Monday Night Raw Starring Brock Lesnar". Whatever.........then Lesnar signs and Cena finally comes out wearing his thuganomics chain and wraps it around his wrist while entering the ring, him and Lesnar stare for a good 2 minutes the Brock yells at him to sign it and Cena does. They flip the table (which was like a marble table not the traditional wood. idk why) and Brock slowly leaves the ring and the show ends.

WTF was that. So basically we have JL being a bitch to Lesnar, Cena doesnt say anything and doesnt explain why he didnt come out the first time, and Brock apparently is God himself and we should all bow down to him.


Dont want the typical contract signing but this was without a doubt, for something that was so built up, the worst contract signing in the history of WWE......and idc what anyone says WWE needs to bring back Heyman to speak for Lesnar because he sucks at it.

 

[MillionDollarMan]

I just caught the contract signing and I must say I really enjoyed it. Brock isn't that great on the mike when he's pigeonholed into saying absurd things. I could picture him saying, "I'm the new face of the WWE and I'll be here when I want to be and kick whoever's ass I want to kick. I won't be suspended, fined or disciplined for anything I do because I'm here for one reason: because I'm the biggest asskicker on the planet."

But the jet and other contract demands just sounded forced and not realistic. Just let Brock be Brock and he'll be fine on the mike. I think his biggest issues come from trying to remember lines rather than just speaking naturally.

As for the match, they'd be nuts to have either man go over the other at this point in time. This has such great potential and should carry WWE's programming all through the summer. The fans respond to Brock and he gets them to get behind Cena. It's what the WWE needs. Hope they don't blow it.

 

[Timekeeper]

Brock isn't that great? Maybe I was watching something different - the guy stammered, stumbled, and outright miss spoke. There's a reason that the crew was doing everything they could to get him to wrap it up. Intimidating? Yes - he is that. But many careers have gone down the tubes over the years over inability to perform on the mic. To me, Brock's performance last night was brutal, and not in a good way.

 

[SD619]

Last night's contract segment was a good idea in theory, but did come off that well.

Brock seemed very uncomfortable on the mic and Laurinitis didn't help things either. The heel-heel dynamic was very weird and the crowd seemed confused about whom to cheer for. Presenting Cena in a human form (more than ever) was a nice touch, especially after the promo by Edge. My main problem was that WWE decided to give Brock that much mic time and Cena (who is one of the best mic workers currently) no mic time throughout the show.

 

[Marxman1531]

I feel that while yes the segment came off as awckward it was needed because Brock and Cena shouldn't have physical contact until ER as to continue the thought of Brock being a legitimate badass. It would have weakened the appeal of this if they had brawled and Cena had come out looking like he had a chance in the fight at all. Brock is an ex-UFC heavyweight champion and while yes wrestling is all about suspending your beliefs all of us know in a real shoot fight Brock would mop the ground with John.

 

[Headman]

I'm going to go another direction and say that Brock's bad mic skills actually make this feud more interesting to me. Brock doesn't talk like he's cutting a promo. His promo style sounds more like what we hear from boxers and MMA guys who are just talking trash in the media. I never thought the mic was Brock's strong suit and that's why he had Paul Heyman, but in this case Brock's inability to cut a wrestling promo ads a degree of realism to the storyline. I do agree though, they've got a blank piece of paper right in front of him so there's no reason they couldn't have put some bullet points for him to stick to. His improv leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Ming]

I'm sorry for seeming so negative but that promo was just fucking awful.

Lesnar reminded everyone (even his marks) of just how bad he can be on the microphone. And who did he have sitting in front him? John Laurinitus. I know. I couldn't have picked a worse choice myself. Normally he's comical but things were too dull at the time to be laughing. It was very boring but I suppose things worked in the way that I wanted Cena to arrive and whoop Lesnar's candy ass. Lesnar also has rendered SuperCena to... Cena. Well, until Cena beats him. Things could have been a lot better but I suppose they got the point across of Cena being afraid and that he's facing arguably his most dangerous opponent ever. Maybe it was just because I wasn't happy with the RAW "Super Show" as a whole and desperately wanted a great ending but I didn't like the promo. CM Punk and Jericho's was A LOT better.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I'll tell you something. Edge's promo and then John Cena bringing his lock is a very beautiful, subtle hint. People here where complaining in the LD as how he should've come out to the old music and stuff. That wasn't the point lads.


Here was Cena taking Edge's advice. He showed how he needed something extra like a lock to protect himself while exentuating Brock's badass, real fighter persona. It was something ver street. I've been there so I can tell. Kinda pretentious?

Very nicely written segment.

 

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

I liked last nights segment. Mainly because we got to see a side of Cena that we haven't seen before. Last night Cena looked vulnerable.

Since mania it seems like nothing has gone right for Cena. First he loses what was billed as the biggest match of his carear, then the next night while he's talking about said match Brock Lesnar comes out and F5's him. Then after that when Cena tries to get an explanation off Brock he get's his mouth busted open for his trouble before losing to Tensai. Not only has Cena never faced Lesnar before but he's never faced someone with an MMA backround. So it's understandable that after recent events and the upcoming match on Sunday that anyone in Cena's shoes would be feeling as vulnerable and under pressure as Cena was last night. For the record i think Cena did great last night with his body language and wrapping the chain around his fist was a nice touch along with keeping the table in between himself and Lesnar. It leaves me very intrigued as to how things will go down on Sunday.

On another note i don't get all this abuse for Lesnar's mic skills. Fact is that he's never been great on the mic. Hell they had Paul Heyman as his manager to talk for him and help get him over when he first arrived in WWE. Brock's talent was never what he did on the mic more what he does in the ring. That said he did what he needed to do last night. He came across as a dick and got people to boo for him. There were more Cena supporters then detractors by the end of the night which speaks volumes to the work Lesnar did in getting people to dislike him last night.

 

[rge2010]

LOL some people are unbelievable. I cant believe people are dissing Brocks mic skills. Brock is great on the mic in his own little way. He adds realism and shows very little emotion! Not everyone has to be as passionate as Cena, as charismatic as Rock, as intense as Austin or as cocky as Jericho!

Brocks promo last night and the delivery fit into his character very well. It was to make you hate him and from the sound of this forum he is doing a great job!!! I really enjoyed it and it was a great segment. Everyone played their role and Brock will benefit from this more than anyone. His 'bully boy' character is really picking up steam. Brock doesnt give a flying fuck what people think of him, the demands he made were probably an exaggeration of his backstage demands when he signed! He is here for the money and he doesnt bullshit no motherfucker!

Oh and one more thing -

BROCK IS NOT A SUPERSTAR, HE IS AN ASS KICKER. BROCK IS NOT HERE TO ENTERTAIN, HE IS HERE TO BEAT PEOPLE UP!!!

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Firstly It was a scripted Promo. All the great promo cutters are allowed to improvise and not learn a fucking script like they had with Brock Lesnar.

Secondly ...Brock Lesnar is a "Legit" fighter and an asskicker. He doesn't need to be good on the mic.

Thirdly All the Cena fanboys can be ignorant but Cena doesn't have that great mic-skills either. In front of Rock and Jericho Cena is nowhere as good in cutting a promo.

Its Wrestling. What happens in the match matters not the talking.
And the contract signings are done on-screen for a purpose ...To make people pumped up for the match at the PPV. Therefore it needs to have some kind of physicality like finishers being hit on one-another etc.