Do John Cena fans actually care about the quality of storylines he's involved in?

[Champ1432]

I am neither a woman nor a child. I'm a 34 year old man, and I'm a big Cena fan. I disagree that most of his fans are women and children. I think they may be his most vocal fans, but not his only fans. I think several others have hit the point on the head, in that chanting either, "Let's go Cena" or, "Cena sucks" is just the thing to do at WWE shows now. Many people chant whichever one of those is "appropriate" for their age or gender, according to people like the OP. It's all about following the crowd, whatever your true thoughts or preferences are. As several others have said, it's easy to find people at a WWE show wearing Cena gear, yet chanting with the, "Cena sucks" crowd. I don't know if they just feel the need to fit in, they want to be a smark or appear like they know more than an average fan, or if it's something else. At the shows I have attended, I've proudly chanted, "Let's go Cena" with the "women and children", because I'm a fan, and I cheer for the people I like.

I'm sure most Cena fans who actually understand how wrestling works vis a vis storylines and feuds, working a program, etc., want Cena to be in a good storyline. Sure, there are some fans who are probably just happy to see him either way, and wouldn't mind if he came out and danced with Hornswaggle for 15 minutes. But anyone who is a real fan is going to want the guy they're cheering for to be given something good to work with, whether that guy be Cena, Punk, Ziggler, Bryan, Santino, Tyler Reks or Yoshi Tatsu. Of course, some of those guys are much more likely to get a good storyline than some of the others, and there's a very good reason for that. Those guys draw. They are the stars. Cena is the face of the company, and for good reason. There is not as much interest or viewership when he's not there. He is the best they have, period. No, not the best in the ring, or the best pure wrestler. But the best total package. The best sum of wrestling, mic work, charisma, storytelling, and ability to put butts in seats. I'm a big fan of Punk and Bryan as well. But they can't do that as well as Cena. Neither can Orton, neither can Sheamus or anyone else right now.

To put John Cena in the midcard just to give him obligatory appearances to make his fans happy is preposterous. First of all, your best draw doesn't go in the miidcard, not consistently anyway. And again, that would not make most of his fans happy, because real fans want to see their guy doing meaningful things, and I'm going to assume most of Cena's fans are real fans, as I would assume with any wrestler.

I'll admit there are times I think they make the WWE Title seem less important by not having it in the main event more when Cena isn't holding it. But it must be a delicate balancing act to try to work something like that out. The title should be supremely important, yes. But Cena is the face of the company and deservedly so. He needs to be in the main event his share as well, regardless if he has the belt or not, because he is the draw, plain and simple.

 

[Arashi]

Anyone who truly likes Cena doesn't care about wrestling. They only care about "entertaiment."

Yep because Cena vs Angle was horrible, so was Cena vs HBK at WM or at raw, his match with umaga, just terrible, TLC vs Edge, CM Punk everytime they get in the ring together. All the Orton matches, they all sucked, no wrestling quality at all.

Look I'm a purist when it comes to wrestling alot of times. I love the old style of wrestling but honestly, if you compare Cena to the Ultimate Warrior, or Hulk Hogan, and many of the old school "heroes" Cena's at least twice the wrestlers these guys were.

mitsuharu misawa is one of if not my favorite wrestler and I care about wrestling, but I'm a huge John Cena fan because he's always delivering.

 

[nbda1997]

... even Hogan lost to guys at his peak.

Actually, I don't think Hogan lost a single match between the original Wrestlemania and the SNME shortly before Wrestlemania IV, and that loss was due to an imposter referee. Damn those Hebner brothers!

 

[DarkLordFett]

Umm, that's EXACTLY what it means. Your best storylines should always go to your best draws.

You haven't followed pro wrestling very long, have you?

I've followed wrestling for quite a while actually. And you missed my point. Yes, the top guys do get the best stories, but 2 to 4 really good programs between both shows doesn't make for compelling TV. And I've seen a hell of a lot of great stories in the mid-card's. Sure, they weren't as long and drawn out as the top guys get, but they were entertaining as hell.

The problem is, that in WWE at least, it's all about the top 5 or 6 people and that's probably pushing it. At least as far as everyday talent goes. Guys like Trips, Taker and Rock can do whatever they want in maybe 10 appearances through the year and we're all gonna be happy as hell, because they own those appearances and give 1000% every single time.

Recent memory: The Tag Championship. VKM was in a favorable mood with the Tag division, and there were some good stories. TTC has never really been a top tier belt, but there have been some great feuds as well as top guys come out of it. After a suspension/injury and a mood swing, TTC has been dumped to under-card at best.

Right now, the WWE is in need of some new top guys. Sure guys like Cena, Punk, Orton Sheamus, Bryan and a couple others are at the top, but the same feuds get stale. They need to find out who's going to be next in line for top tier talent and you need some really compelling stories in order to do that.

 

[Spookusjoe]

Well I guess I could be called a Cena fan, and I am not young, female, or have a man crush on him.

I'm a 30 year old straight guy who has seen some of the greatest years of wrestling. At this moment in time wrestling is very average.

Now do I care about the story/feud Cena is involved in? Hell YES!
In no way can I be classed as a Big Slow fan, heel or face, so to see Cena v Big Show Version xxxxxxxxxxxxx is going to drive me nuts! The chemistry between them (or anyone with Show) is non existent.
Cena as we all know is right up there with the best on the Stick (yes he is, come on take the hate hat off!), but pretty run of the mill inside the ring. He does however have great matches with a lot of wrestlers, but as with all wrestlers needs to be booked right. Cena can and does raise his game when needed, think v Punk, Edge, snOrton, Y2J, HHH, hell I'd say even Lashley, Sheamus, HBK or the Rock (granted the stick work/buildup was better than the match, but for me the Rock was rusty as hell). The key is to put him in with the right guy. He can tell a story, he needs to tell a story to make up for other weaknesses.

I think a lot of Cena's "5 moves of doom" is caused by VKM and the board of directors. Cena is their huge pot of gold, he is pure $$$ to WWE, without him who would draw? Exactly! Guys like Ziggler (awesome), CM Punk, Rhodes, Y2J, are awesome in the ring but they just dont draw money like the "Super Cena" character. So WWE are wrapping the guy up in cotton wool to protect by far their biggest asset.

What Cena needs most is for a new guy to come along and start to really draw like Cena, there was hope for punk but it faded. If someone comes in and steals the spotlight from Cena I truly believe we'd start to see the best of Cena as he'd be released to add more to his game.

I'm still a massive fan of Cena the person, but Super Cena the character bores me to tears! I want to shake Creative and VKM until they start booking him and the rest of WWE right again! A HEEL turn is a must, and soon! Freshen him up, stop being so bloody scared of loosing money!

Quick shout out to Damien Sandow - This guy has a big future! Also would love the WWE to go out and get AA Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, in the 'E these guys would mean money!

 

[silrock316]

Disclaimer: The following is not a hate thread.


After watching Cena vs Big Show for what feels like the 1,000th time on Raw last night, I noticed that the fans in the arena didn't seem to mind at all that a matchup between the two has happened almost way too many times.

So, I thought to myself: Do Cena fans even care about what Cena is doing just as long as they get to see him?

Since the popular belief is that Cena's fanbase consists of women and children, my theory is that they truly don't.



Cena could face Curt Hawkins in a feud that involves Curt calling Cena fat, and the Cenation wouldn't even care. Its John Cena! It doesn't matter who he faces, how stupid the storyline is, or how many times the match occurs. If it involves Cena, they'll all watch blindly.

These observations might come off as hateful, but I'm starting to feel as if its actually true. Does Cena really have to be in the main event? Will his fans protest at all if he wasn't the focus of the show?

I'm asking as a fan who cares about the quality of storylines, and the uniqueness of matchups. If Cena fans truly don't care about what he's involved in just as long as they get to see him, and he wins out in the end, then can he just be seen as a spectacle instead of as the focus of a show?


If so, then I believe that so many problems would be solved with WWE's product if he was just slated for the middle of the show only. That way the Cenation will be happy, the smart fans will be happy, and the ratings will go up due to an improved product that doesn't have to revolve around a gimmick that has existed for over a decade.

As a matter of fact, that would be a lot of pressure taken off of Cena's shoulders if this happened.

What do you think, Wrestlezone?

Facts are Cenas character has been around for nearly 3 decades because he is so much like Hulk Hogans character of the 80's and 90's.

Cena's fans are as strong as they are because Cena has been hulking up almost his entire career. He is put in impossible situations and ALWAYS ends up on top conquering everyone and everything in his way. He is never seen as a weak wrestler. He is portrayed as an unbreakable force and because of this he has a colt like following of women and children.

To me his matches and promos are extremely boring and are ALWAYS the same but it becomes hypocritical of me to say that is why I don't like him because I like guys like Austin and The Rock who by contrast had the same treatment as Cena does by Vince and the uppers. The Rock basically says the samethings as he did in the late 90's but I find it entertaining.

I don't like Cena because it is all the same to me and I don't find anything fun or funny about him or his promo's. The last time I did was when he was a rapper and he said really funny things.

To me Cena is Tim Tebow, he stands for ALL the right things in the world. The never giving up, the rising about the hate etc. etc. which in the real world is awesome and Tebow is a great person but for entertainment purposes it is RIDICULOUSLY boring for me and thats why Cena is so annoying to me. Where The Rock and Austins charisma and acting skills are better for me than Cenas are but Cenas fans are very loyal so It doesnt matter to them if he starts the show, ends the show or has a 10 minute promo in the middle. As long as they see him, they will be happy.

It is how I feel about Austin and The Rock which is why I feel like it wouldn't matter. The problem is, as a part of the IWC, I feel like we understand wrestling better than the average fan and we appreciate guys like Bryan, Punk, Styles, etc. etc. more than the average 16 year old fans that don't puruse wrestling the way we do, therefore the ratings would suffer if they based the show more on these guys than their bread and butter man, in John Cena.

So overall I dont think his fans would care as long as they seen him but they wouldnt watch as much if he wasn't involved more.

 

[cubuff37]

I think it's just a matter of age. I was the same way when I was a kid. When I went to a baseball game, Larry Walker could have struck out 5 times in a game and I wouldn't care because I got to see my hero. It's the same thing here.

Personally, I am not intrigued at all by this feud that Cena is in. If you ask me, it's been going on too long, it's not entertaining, and its your typical WWE feud. But kids that get to see Cena every night, ESPECIALLY if it's their first night at a WWE event don't really care. They feel connected to their hero and every time they see him, they feel like it's them wearing that green shirt, hat and those armbands.

I think the fact that Cena's feuds are all very similar really hurts his chances with adult fans, but kids don't seem to mind it. I'm speaking down on Cena, I'm just saying the WWE knows that obviously there's no need for anything in Cena's career cycle to change so until there is a need... they're gonna stick with what they know works.

 

[Anthony Caimano]

Disclaimer: The following is not a hate thread.


After watching Cena vs Big Show for what feels like the 1,000th time on Raw last night, I noticed that the fans in the arena didn't seem to mind at all that a matchup between the two has happened almost way too many times.

So, I thought to myself: Do Cena fans even care about what Cena is doing just as long as they get to see him?

Since the popular belief is that Cena's fanbase consists of women and children, my theory is that they truly don't.



Cena could face Curt Hawkins in a feud that involves Curt calling Cena fat, and the Cenation wouldn't even care. Its John Cena! It doesn't matter who he faces, how stupid the storyline is, or how many times the match occurs. If it involves Cena, they'll all watch blindly.

These observations might come off as hateful, but I'm starting to feel as if its actually true. Does Cena really have to be in the main event? Will his fans protest at all if he wasn't the focus of the show?

I'm asking as a fan who cares about the quality of storylines, and the uniqueness of matchups. If Cena fans truly don't care about what he's involved in just as long as they get to see him, and he wins out in the end, then can he just be seen as a spectacle instead of as the focus of a show?


If so, then I believe that so many problems would be solved with WWE's product if he was just slated for the middle of the show only. That way the Cenation will be happy, the smart fans will be happy, and the ratings will go up due to an improved product that doesn't have to revolve around a gimmick that has existed for over a decade.

As a matter of fact, that would be a lot of pressure taken off of Cena's shoulders if this happened.

What do you think, Wrestlezone?

Cens fans don't care about the storyline that he is involved with, just as long as he isn't doing 'the wrong thing'. All Cena fans care about is seeing him win his match after hitting an AA.

Big Show is a large well known wrestler who is currently in main event status and the reason why people don't get sick of seeing the two fight is because they want to see Cena AA/pin the biggest guy.

 

[DJS92491]

First off, I definitely should have been more specific about his fan base. My main mistake was not placing "mostly" before women and children.

Now then, I'd like to thank all those who disagreed with my post. I've a better understanding of the way WWE thinks because of it.

1. The biggest draw gets the most focus, which is a no brainer.
2. If its not boring the majority, it doesn't have to be changed.
3. Beating John Cena cleanly deserves its own championship.

Events that can possibly happen because of it:

1. Cena ends Ryback's undefeated streak.
2. CM Punk loses the title to Cena.
3. Cena retains title against The Rock at the Royal Rumble.
4. Cena breaks his own title reign record.
5. WWE tries to find the next John Cena.
6. A bored CM Punk retires.
7. Huge Cena vs Sheamus rivalry. Cena wins out in the end.
8. Great wrestlers released in favor of body builders with no charisma.
9. Body builders with no charisma lose to Cena too.
10. Titus O'Neil becomes number two guy.
11. He loses to Cena too.
12. Big E, Lincoln Broderick, Nameless Buff Guy debut.
13. They all lose to Cena.
14. Cena retires with a total of 25 WWE title victories.
15. Daniel Bryan retires as yet another Hall of Fame wrestler that never holds WWE title.

And then all of the children, who are now young adults, aspiring body builders, and WWE's main consumers give a Raw featuring a body building contest that ends in a poop joke Raw's first 8.0 rating in decades.


----------------------------------

I was mostly joking, but it could possibly happen in a WWE where Cena is the main focus.


All I'll say now is this: If all great storylines have to end in a meeting with Cena, then I will savor each and every moment before this has to happen.

Every moment of creative unpredictability, back and forth action that doesn't involve having to do your best with Cena playing dead, and the reminder that there is always hope for fans like me that there is at least somebody in WWE that cares about a story not ending with an Attitude Adjustment.

 

[Heel Ziggler]

No, they just want to see Cena do something. The children love him because of his charisma, so why put any work into him?

Well, now I know what the creative team think. The thing is, he can put on a good match. I'm not sure why haters hate him apart from his dominance. Cena should swallow his pride and go over cleanly against some younger guys.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Do children care? No. They haven't gone through analytical puberty yet.

Adults are just as concerned with critiquing something as they are with being entertained. It's a brave new world...

As for Cena's storylines, yeah, some stink, but some are pretty great. I'm not a Cena fan, but he usually has one or two big storylines each year that are rather fantastic (The Rock/CM Punk the last two years). The problem isn't Cena. The problem is a lack of qualified opponents.

No one cares about Del Rio. No one cares about Kane coming back for the 135th time. No one cares about The Big Show. Those guys bore most fans.... well, fans above the age of seven.

If Cena had more important opponents, the feuds wouldn't stink. Welcome to WWE in the year 2012.