Have WWE found the perfect villain for Cena?

[Wald]

People have been waiting for John Cena to either turn heel or find a villain to play off for quite a while. Edge was a great foil for Cena's character back in 2006/07 but since then they've tried a few but the only ones that have come close have been Punk (clash of personalities) and Batista (clash of egos).

Could they have now found the perfect formula with Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family?

First off have a look at the debut and pay attention to the pop 1:43

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FQDFpmqrgY

It's mostly kids screaming in a tone that I take as something akin to fear. I've read comments from people during the promo videos that their kid would hide or shield their eyes when the Wyatt Family came on and the general character of Bray Wyatt is that of a messianic, cult leader, practically satanic at times. He's never going to be kid friendly.

So who is the perfect opponent for a guy like that? Who can step up to the guy who terrifies kids and be the hero? It's obviously John Cena. If they work a program based on a traditional story arc of hero steps up to the villain, hero gets defeated and has to regroup himself to come back and save the day I think they could be on to something big here.

Granted all this depends on Bray Wyatt making the most of his chance and Cena allowing Wyatt to appear as an equal but I think they have a real shot at making a lot of money.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Sheamus is the perfect villain for Cena. If they ever bring him back to being the big evil Irish brute he was in 2009. Remember how effective that was? A guy who was believably tough on the mic and in person. He's comparable in size to Cena as well. The mean streak, the look, and the gimmick. The only thing that ever held him back was going to Smackdown and becoming a Cena-inspired babyface. If they were to put him back on Raw w/ the heel gimmick again, it would work just as well. I compare the matchups between the two to Superman vs Doomsday or Captain Planet vs Captain Pollution.

Bray Wyatt is basically more of an intellectual villain rather than a mirror image villain of Cena. That to me makes him a step below the "perfect villain" for him. It's still a breath of fresh air if they manage to finally come up with a new type of threat to Cena. CM Punk should have been more of a cerebral threat but like I've said in various places before, they don't know what to do with CM Punk's lack of a consistent gimmick. Bray has a solid one and it'll need to have a chance to develop into a style that doesn't change too much. That way it'll build up credence and anticipation for a later feud with John Cena. Sort of like how Ric Flair had to build up the characteristic of being a dirty fighter. Or how the Dudley's had to build up the reputation of being table-obsessed. In order for Bray Wyatt to stand out, he'll need something unique to him for it to work. Vague, preachy, speeches in a fake accent is fun to watch but eventually, he'll need something tangible in order to become a top villain.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Why is it that every time a new guy debuts, the entire IWC jumps on his/their bandwagon and starts saying how they should be feuding with this top guy or that top guy? Whatever happened to a guy actually EARNING his spot at the top of the roster, through years of hard work and dedication? Bray Wyatt debuts and within days people want him feuding with WWE's top star?

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Edge was the best "foil" for John Cena, probably ever. It was Cena's (and Edge's) best feud. That said, I think that Randy Orton is the "perfect villain" for Cena, although Sheamus is a good choice too. Orton has similar physique to John Cena, he can wrestle, and as a heel, he was big asshole. He was a mean heel that backed it up in the ring by beating guys and knocking them out with the punt. He wasn't one of those douchey heels or annoying heels, and that's what makes him the perfect foil for Cena. When I saw Orton and Cena in the ring, I actually thought, wow, this guy can stand up to Cena, he can actually wrestler and he really doesn't give a fuck.

Despite Orton's wellness policy issues, WWE should go back to this feud, now that Cena is champ again.


Sheamus is a close second.

Bray Wyatt is nowhere near even being on the list.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

If Bray Wyatt was to feud with Cena this early in his career it would be like Nexus and Ryback all over again. It would be a career damaging feud with Cena looking invincible and Wyatt struggling to regain momentum. It is way to early for a Cena/Wyatt feud. Maybe 2 or 3 years down the line, just not right now.

 

[magic man]

Way, way to early for Wyatt to feud with Cena, I agree Sheamus is the way to go or maybe Curtis Axel with Paul Heyman behind him could be the solution in a few months time of building him up some more. He has the same sort of build as Cena and with Heyman as a mouthpiece / instigator of trouble could lead to a good fued.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

It's something that may be appealing down the line but not at this moment in time. Although you could argue that it is a case of the unknown that works in Wyatt's favour. Having him be on the roster for a year a two takes away some of the mystique; he's part of the furniture. I'm afraid its a bit of a catch-22 situation.

I personally don't think he's ready yet which means by the time he is ready, he will have

a) most probably have lost a match at some point
b) have looked weaker than when he debuted
c) lost some of his mystique

I think with a character like this, you strike while the irons hot but I don't think the time is right now. If WWE protect the character and things slowly tick along, I think they could make a decent go of it. But he will be nowhere near the perfect villain for Cena.

 

[Dagron]

I knew there was something I just couldn't quite place my finger on as to the initial reaction when they showed up. Now that the OP pointed it out, it definitely sounds like kids screaming in fear. That said, it's still far too soon to put Bray against Cena, but if things go well then a year or so down the line we may be in for an engaging feud between the two.

I think it's far more likely that we see Cena face off against a heel Orton/Shaemus or revisit the Punk feud after the anticipated DB feud, but I don't think the OP was suggesting an immediate feud between Bray and Cena, just that if/when it happens down the road it would be a sight to see.

 

[LuckyLouie]

Give a year or two and I think the man to put down Cena will be Cesaro is he is pushed right.
But a more realistic idea is ( besides CM Punk ) is Orton because there is no one else who will make a great story.
Jericho was done before
Christian might be fun to see but people dont like CC for some reason
Del Rio wont work since most people dont care about him and I think they already had their little stint
Kane is too old to make Cena look weak
Undertaker is too old, so is Triple H
So the only people left to work with him, on his level are Lesnar, Sheamus and Orton.

 

[R.K.O]

The perfect foil for Cena is The Rock. The Rock is the only one out of anyone to get a clean win over Cena, he was also the only one that I almost felt that Cena had legitimate hatred against him. As for Bray, I'd keep him as far away from Cena as I possibly can, if he faces Cena his push is over.

 

[MCMG]

"Bray Wyatt" having not wrestled a match on the main roster is no-where near ready to face Cena. Firstly, the gimmick has to get over. Their debut was good but it will be a month or so until this new gimmick has fully developed. Secondly, he has to actually wrestle some matches. I've see him put some decent matches on NXT but I'm he still needs to earn his spot. Whether or not he is good enough is a different matter. I, personally, believe he and is gimmick is good but it will take time for him to fully develop to the point where he should face John Cena.

Even if he did feud with Cena I'm not convinced he should be WWE champion. This would mean the Wyatt family would be partially buried.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I knew there was something I just couldn't quite place my finger on as to the initial reaction when they showed up. Now that the OP pointed it out, it definitely sounds like kids screaming in fear.

Kids were "screaming in fear"?? Now people come on here and just make things up.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

The perfect villain for Cena has already stood face to face, toe to toe with him in that ring, CM Punk.

On all occasions of these two feuding you can clearly see that Punk has always been the antagonist (unless you consider the later part of their Summer 2011 clashes as Face vs Tweener) and the ideal foil for Cena. As Punk ranted about for a good deal of that summer, they're polar opposites. Cena "the man" has been the top asses in WWE for years, while Punk at that point was the anti-establishment rebel looking to fight against the system of which Cena resided at the very peak of. Yes, some if not a significant portion of fans take Punks corner whenever they square off Cena has always been the fan favorite of the two. Their segment on the Raw that Lawler had his heart attack was brilliant because Punk is Cena's ultimate adversary. Plus the two have ungodly chemistry in the ring, I challenge anyone to find a mediocre Punk/Cena match post 2010.

I don't have the slightest clue as to how a Wyatt/Cena feud would pan out, but as of now Cena's Lex Luthor happens to be the self proclaimed best in the world CM Punk.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's too early to tell. Bray Wyatt hasn't even cut his first promo on the main roster, nor have he, Harper & Rowan wrestled a match yet.

At this point in time, personally, I think WWE would be better off in building The Wyatt Family up over a significant period of time rather than injecting Bray into a feud with Cena anytime soon. Cena is a long term, proven star for WWE and The Wyatt Family has literally just arrived. Entering Wyatt into a feud with Cena anytime soon, probably anytime this year in fact, would probably result in him being fed to Cena.

Looking and what WWE has generally done with The Shield is a good way to go with Bray Wyatt and the other member of his "family". Triple H has been a guy behind The Shield and WWE took its time to build them into genuine threats to anyone on the roster and before putting gold around their waists. As I alluded to, I think WWE ought to do something similar with The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt especially.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

People are wanting him to go up against Cena right off the bat because there are no heels left on the roster who are really believable as a threat.

 

[The Butcher]

Well, well, well... look at all these names being listed. You'd think this John Cena guy was a pretty big deal or something.

The Wyatt Family, particularly Bray of course, should stay as far from John Cena as possible for as long as possible. As Squirrelbaby and Jack-Hammer already alluded to, after feuding with Cena, there is no where to go but down.

There is no perfect foil for John Cena, because Cena exists in a different space than the rest of the roster. Just as there was no perfect foil for Hogan during his run. Villains come and go for these types of champions. JBL, Big Show, Edge, Sheamus, and CM Punk are just the modern equivalents of The Iron Sheik, King Kong Bundy, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and Randy Savage. The Rock and Andre are/were attractions that did exist in the same space as the super hero they faced, albeit years and years before Cena/Hogan became "the guy."

 

[Cole Mine]

R Truth was an awesome villain against Cena. That was the last time I was interested in a Cena feud. Unfortunately it only lasted for one PPV and was squandered by Vince wanting to turn truth face and sell little Jimmy shirts. Cody Rhodes with the mask on would have been a great villain for Cena as well but it's another case of a good gimmick wasted while the guy behind it gets buried. Makes no sense really. On topic, yeah I think Wyatt's a great villain for Cena down the road but let him develop of course. I also agree about kids being scared, I didn't watch the vid again but when I was young I was kinda freaked out by Papa Shango in a similar way. I can see the Wyatt family having the same effect with the masks and even just the creepy dude appearing in a rocking chair at the top of the ramp. What's cool is that they are also interesting to adults making the gimmick very clever overall.

 

[Da Solo]

R Truth was an awesome villain against Cena. That was the last time I was interested in a Cena feud. Unfortunately it only lasted for one PPV and was squandered by Vince wanting to turn truth face and sell little Jimmy shirts.

Agreed. To be honest, I think Truth was the only person post-Edge who could truly capture that epic heel-face reaction with Cena that a main-event feud should have (I leave Punk out of that argument because, let's be honest, even as a heel Punk had more crowd support than Cena). Sad that they ended that for no good reason whatsoever.

As for the thread, keep Wyatt away from Cena, FAR away. It would only bury Cena, as even if Bray should get a win off of him, Cena always gets the last laugh in his feuds, and he'd just come back and beat him down all over again. Cena's perfect villains in this current roster are Punk, heel Truth and heel Orton. Keep it that way.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I agree with those who have said that it's too early to tell whether Bray will make it quite far enough to start feuding with Cena, but I will say I can see some possibilities in that direction. Conceptually, you could certainly do worse. As the OP mentioned, Bray is bound to scare the kiddies who are Cena's biggest fans and certainly where ladies are concerned Bray physically resembles the abusive dead-beat that they'd likely have restraining orders against. So, where fanbase is concerned, Bray would make an excellent villain to face off against Cena. Also, babyface Cena is a "fair-player" who tends to take his problems on by himself whereas Bray is a cult leader who seems to prefer others to do his fighting for him (the more the better). In terms of method (again, in concept) you may have something here. I'd be willing to give Bray the benefit of the doubt and say, if he manages to show enough staying power to work his way up through the card, we may see a Cena/Bray feud in the future.

For now, however, I think it's better that Bray and the rest of his family continue to target upper mid-carders and the like to establish a reputation. If Bray can deliver on the mic live rather than just in vignettes, that will help him. If Bray the character is capable of becoming bigger than his starting gimmick rather than being swallowed up by it, maybe we may have something here.

If, and only if these criteria are met, then I can see Bray vs. Cena in an extended program in the future. The WWE has come up with worse ideas, certainly.

 

[CmPunker]

there is no "perfect villian" for john cena.. john cena will always kiss vince'ass ass and he always will.. what do u expect? cm punk was thought to be his so called "kryptonite",but thats not even true because cm punk never beat cena CLEAN. randy orton in 2009 was thought to be a legitimate threat, but cena just overcame him like he was nothing. same for edge.. same for batista, same for wade barrett.. dont get ur hopes up, seriously.. no matter what, everything will be fed to john cna, he is a selfish BITCH.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

there is no "perfect villian" for john cena.. john cena will always kiss vince'ass ass and he always will.. what do u expect? cm punk was thought to be his so called "kryptonite",but thats not even true because cm punk never beat cena CLEAN. randy orton in 2009 was thought to be a legitimate threat, but cena just overcame him like he was nothing. same for edge.. same for batista, same for wade barrett.. dont get ur hopes up, seriously.. no matter what, everything will be fed to john cna, he is a selfish BITCH.

Wow, man, you are bitter. Yes John Cena gets what he wants. Is it because he kisses Vince ass? NO. It is because he is their most marketable superstar and gives as much as he gets (see Make a Wish). Bautista, edge, and orton are not even legit examples as they had great back and forth feuds. I will give you Barrett that's it, and Ryback. Until then, get off of the bitter train

 

[CmPunker]

Wow, man, you are bitter. Yes John Cena gets what he wants. Is it because he kisses Vince ass? NO. It is because he is their most marketable superstar and gives as much as he gets (see Make a Wish). Bautista, edge, and orton are not even legit examples as they had great back and forth feuds. I will give you Barrett that's it, and Ryback. Until then, get off of the bitter train

no, u are the fucking bitter one. john cena gets what he wants because he is a spoiled brat, aka he kisses vince's ass.. he was only in this spot because brock lesnar fucking left.. cm punk does media too, why isnt he the face of the company? john cena has been on top fr 8 years, isnt it time to step down and let someone get a spot? cm punk is a breath of fresh air, while john cena is the same old shit.. same stale old charactger.. pandering to the crowd, smiling, overcoming all odds, semi burying talent, etc.. why cant u let someone else take the spot for a while? is it that hard? why are u so selfish.. barrett and ryback were fed to cena, same for batista, same for orton when he was a heel, same for edge when he was a heel.. edge never beat cena clean, orton could only beat cena clean in a triple threat match.. every other time, cena beat him clean like 3 times.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

no, u are the fucking bitter one. john cena gets what he wants because he is a spoiled brat, aka he kisses vince's ass.. he was only in this spot because brock lesnar fucking left.. cm punk does media too, why isnt he the face of the company? john cena has been on top fr 8 years, isnt it time to step down and let someone get a spot? cm punk is a breath of fresh air, while john cena is the same old shit.. same stale old charactger.. pandering to the crowd, smiling, overcoming all odds, semi burying talent, etc.. why cant u let someone else take the spot for a while? is it that hard? why are u so selfish.. barrett and ryback were fed to cena, same for batista, same for orton when he was a heel, same for edge when he was a heel.. edge never beat cena clean, orton could only beat cena clean in a triple threat match.. every other time, cena beat him clean like 3 times.

I am so sick of the anti Cena BS. I hate Cena as much as everyone else, and I have even admitted that young talent have a hard time being put over by him. But in all seriousness you seriously believe that he buried Edge, Batista, and Orton. Wow. Part of the reason Edge is in the HOF is because of his work with Cena. Get over yourself, mate

 

[CmPunker]

I am so sick of the anti Cena BS. I hate Cena as much as everyone else, and I have even admitted that young talent have a hard time being put over by him. But in all seriousness you seriously believe that he buried Edge, Batista, and Orton. Wow. Part of the reason Edge is in the HOF is because of his work with Cena. Get over yourself, mate

i didnt say they were buried.. i said they were FED. theres a difference..

in all seriousness, cena doesnt deserve to be on top.. he was only on top bceause he kissed vince's ass and lesnar left the wwe. also, edge was in the hall of fame because he won a shitload of championships, had great feuds with batista and undertaker, and he even beat batista clean. did cena ever give edge a clean win? no.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Cena is where he is plain and simple because Vince and creative feel he is best. Is he the best at merchandising and promoting? Hell yes. Is he the best in the ring? No. Is the best on the Mic? No, but close... his schtick has gotten boring. I don't care about clean wins.... 75% of todays matches don't end cleanly don't blame just CEna