How would you Book Him: John Cena

[S.J. Maximus]

There's a huge thread on this forum about how the Rock is 'struggling' on the mic in 2011 because of the pg guidelines, and many people have even gone on to say that if wrestling was always PG than The Rock would've never been big. Well, let's start to play that game right now:

Would John Cena be a huge draw if he had debuted in 1995?

Assuming that his career would've followed the same general path as it already has, 1998 is the year that Cena reaches his prime (2005 was his main event breakthrough which was 3 years after his '02 debut) so what would you have him do? Would he be the corporation star in 1998 that would eventually face Austin at WM15? Or would he be the guy that D'Lo Brown would defend his European title against while getting some Hardcore title reigns via the 24/7 rule?


If you think it's too complicated to judge, then just tell me: If you were Vince, how would you book John Cena in 1998?

 

[Reddog1146]

I put him as a mid card guy, if he took longer to work his way up to the world titles, then i think people would have more respect for him, he would be like Triple H is today IMO.

 

[Long Island Iced WXYZ]

The Doctor of Thuganomics would be a maineventer no doubt about it.

He can definitely hang with the big boys in the Attitude Era.

I'd have him feud with all of the top guys: Undertaker, Kane, Rock, Austin, HHH etc.

And him vs Austin at Wrestlemania would be VERY interesting to say the least.

 

[SFC]

I could actually have seen him being a big WCW guy, as a heel.

Almost the exact opposite as he is now, but since WCW was very heel-based, he'd be getting his super push as a heel. Thug wise, that is.

 

[akathelaw]

I would book Cena closely to how he was actually booked in the '00s. I think his Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick would have gone over well against Triple H, Stone Cold, Undertaker and Mankind. Really wouldn't want ot change anything about it, maybe have him wear actual wrestling gear for matches maybe. I would have given him a sexy black girlfriend for a valet, to piss off the rednecks and get him some heel heat. i think he would still have the crowd split on his reaction, half loving and cheering him while half boo and jeer his entrance.

 

[RockAndRoll]

Cena and The Rock aren't getting credit sometimes for what put them in the main-events. Things like work-ethic and charisma rule all when it comes to WWE. If these men swapped places or at least ended up in each others generation, they'd have been feuding and main eventing ppv's.

Personally, I agree that Cena's heel rap persona would've lasted longer in the attitude era. He could've been heel and a very over one at that. I think it's a huge mistake to dismiss him as a mid-carder in that time period. A guy like Cena finds a way to the top no matter where you put him. The type of person he seems like backstage would have made whatever adjustments he needed to on-screen to get back on top. Even right now, heel or face.. he's over.

The Rock didn't use the Attitude era as a crutch. He took what he was given and then pushed the envelope. Just like we got a taste of in his recent return, the Rock, even in this generation can talk with the best of em.

I don't personally believe that the era would make or break either one of these guys.

 

[EdgeHead21]

I would've kept him the same to be honest. In the 90's rap was on the rise, so for a couple of years from '95 I'd have him on the rise as a rookie-type character then as the then-WWF enter the Attitude Era have a big heel turn after a few nice little lower-mid card title reigns and feuds with his white-rapper gimmick and have him rise, maybes even feud with 'Taker heading into a WM match (Obviously have 'Taker retain the streak) but perhaps give it the same sort of build-up it had with Orton/'Taker in '05.

 

[The Universal Re-monster]

W/o a doubt he'd end up in the main event, and most definitely would have kept the "rapper" gimmick. He'd be a multiple time champ heel or face in the attitude era. And guess what? The "cool" thing would be to cheer him, so that's what most of the sheep that boo him now would do.