Is John Cena actually showing signs of a heel turn?

[sammysrh]

Actually think about this before bashing ! Look at what hes done, hes actually starting to have a better persona as far as "may the better man win"! NO he said I WILL NOT LOSE A MATCH UNTILL I GET THE BELT! Thats a strong statement.. Could we possibly see someone from raw win the rumble challenge sheamus at WM26 and win the belt? Then leaving Cena to face taker at wm26 since that is the only eligible person without a contender hypothetically.

But these are all just slight possiblilities. What i want this thread to be about is, REALISTICALLY how would you like Cena to turn heel by wm26?

 

[DugoutDan17]

Well I defiantly hope so, I’m a massive Cena fan and I have been since he made his debut against Kurt Angle on smackdown. If I was to compare his work as a heel to his work as a face I honestly don’t mind either but I cant wait for the day that he does turn heel because I think they could do it where it could be so unexpected and all the fans (especially the kids) wouldn’t see it coming just like Hogan’s heel turn in WCW.

If Cena is to turn heel I hope its done in the right way I don’t wanna see a guy who is the ultimate face of the company at the moment turn heel over something stupid. I loved the whole word life theme music and when he use to come out rapping about his opponents and tearing them to pieces (if you haven’t seen any of Cena’s old rap stuff have a look online for some its awesome IMO) I hope that when/if he does turn heel that he returns to that way with the rap gimmick. I also hope we do see Cena vs. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26 I think it would be a great match for both opponents considering this could be takers last mania.

Im not saying I want Cena to win but id be reasonably happy if Cena turned heel.

 

[Blue Chipper]

Firstly, the chances of Cena turning heel in the future are very remote. Cena is the top baby face, the top draw, and has one of the best selling merchandising. If he turns heel, there's a realistic chance that he will loose some of his drawing capacity, and his merchandise would probably not sell nearly as well either.

With that said, I would want Cena to turn heel by attacking the refs in spite of being thrown out early on at the Royal Rumble. Then, I'd have it all snowball into a feud with the Undertaker at WM 26. Creative, probably not. Best I have, probably.

 

[Ytoojae]

The problem is you can't really have him turn against his fans. That's an easy way that the WWE uses to turn a lot of big faces heel. You can't do it because you'd only end up with a flip of the fans that boo him now and boo him later.

This, however, is what I would do.

Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble after Cena loses to Sheamus.

The night after the Rumble Shawn comes out to cut a promo how he's going to fight the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, that he got his rematch and it's on and there ain't a damn thing anybody can do about it.

*Cena's music hits*

Cena comes out and cuts a promo against Shawn Michaels. That the only reason his (must use adjectives here to describe Shawn) old, broken down, vastly overrated, hippy ass won the Royal Rumble was because John Cena was not in the Royal Rumble. Cena MUST, absolutely MUST speak of himself in the third person. He also MUST stop using his extremely over catchphrases, for example, "You can't see me!". He must intimidate and corner Shawn into either accepting a match with him at No Way Out or getting his ass kicked and not being able to make it to Wrestlemania.

It would work perfectly if Shawn had to win the Rumble after coming out in the first five to ten. That way people will recognize that he's had to work his ass off for most of the Rumble match just to win it and Cena's attacking someone who is still exhausted afterwards.

I think that would be the perfect way for Cena to turn heel -- it has to be against someone who is completely over with the fans and with the risk of the fans losing something that they believe they want (The Taker Vs HBK rematch being the perfect thing). The only problem is that they would have to take care of Triple H first as the fans would expect him to come to Shawn's aid.

Whoever won at No Way Out (I mean Elimination Chamber) you'd leave the fans with the rematch or Cena Vs The Undertaker. Do the WWE swerve us and use Cena Vs Taker or do they keep with current progression and go with the rematch? That in itself would be absolutely huge for No Way Out (Elimination Chamber). That's of course assuming Taker retains both in the Chamber and at the Rumble.

That's how I would turn Cena heel, if they turned him heel (which I don't really see happening).

 

[scott hammer cena]

That's how I would turn Cena heel, if they turned him heel (which I don't really see happening).

i hope he doesnt turn heel he is the poster boy for everything WWE does
they are trying to over power TNA well they wont if Cena turns heel also the merchandise sales would hugely decrease and the tribute to the troops thing would be totally pointless without the Cena speech

 

[Paradox]

I think Coco had the best Idea of turning Cena heel. It was having all of the young guns continue to bad mouth Cena to the point were he blows up and all. Or something to the effect, he then goes out and faces 'Taker at Mania and beats him. The next night he comes out and says he's the best and that's why he can hog up the spotlight. That's my version to Coco's idea atleast.

 

[angle10]

Cena is my least favorite wrestler in the WWE but his character is very stale now, I think it is the appropriate time for him to become a heel. Seeing that there are only 2 main stream heels, In Orton and Jericho.But everyone keeps thinking that Michaels will be facing Undertaker again in a rematch at WM 26. This is not going to happen especially after what happened on raw. It is more likely that HBK will face Bret. And i would love to see Cena face Taker at WM. as long as he doesnt win.

 

[mral82]

Cena does not or need to turn heel they're already enough heels in the E right now we don't need another one Cena should face the Rock or somebody else @ Mania but not the Taker yet Taker won't retire till WM 30 in MSG not 26 in Phoenix. He'll go 20-0 bf he retires. Anyway Cena gimmick could go back to the rappin gimmick as a face and he'll be fine. So Quit Bashing Cena and sayin he needs to switch sides or anything cause in 10 yrs he'l still b there "NUFF SAID!!!!!" World Life

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I've heard this one from both sides up and down this forum, but I've got to say that, while I agree that he'll likely never be a heel...at least not until he's no longer selling so much merchandise, I do see some changes occurring in his gimmick. His intensity has definately increased. He's been getting more and more back to the hardcore stuff (given that he's really not that believable as a "technical" wrestler) and I think we're about to see far more brawl to Cena in the months to come.

Now a Tweener turn might be the way to go with Cena. It would allow him to keep his loyalty to his fans, but maybe begin to wage a one-man war against the company. The version of McMahon on Raw is pretty much the soft touch right now, but what happens when he starts pulling the kind of thing on Raw that he's been pulling on Smackdown? It could lead to a near immediate feud with Triple H given that he is a McMahon by marriage. Maybe Cena begins to see that, as barbaric as Sheamus' approach is, it gets results and tries out some ambushes himself, finding that there's a part of him that enjoys it. It could make for some nice inner struggles which might actually help to further flesh out the Cena character. Cena seems to have a very "moral-conscious" character right now, so I say force him into some tough moral decisions and see where he goes from there. That'd be the way to shift his character in my opinion.

 

[sammysrh]

Firstly, the chances of Cena turning heel in the future are very remote. Cena is the top baby face, the top draw, and has one of the best selling merchandising. If he turns heel, there's a realistic chance that he will loose some of his drawing capacity, and his merchandise would probably not sell nearly as well either.

With that said, I would want Cena to turn heel by attacking the refs in spite of being thrown out early on at the Royal Rumble. Then, I'd have it all snowball into a feud with the Undertaker at WM 26. Creative, probably not. Best I have, probably.

Though i partially agree, then i got a strong disagreement since 1/4/10 is coming.. They will need something that will draw, more of a ratings grabber, or a fresh breath of air. Cena turning heel would ultimately boost ratings IF done correctly and dont right. IMAGINE IT, the kids saying 2 days after the 1/4/10 episode of raw, "omg can you believe cena turned bad holy shit" just imagine people everywhere saying that. But it would have to be something big imo.

 

[OutsiderDX]

This Merchindising argument is getting so old and is so completely flawed. Turning Cena heel makes your product better. A better product = more fans. More fans = more merchindise sales. Here is the math for all your college nerds. Wrestler X sells 100 of the 200 T-shirts sold as a face... wow 50%!!!, but as a heel he sells only 50 but the company sells 300 instead of 200. Which is better for the company?

Also, when heels turn back to face they become more popular. Rock was at the height after his face turn... so now you have a better product and even more merchindise sold.

I am rooting for Cena vs Undertaker with a Cena heel turn DURING the match. He knows he can't beat the undertaker, so he has to use every cheating way to do it. All the classics.... beating the ref, low blows, chairs.... ect.

 

[GBALLA]

i would love too see cena turn heel, and now would be the best time. he said he would not lose till he gets the belt back, but last week he lost. plant the seeds of his heel turn, and at some point have him blow up and have him beat the crap of a top face, undertaker. setting up their match at wm26. in reality, he makes vince way too much money as a face to have him turn heel or change his character.

 

[Brady12]

A few things.

1. A Cena heel turn would be successful due to a large amount of people disliking him already. Other than a few areas, he is booed by at least half the fans of the WWE Universe. When Austin turned heel in 2001, it didn't work because fans still loved him. The Rock heel turn in 2003 didn't last long either because his persona clicks with the fans. Cena's fans are mostly made up of children and women. Women cheer him because they think he's hot and children will cheer who they're normally told to cheer for.

2. I keep hearing that Cena can't turn heel because of merchandise sales. What about ticket sales? What about ratings? If you can't make both of those better then Cena's "merch" won't mean much. Besides, Kofi is on the rise and in my opinion, has a better personality and ring skills. Give Kofi a push and see if he can sell some toys and t-shirts.

3. I think the only way Cena will turn heel is if TNA somehow manages to compete with Raw on Mondays. McMahon used to be really good at gaging who the WWE fans liked and disliked, but for the last few years, he's been way too damn stubborn. He has somehow convinced himself that if he pushes Cena on us that we will later grow to love him. So far, that really hasn't been the case.

No matter how Vince or WWE tells the story, he will not resonate as a babyface the way Hogan or Austin did. But as a heel, he can be one of the best. Why? Because it's easy to hate John Cena.

 

[M-Rey845]

the only way i see cena turning heel is like how austin turned heel, where at a wrestlemania(doesnt have to be the upcoming one) cena needs help defeating an opponent(the only person i see cena needing help with is the undertaker) and who else would he go and ask but the boss

but then again i don't really mind him right now, but i would be excited to see a heel turn occur

 

[Krundell]

Batista Turned Heel this year so why not Cena too? They were both the 2 biggest Faces of the company at one point.

So this is the way i hope he turns heel. At the RR he gets eliminated by Taker and gets pissed at him. then the next night challenges Taker to a match at Mania to prove he is better than taker. Vince comes out and says no. Cena throws a Hissy fit. and starts turning heel in the coming weeks to mania at at Mania is a full pledge Heel. But his personality changes to the old Cena. The Rapper. and at mania tries to beat Taker with the Knuckle duster but taker catches his fist and tombstone. taker 18-0 and Cena is Heel.

 

[The Dewbliners]

i would love too see cena turn heel, and now would be the best time. he said he would not lose till he gets the belt back, but last week he lost. plant the seeds of his heel turn, and at some point have him blow up and have him beat the crap of a top face, undertaker. setting up their match at wm26. in reality, he makes vince way too much money as a face to have him turn heel or change his character.

Before I go any further: Cena did not lose on Monday. He won by disqualification, which still counts for a big "W" in the proverbial record books. His statement of "I will not lose, until I win the title back" still stands.

Now, to the topic. I hope they don't turn Cena heel. It would be counter intuitive, at least the way everybody's suggesting. It shouldn't play out in an "instant gratification" kind of fashion. That would only serve the short term. Now, if Vince drops the PG rating (which to be honest, he's not doing the best job at observing), I could support a heel turn a bit more.

That said, how would I go about it? Pull the old slow burn. Have him get progressively angrier every single week. Just when everyone thinks his turn is coming, pull it back a little. Make him seem conflicted. Is he loyal to the fans, or is he loyal to his own selfish needs? Then, have him work a tweener role for a while. Just when it looks like he's going to fulfill the prophecy of returning balance to the Force, he swerves, and attacks let's say Kofi. Generally, have the turn take a few months to develop, just to gauge fan interest. There's no reason to do it all at once. I could be wrong in my philosophy, but I doubt it.

 

[boozinjedi]

I think the best way to turn Cena heel is the way they did with Bret at WM13...after the match,against the Undertaker...

He could use the whole "respect" angle to say that he needs to test himself against the best,after he and taker have a barnburner of a match...Taker unusually goes over to shake hands...does it then AA and then beats the holy heck out of him,levaing him in a heap!

 

[Big Ol' Buckta AIDS]

To be honest, I don't think you understand the maginitude of what your actually suggesting. To us here, on this site, We see Cena as an ordinary wrestler (skill wise) who is getting a big push. To the majority of the "WWE universe" who at this point is 15 and under, Cena is their Hulk Hogan. Their SCSA. To do what your asking is on par with Hogan's heel turn in WCW. I don't think it would be as intense as people throwing trash into the ring, but if certain little ones in my family can be any indication, Children will actually cry. Now Vince loves his Mega Faces. They give the company a recognizable superstar to the outside world, and act like an ambassador. You saw it in the 80's with hulks movies, and Cena is doing the same thing doing the coin flip at the Fiesta Bowl. And because of this, I don't think Cena will ever turn heel. He is just to Good ( to the kids) as a Face

 

[mdcclxxvisoad]

I don't think he could ever go back to being a true heel. If you look at HHH and Shawn Michaels, no matter what they do they will never be heels. HBK super kicked a little girl and that was considered funny. I think John Cena could get away with doing more heel things and not be considered a heel.

Right now, John Cena couldn't be anymore of a baby face. I suggest they have him push the envelope and do more heelish stuff and see what they can get away with. To the point where the fans are confused on whether he is a baby face or heel. His biggest sell is that fans boo him and cheer him so why not intertwine the marks and the smart marks to the point where fans in general don't know if they should boo him or not boo him. Yet he should never ever turn on the fans.

I think he should cheat to win the belt. Then try to apologize, and be like "I made a promise I wouldn't lose until I got the title back and I couldn't let down the fans. I made a mistake and I apologize to every one of you" Have a rematch and lose, and then beat the living crap out of Sheamus. Then fans start to turn on him, and he gives another speech and re-apologizes to the fans and says he needs time away to clear his head. He comes back months later and says he checked into anger management and they told him that he was bottling up his frustrations to the point where he finally snapped, and that the doctors recommended him to not bottle up his frustrations and he should freely express his true emotions. Then by doing this, you unravel the true identity of John Cena, who isn't always heroic. Which in a way makes him more human, almost like Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, in how even they have a dark side.

 

[bowdring123]

Okay, i love the Rumble ideas with shawn, but what makes u think they are going to lose merchanicing sales, look at chris jericho and randy orton, whats the diff between that and cena as a heel, sheamus will hold onto the title untill the rumble, cena vs sheamus at the rumble for what is this, the 100th time, another orton cena best of 7000 series, anyways, cena will, lose, throw a fit, and jump the person who wins the rumble, thus turning him heel, and one more thing, this might be a little off topic but dx vs jerishow, dx got dq'd and jerishow dosnt get a rematch, (not counting this upcoming week) i will bet my life that cenas going to get a rematch, why, shouldnt the same rules apply, cena get ur ass to the back of the line!

 

[miamicanes460]

Cena cheating to beat UT at wrestlemania may be the heel turn he needs. Bring in the anti-PG era with it too.

The referee goes down, Cena pulls out his chain, hits the hell out of him with it wrapped around his wrist. Undertaker bleeding. Cena then uses his STFU with the chain now used to choke Undertaker out. Undertaker spits up blood, being in the hold for over a minute. Taker is out. Then Cena gets the pinfall as the crowd sits there in utter shock. The fans receive the double bird and the WWE world as we know it changes drastically. Cena keeps dodging Undertaker, but Taker ends up getting drafted to Raw. Cena shits himself and the biggest rivalry in 2010 takes its place.

But knowing the WWE, Hornswoggle will somehow be involved in Cena's heel turn, making it the gayest turn ever. I could see this honestly happening....

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Can someone clear out the economies with a wrestler being a heel or face and the sales of merchandising. Because the thing is, I really don't think it matters. I mean sure Cena's target demographic are kids but does that mean kids only like the faces?

I remember when WWE was in Mania some years back. In terms of wearing T-Shirts I noticed a lot of people wearing Mr. Kennedy and Carlito shirts just as much as a Cena or Triple H shirt.

 

[pattycat22]

I don't really see the signs of a heel turn at all. There might be a tweak of Cena's persona, but certainly no giant heel turn in the works. Cena is the golden boy of WWE. He is the perfect babyface representative for it. Vince likes his faces to be mythic heroes and Cena is about as mythic as they come- as you'll notice how they always have him going up against some unstoppable monster and Cena bests him in the end through his herculean might and pure heart. That's his gimmick and it sells.. a lot. Not only is there no need to turn him, but said turn would ruin his character completely. Cena is supposed to be the type of wrestler/hero little kids aspire to be. Whether he's edgy enough or not for the IWC is completely irrelevant to his purpose for Vince & the WWE. The most one could ever hope for as far as a heel turn might be the 'shade of grey' that Triple H & Shawn Michaels have evolved into. Their characters are neither total faces nor total heels-more of a mixture depending on circumstance. But I don't think either Vince or Cena are even ready for that subtle (pardon the pun) attitude adjustment. Cena is Vince's golden calf, so why would he slaughter him now?

 

[ztwhite]

If... and it's a big IF... the WWE was going to turn Cena heel, they have to come out of nowhere with it.

Most wrestling fans saw the Batista heel turn coming, so it was no surprise.

The only way a Cena heel turn can be done with complete shock and awe would be if it were handled ala Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach.

Anything different would be a waste...

 

[dbrdss]

MRAL, you do know that The Rock is retired now and doing tooth fairy movies (disgraceful), but thats the movie business. Anyway, I dont think the WWE can afford to turn Cena heel. Everyone knows that merch will go down and someone above said something about ratings going up if Cena turned heel. Maybe, but we might lose some of the younger viewers since they all love Cena as a face. I would love to cena turn heel, but thats me,I'm not a little kid that begs his mum to buy him a Cena T-Shirt because I think he's cool. So no, I dont think Cena is showing any signs of turning heel. I'm guessing when he gets older and doesnt sell much merchandise, then it will be the perfect time to turn him heel.