John Cena In Serious Mode: I hope It Lasts

[Jack-Hammer]

For the past several months, we've definitely been seeing a much more serious side to John Cena. We've seen Cena in this mode before but I can't recall the last time, if ever, in which it lasted for such a significant time period. To me, it looks as if Cena clowns around less and less as the weeks go by. Even during Cena's feuds against The Rock, Ryback & Mark Henry, we've seen very little of the joke cracking, happy-go-lucky side of Cena.

In spite of some of the chants given by some of the smarks in Green Bay, Cena's promo was anything but boring. I thought it was very good, straight forward, serious and passionate work on Cena's part. It felt like the proper response to Bryan's promo earlier in the night, which I thought was good as well, and kept in synch with WWE's strategy of having this program in which two top babyfaces are going at it while also liking and respecting each other. I suspect WWE will turn up the intensity for this program during the go home show with the friendly competition aspect flying out the window as they get closer to crunch time.

I hope that this is ultimately where Cena's character stays, maybe even progresses further into. I can handle some of his corny comedy in small doses. In my eyes, Cena in this light lends a lot more credence to the threats posed by his opponents. He didn't trade very many juvenile insults or gay jokes with The Rock, he didn't poke fun of Ryback all that much beyond a couple of instances in which he brought up the heavy breathing, he didn't poke fun of Henry at all and he's not clowning around with Bryan as if Bryan is his little buddy that he isn't all that worried about.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Ya know my only problem with Cena last night was that he didn't wear "The Champ is here" shirt. I thought that would've been a perfect counter to Bryan's "The Beard is here." Otherwise his promo was awesome.

I think they're doing a good job so far with this feud. They're also doing a good job at keeping Orton involved in it. I would like to see Orton in a match at SS just to keep people distracted from him cashing in. I feel right now it's pretty obvious he's going to. There is a slim chance they save it for the next night on Raw. But I feel the best effect for a heel turn would be to do it immediately after DB wins it.

 

[Kliq]

God no, are you kidding me? It was still the same 'overcome all odds' Cena promo just without the 12 year old humor. Please don't become complacent. It really was boring, and we deserve better. Cena last night was as stale as he's been for the past four years. There is nothing thrilling about him saying, "It sounds like this crowd wants to see me and Bryan fight right here and now!" in reaction to the "Boring!" chants. No, they don't, unless it's for the title. They want to see Bryan as champ and then move on to a better storyline with someone less predictable. Cena can then start putting over younger guys until the WWE has decided that they are ready for a true character change.

Now that would be resfreshing.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I believe the serious side we've been seeing has been brought about by the fan's negative reaction to him. It would hardly serve to have him cracking jokes while being jeered by a too-large percentage of the folks in the audience.

I don't back off from my position that many of the chants from the crowd are planted by WWE. Last night, I don't buy the notion that the "boring" chant originated spontaneously, especially not for a Cena speech that seemed top-notch to me.

On the other hand, I admit to being wrong about this before. I was positive the serious side Cena showed after Wrestlemania was a clear indication he was starting a heel turn, having been disgusted with the fans after the whole program with The Rock. Obviously, it didn't happen, although I believe Creative was considering it at the time.

But face it, in Rock and Daniel Bryan, Cena isn't facing heels, as a face champion is supposed to do...... he's not only squaring off against good guys, but against the most over good guys in pro wrestling. There has to be a reason for this, and I believe the goal is a turn to the dark side .....which I believe will be positively huge. It will also be highly effective and by the time in the future he's ready to turn face again, all his detractors will be so happy to see it that even they will return to his corner.

Here's a thought: Do all his detractors actually want him gone? Or do they want to see him change his routines and patterns? I say the latter.

John Cena in serious mode?.....you bet. The immediate reason for it is the negative reaction the company has orchestrated from the fans.....the long-term reason might be the long-awaited heel turn.

 

[Mac Attack]

I think that this serious side of Cena is here to stay. I noticed on Total Divas he was being somewhat of a cold, straight up serious person, and coupled with what we've seen on RAW recently and last night I think Cena is going to remain like that for a while. He came off almost as a tweeter last night which is where I think he needs to be. Clearly Bryan is going to get the bigger reactions in the feud, we have seen that this last month. There's no reason as to why Cena can't act tweensr for this. There's no reason why he should try and get a face reaction and force that route so keeping him serious works.

Now I know it's been called hundreds of times but if this does indeed lead to heel turn I have no problem with it. I know it won't likely happen as you still need your top face but Bryan and Punk have been drawing well so it's becoming more a possibility these days. I enjoyed serious Cena and it's clear he knows how to use the crowd to his advantage. I think this serious side may be able to hush the haters and get them to appreciate Cena more.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

I love Cena threads they always get people worked up. Anyways I agree with Sally slot of us Cena detractors simply want a change and I agree serious Cena is definitely a step in the right direction. Everything he said whether I agree with it or not was a wonderful and truthful play on his character as he is indeed the Veteran and has taken out everyone over the years and what makes it so great is this time Cena isnt overcoming the odds so he cant pull that bullshit that we're so tired of. Anyways if Cena stays like this he will be easier to swallow

 

[RD_21]

Ya know my only problem with Cena last night was that he didn't wear "The Champ is here" shirt. I thought that would've been a perfect counter to Bryan's "The Beard is here." Otherwise his promo was awesome.

I think they're doing a good job so far with this feud. They're also doing a good job at keeping Orton involved in it. I would like to see Orton in a match at SS just to keep people distracted from him cashing in. I feel right now it's pretty obvious he's going to. There is a slim chance they save it for the next night on Raw. But I feel the best effect for a heel turn would be to do it immediately after DB wins it.

On that, I'm thinking he either went back to the yellow shirt because Bryan mentioned it or because he will lose the tote at Summerslam (or want us to think he will).

I agree that he is more serious, but it's still the same annoying promo to me where he scream, make his challengers look bad and weak and say he will win again.

I am a firm believer that you need to respect and fear your challenger and make them look good, because if you get beat by them, what does it tell? And if you beat them, what have you won?

 

[MWRedskins]

i dont think John Cena's promo was boring at all. i could live without Cena acting like the underdog in this match which i hope Bryan counters with on next weeks RAW by saying how he's the underdog because Cena's the man in WWE and is the Champ, but that is the only problem i had with the promo because whenever Cena talks about overcoming the odds, i want to show him his history of overcoming the odds, but overall (besides the underdog, overcoming the odds part) it was a good promo which put over the title and it's MUCH better than listening to Cena cracking jokes that sound like he's trying to make an elementary school laugh or trying to be funny with his email account names and this Cena's promo puts over his opponent and doesnt downplay him like just another guy. so no it wasnt boring and we should see more of serious Cena.

 

[Wald]

Makes me confident that Cena will put over Bryan at Summerslam to be honest.

Cena only ever does this mode for people he thinks deserves to be in there with him. Usually it means he's okay with losing to that guy (Edge & Punk are the two main examples)

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

You have to give Cena credit where credit is due. Face vs. Face feuds usually tend to be boring or destroy the character of one of the so called faces. In this feud Cena is actually in a way playing the heel. His promos have had a serious tone which isn't the typical, kind of funny, rub the fans promos that we are so used to. It almost seems as if in his mind he did choose DB because he thinks DB has no chance of winning. He is doing a great job of selling this to the crowd and helping out in putting the spot light on Daniel Bryan.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

It was a fantastic promo by Cena, probably his best of the year so far. To use a more recent example, it reminded of Cena's promo against Punk before Night Of Champions last year. WWE was in Canada, and I think Bret Hart was in the ring. Punk was trying to clown around and mock Cena, Cena came to the ring, and he was PISSED. He slapped the microphone out of Punk's hands, and tore him into him with the same intensity we all saw last night.

I thoroughly enjoy serious Cena more than the flashes of comedic Cena with a terrible sense of humor we usually see. If it's one thing that annoys me about Cena's promos sometimes, it's this bad habit he has of making these awful, awful corny jokes that are almost as bad as Jerry Lawler's on commentary.

With all that said, I don't think we're seeing signs of Cena turning heel. No. The spot of top heel in WWE is reserved for Randy Orton, and we've all seen the signs building up to his inevitable turn over the past few months.

Just pay close attention to Cena's words last night. No matter how many people boo him, chant "you can't wrestle," or make fun his clothes and style, John Cena will never break. He won't give in to the pressure of taunts. He will remain strong, and his character will prevail through any adversity. That's what John Cena is all about, and that mentality is the backbone of his character. Cena often mentioned this same material in his promos against Rock, Punk, and Lesnar, three of his strongest and toughest opponents recently, and a lot of the fans rallied behind him because of it. So while I hope Cena's serious mode lasts, I don't think we're headed for a heel turn. Randy Orton is on his way to taking the spot as top heel in WWE, and I honestly believe he's better suited for the role.

 

[Da Solo]

This tends to happen whenever Cena is in a feud where he's not the fan favorite. He did the same for Rock, the same for Punk, the same for Henry at MitB (albeit not as extensively) and now is doing the same for Bryan. It won't last. Once he gets back to fighting a heel he'll be back to the basics.

That being said, it was a good promo. I love hearing him counter the "you can't wrestle" chant, because it really used to bother me that he never mentioned how the guy who can't wrestle is champion (using kayfabe, of course). I was a little annoyed at the BORING chant. Believe me, there are times when that is very applicable to Cena promos (like the one before they let him win the Rumble), but this was actually a good one that they crapped on just because it was Cena.

 

[Coco]

What alternate WWE Universe did this thread come from? Because I'm telling you right now that nothing has changed. We're watching the same Cena we always have. Sometimes he cuts lengthy stand-up comedy routines and throws lame jokes at you. Sometimes he gets vein-bulgingly intense. Sometimes he uses his serious-business voice. We're just a few weeks removed from Cena getting cute with the Brooklyn crowd, egging on their YES chants while asking them not to hinder Jinder. He goes from one extreme to the other as he and creative see fit. He's been doing it all year. He's been doing it since 2005. This is business as usual.

Only reason this thread exists is because Jack-Hammer needs to generate discussion. So he took a strong segment from Raw last night, drew an absurd conclusion from it, and sent the nitpicking throngs on their merry way.

Sorry, but anyone who actually believes that this year marks a change for Cena is cherry-picking and seeing what they want to.

The end.

 

[Wrestling_Goddess]

John Cena in his serious mode I find hard to take seriously. Please god let Daniel beat him at Summerslam

 

[Headman]

You know what's stale and boring? The Cena haters. I'm bored to tears with people who can't give credit where credit is due. I find it very stale how some people repeat the same tired lines no matter how untrue they are. Cena's promo was more serious than usual. I don't know if I find that refreshing or not, but I'm satisfied with how these two have presented themselves in promos. Face vs Face is not an easy thing to do.

 

[Redemption-2012]

That is because he is not the fan favorite here. It was the same with CM Punk, The Rock etc...it does not mean he is turning heel or anything because I feel that would be a mistake at this point. I love the serious mode of John Cena, I really felt the promo last night. I hope he keeps this up and possibly starts a feud with the Wyatt family. This would continue the trend of serious promo's.

 

[prestonluv]

I thought his promo was solid and enjoyed that he was serious the whole time. The only problem with the promo was that he said he would not wrestle if WWE fired him. This made no sense to me at all. If the WWE fired him and he never wrestled again then he would have no chance of ever getting back in the WWE. But, if he went back on another circuit and kept wrestling than maybe the WWE might hire him back in the future. He also proved Daniel Bryan right. Bryan said he loved wrestling and would wrestle anywhere....Cena said he loved wrestling but would quit if fired from WWE. Cena don't love wrestling..he love the WWE and its notoriety.

Anyway...just food for thought

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

What's actually brilliant about Cena is his ability to still manage to draw the ire of the WWE fans by simply not changing who he is. By not pandering to the WWE's fanbase, he's actually becoming quite heel-ish in his actions. Cena being serious is a great change of pace and is in great contrast to Daniel Bryan, who seems to be enjoying the spotlight.

This reminds me of the Punk/Cena story prior to Money in the Bank where Cena went in as an obvious favorite, but Punk kept chipping away and kept reminding folks that he's what the fans really want - a true wrestler. Cena countered by stating that he's beaten the odds and all that good stuff.

The back and forth with Bryan and Cena has all the makings of a great contest.

And I hope Cena keeps this serious tone to his character, because even if he's considered a 'good guy', he's serious about his wrestling.

 

[MCMG]

John Cena always delivers great promos, whether they be serious or comedic. He has his "serious" promos every so often just to remind the audience how good he is. I think it is usually aimed at the "Cena haters" who just think he is a kiss-ass who caters for 12 year-olds.

I don't think there is going to be a massive change in Cena. I am almost certain that next week we will see Cena deliver a promo where he mocks Bryan. Looking like a homeless person/needing a shower will probably come up. The thing is, Cena is a funny guy so keeping him serious is a waste. He needs to mix it up because he can deliver different types of promos to keep his fans happy and to ensure those who hate him at least acknowledge his ability.

 

[Headman]

I thought his promo was solid and enjoyed that he was serious the whole time. The only problem with the promo was that he said he would not wrestle if WWE fired him. This made no sense to me at all. If the WWE fired him and he never wrestled again then he would have no chance of ever getting back in the WWE. But, if he went back on another circuit and kept wrestling than maybe the WWE might hire him back in the future. He also proved Daniel Bryan right. Bryan said he loved wrestling and would wrestle anywhere....Cena said he loved wrestling but would quit if fired from WWE. Cena don't love wrestling..he love the WWE and its notoriety.

Anyway...just food for thought

I think Cena was saying if he can't compete on the highest level against the best competition in the world then it's not worth it. He drew comparisons to the NFL which made a lot of sense. If Tom Brady got bounced out of the league he wouldn't go to the CFL or the AFL. From a kayfabe stand point Cena wouldn't be challenged in the indies just as Brady wouldn't be challenged in a lesser league. It would be too easy and therefore not worth the time of anyone who is driven by competition.

 

[JerichoPM]

Last night promo was not bad, it was kinda above average from what i have seen from cena recently. I kinda sensed some heel tone in the promo, not that noticeable, but i did notice. "Kinda like, i choose Daniel Bryan because i know i will beat him easily". Having said that, it doesn´t change the fact that John Cena in general is stale at least in the last 3 years(i could even say more, because there´s been a long time since i consider John Cena to be innovative in his promos).

PS: Hope you understand everything, since i´m from Portugal i don´t have the same habit of writing english as you guys.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Really enjoyed the promo. The thing that stood out the most was the change from his Wahlberg impression to not much of an accent and back again. I also thought he did a great job responding to the things Bryan said earlier in the night. Cena is good when he is serious but let's save it for when he has something to be serious about. Comedy Cena has his place too. Not every promo is a hit but his batting average is still pretty good if not great.