John Cena Returns

[Jack-Hammer]

It was announced on last night's episode of SmackDown Live that John Cena will make his return to WWE TV in 2 weeks. This episode happens to be the last SD Live episode of 2016 and will see AJ Styles defend the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler; does anyone else see the possibility of Cena doing something to cost Ziggler the title? Whether it's intentional or accidental, or, rather, made to look accidental, I can see this going down.

John Cena turning heel has essentially been the wet dream of numerous internet fans for many a year but it's something WWE, particularly Vince McMahon, hasn't been willing to do. When you consider how much money the Cena brand and character has brought into the company over the past decade+, it's easy to understand why. Now reportedly, and I do mean reportedly, there's been serious discussion of turning Cena heel because he's worked a dramatically reduced schedule this year and it's said to be the same next year; Cena's been branching out this year into various other projects that include TV and film and that looks to continue next year as well. As WWE's resident superhero, you can't be a "part time" superhero, which is alleged to be one of the reasons why there's talk of turning him heel.

I mean, let's face it, the image of John Cena standing over the fallen form of Dolph Ziggler after giving him an AA, maybe ripping off the various "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" gear that he has as the last thing we see on WWE television in 2016 would generate a ton of buzz.

 

[Navi]

While it would not doubt be a ratings boost especially for SD Live, not to mention taking some of the staleness away from him, who do you turn face to compete against him. The roster is already stacked with heels, Styles, Wyatt, Orton, Miz and Harper. The only real faces left are Ambrose and Ziggler.

Styles just turned heel not so long ago and unless it's a double turn or you bring Taker into the mix to set up their Mania match, I just can't see months on end of Cena vs Ambrose and Ziggler.

I was kind of afraid of something like this happening. Cena is 39 years old and is 2 title wins away from breaking Flair's record. It's beginning to look like Cena will dominate SD until Mania anyway, as it's being reported that next year he'll be taking more time off to work on other projects. By the looks of things we've seen the last of Cena as a full time wrestler. He's got too many irons in the fire to keep up with the schedule anymore.

To the audience though it won't make much of a difference. Those that boo him now will cheer him, and the ones who cheer him now will boo. It's a double edged sword with fans and John Cena. Been that way for a long time now.

 

[enviousdominous]

I'm sure the crowd will regale him with "JOHN CENA'S BAAAAAACK! JOHN CENA'S BAAAAAACK!" during his theme.

Turning John into a heel seems like one of those decisions that can't happen unless it's after months of build, and then what would likely occur in the middle of that build is that something would cause the entire plan to be scrapped. To work; it would require a long-term creative commitment where nobody involved gets injured.

I don't think it would be wise to base John's heel turn off of screwing Dolph out of the world title, Dolph doesn't seem very endearing as a loveable face. I think that John would have to take the belt from AJ Styles using underhanded tactics. Right now AJ is the only person on Smackdown who's capable of making the crowd unanimously hate someone.

John's brand makes a ton of money, but that'll likely be offset by low ratings if John just shows up and plays the same old character. What happened to Colin Kaepernick might happen to John Cena, which is to say that people will buy tons of his merchandise only so they can film themselves burning it.

All that being said; I don't think John is capable of playing an effective heel. If he goes back to being the angry white rapper, he'll just look stupid. I think that he'll have to risk being someone who doesn't love the Military or his country anymore, which will likely involve promos that will require John to hire extra body guards for him and his family. These days, people really don't care if their excuse for lashing out violently is fallacious.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

My guess is that he is just stopping in to promote the Rumble. I assume he will be part of the match and will show up just to make it seem like he is determined to win it.

Or maybe he starts something with UT for Mania. As much as I love the heel turn idea, it is hard to see that for Cena, let alone a part time Cena who is making money doing hosting gigs.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

If cena was a full time performer then I would say why not turn I'm, that what the iwc have been wanting for years now but being that he's a part time guy now, I really doesn't serve anything to turn him. Let him be himself an be the hero that the kids can believe in, give him the famous 16th title reigns they've been pushing at the rumble and let him feud with taker, career vs title at mania before losing the belt back to aj at the april ppv and take another break after.

 

[OYDK]

Turn him. Just do it. The whole argument against originally turning Cena heel was due to the fact that he brought in a shit ton of money from merch sales and that it might harm the demographic that WWE caters to, and at the time, I understood that argument. Cena was full-time, he was always around, and there was nobody on his level that the children could relate to. Times are different. Cena's barely ever around as is and the ratings prove that his absence does not make that much of a difference. There are new characters that kids can relate to; New Day is huge in this respect. In other words, Cena doesn't need to be a face anymore. His time as the full-time face of the company is relatively over anyway.

So why the hell not? I disagree with having him screw Ziggler though, that would be a weak ass turn in my opinion. If it's going to happen, make it happen with Taker. Same way they did the Styles turn. Taker comes out, talks about some nonsense, Cena's music hits and the crowd goes nuts, Cena talks about respect, etc. etc., than turns and AA's Taker for no apparent reason. We can build to Mania from there.

 

[johnbragg]

I've been crapping on "Turn Cena Heel" threads for years, but I'm starting to turn.

I've always argued that a Cena heel turn would flop because, from a soap opera perspective, there is no reason for the Cena character to turn heel. The fans (enough fans) love him, the company treats him well, he gets frequent title runs without turning heel (he can't credibly say he couldn't win the title without heel help). Hustle, Loyalty and Respect and WWE have treated John Cena very, very well. Until now, a Cena heel turn would have, IMO, been the same kind of wet-fart failure that Austin's heel turn was before the InVasion at least gave him a direction.

But time is passing. The Champ Is Here--but it's not John Cena. It's the new Face That Runs the Place, the new Champ That Runs the Camp. AJ Styles is someone that John Cena can credibly be jealous of--the younger, fresher face, the new Flavor of the Month who is set to replace the fading, aging star. (Because of the nature of pro wrestling we can ignore that Cena and Styles are the same age. Cena has been main eventing WrestleManias for 10 years, Styles is still a new persona for WWE fans.)

Styles is already due to take time off, John Cena is scheduled to return. John Cena storyline-injures Styles to trigger the double-turn.

It's very possible that I'm overrating AJ Styles and his ability to carry his end of this storyline. But I don't think so.

 

[ComeOnVince]

I've been crapping on "Turn Cena Heel" threads for years, but I'm starting to turn.

I've always argued that a Cena heel turn would flop because, from a soap opera perspective, there is no reason for the Cena character to turn heel. The fans (enough fans) love him, the company treats him well, he gets frequent title runs without turning heel (he can't credibly say he couldn't win the title without heel help). Hustle, Loyalty and Respect and WWE have treated John Cena very, very well. Until now, a Cena heel turn would have, IMO, been the same kind of wet-fart failure that Austin's heel turn was before the InVasion at least gave him a direction.

But time is passing. The Champ Is Here--but it's not John Cena. It's the new Face That Runs the Place, the new Champ That Runs the Camp. AJ Styles is someone that John Cena can credibly be jealous of--the younger, fresher face, the new Flavor of the Month who is set to replace the fading, aging star. (Because of the nature of pro wrestling we can ignore that Cena and Styles are the same age. Cena has been main eventing WrestleManias for 10 years, Styles is still a new persona for WWE fans.)

Styles is already due to take time off, John Cena is scheduled to return. John Cena storyline-injures Styles to trigger the double-turn.

It's very possible that I'm overrating AJ Styles and his ability to carry his end of this storyline. But I don't think so.

I would also like to see it go down this way.

During their feud, Cena said he wanted what was rightfully his. He wound up not winning, obviously, but when he returns, this should be his same motivation: he feels like that title BELONGS to him, and that he deserves to tie Flair. So he'll play dirty. Double turn in the process. The particulars can be worked out later.

The real problem with this is the same problem that has existed for the rest of Cena's time: WWE has to be ready to piss off a lot a of little kids and their parents.

 

[Bernkastel]

Cena has already added that heelish persona to his character many times before in the past. If he wants to act entitled over the world championship, then I don't think it will matter because in reality the man deserves it. He deserves to tie Ric Flair. And if he were to say that then there'd be a ton of fans of all ages who'd not only agree with the man, but would want to see him break the record as well. I'm one of them. It seems like this is an era that blurs the traditional lines of what's good and evil as long as fans continue to support the performers. John can still do Make-A-Wish, he can still be the hero to little kids, he can still continue to be the face that runs the place, even with an prickish attitude and a sense of entitlement.

 

[johnbragg]

During their feud, Cena said he wanted what was rightfully his. He wound up not winning, obviously, but when he returns, this should be his same motivation: he feels like that title BELONGS to him, and that he deserves to tie Flair. So he'll play dirty. Double turn in the process. The particulars can be worked out later.

Thanks. But I see it as about more than just the title. Cena has won and lost the title over a dozen times over the last dozen years. But his spot atop the WWE food chain has never really been threatened--his equals are HHH and Undertaker, who were part-timers picking and choosing when they worked while he was busting his ass four nights a week all across the country and around the world; CM Punk and Daniel Bryan could never really beat the system holding them down; Orton was never as big as Cena; and frankly no one else deserves to be in this long-ass sentence.

But AJ Styles could be The Guy, the clean-living merchandise-selling baby-kissing movie-starring big-smiling hero that Vince McMAhon loves to build a company around.

The real problem with this is the same problem that has existed for the rest of Cena's time: WWE has to be ready to piss off a lot a of little kids and their parents.

The solution here is part of Cena's problem--AJ Styles replacing Cena as the megaface superhero drink-your-milk take-your-vitamins good-father-good-husband merchandise selling locomotive that pulls the Vince McMahon Express. Titles come and go and come back. Stardom, once it's gone, doesn't come back.

(In storyline) Cena doesn't just have to beat AJ Styles for the title, he has to destroy him and run him out of the company. That is what will drive John Cena to do things that we never thought we would see Hustle Loyalty and Respect John Cena do. To fight dirty, to cheat, to injure AJ Styles on purpose.

Cena has already added that heelish persona to his character many times before in the past. If he wants to act entitled over the world championship, then I don't think it will matter because in reality the man deserves it. He deserves to tie Ric Flair.

He's never played the part of Ric Flair. He's never been the dirtiest player in the game, not by a long shot.

It's not about winning his next title or two. It's about how he wins them.

And if he were to say that then there'd be a ton of fans of all ages who'd not only agree with the man, but would want to see him break the record as well. I'm one of them. It seems like this is an era that blurs the traditional lines of what's good and evil as long as fans continue to support the performers.

He will pick up older, smarkier fans, the ones who have been his critics and haters.

John can still do Make-A-Wish, he can still be the hero to little kids, he can still continue to be the face that runs the place, even with an prickish attitude and a sense of entitlement.

He'll still be able to do MAke-A-Wish, but I'm talking about more than arrogance and entitlement. I'm talking about corruption of the soul, when confidence turns to doubt and respect turns to fear and envy.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Turning Cena Heel at this point of his career would be very tricky, especially because of all the kids that look up to Cena as their role model and the make a wish kids that live through his motto of hustle, loyalty and respect.

That'S kinda of the big problem. I'm sure that the majority of you guy have watch wrestling when you we're under the age of 10, you watch wrestling a different way as a kid then as an adult. As a kid you see somebody like a John cena and he's your superhero, fighting the bad guys and fighting through adversity, never giving up all that stuff. Now if Cena comes out one day with a more cocky and arrogant attitude, as a n adult, you're happy because you finally got what you want, has a child, your thinking that your hero just become the villain and your hoping for somebody else to beat him and maybe try to bring him back to the hero side.

I Think that's what Everybody that write on these boards kinda forgets, it's that WWE is bigger then just the fans in the arena, they got to have superhero type characters like CEna and Reigns to please the other section of the audience that are kids and that let's face it while not as big as the adult portion, are the section that are spending the most money on merchandise. that'S why that even through Cena isn't on a lot of house show, his merchs will sellout by the end of the event. Same thing goes for reigns. Because we might not like them and might find them stall but these characters are not directed for us, they are mostly for family and children, they connect with them on a level that we don't understand anymore as adults.

The legacy of John Cena is as a babyface, he'S a special attraction at this point so just let him be the superhero that the kids want him to be instead of clamoring for a heel turn.

 

[johnbragg]

Now if Cena comes out one day with a more cocky and arrogant attitude, as a n adult, you're happy because you finally got what you want, has a child, your thinking that your hero just become the villain and your hoping for somebody else to beat him and maybe try to bring him back to the hero side.

Yes. That's where AJ Styles fits in. THe biggest question mark in what I'm sketching out is whether AJ Styles can carry the other end of this story. (Kayfabe on) John Cena is worried about AJ Styles replacing him in the hearts of the WWE fans. (Kayfabe off.) Can AJ Styles really fill those shoes?

The legacy of John Cena is as a babyface, he'S a special attraction at this point so just let him be the superhero that the kids want him to be instead of clamoring for a heel turn.

Pro wrestling is usually trying to find a balance between keeping their existing stars looking good and using them to build tomorrow's stars. Is it time to sacrifice John "Hustle Loyalty Respect" Cena to build up AJ Styles as this generation's Rocky Balboa? That's a judgement call.

 

[kadroan]

It was announced on last night's episode of SmackDown Live that John Cena will make his return to WWE TV in 2 weeks. This episode happens to be the last SD Live episode of 2016 and will see AJ Styles defend the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler; does anyone else see the possibility of Cena doing something to cost Ziggler the title? Whether it's intentional or accidental, or, rather, made to look accidental, I can see this going down.

John Cena turning heel has essentially been the wet dream of numerous internet fans for many a year but it's something WWE, particularly Vince McMahon, hasn't been willing to do. When you consider how much money the Cena brand and character has brought into the company over the past decade+, it's easy to understand why. Now reportedly, and I do mean reportedly, there's been serious discussion of turning Cena heel because he's worked a dramatically reduced schedule this year and it's said to be the same next year; Cena's been branching out this year into various other projects that include TV and film and that looks to continue next year as well. As WWE's resident superhero, you can't be a "part time" superhero, which is alleged to be one of the reasons why there's talk of turning him heel.

I mean, let's face it, the image of John Cena standing over the fallen form of Dolph Ziggler after giving him an AA, maybe ripping off the various "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" gear that he has as the last thing we see on WWE television in 2016 would generate a ton of buzz.

I can't see him turning heel. If anything, he'll be back as top face. The fact that Ziggler is getting a WWE Championship again at a PPV less than 6 months from his last title shot shows how weak the main event title picture is on SDL.

WWE will probably try to take advantage of Cena's new fame and get that title on him ASAP.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

Since A J Styles is injured and wwe to write him off TV for afew months which he will then be buried as was Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan which they all had titles they had to relinquish you will see Styles buried as to either Ziggler wins it from Styles to lose it to Cena or Cena pins Styles cleanly to be even for the loses he took from Styles and become the 16th time WHC! Its too bad A Jobber Styles will be a jobber again and buried alive afterwards!

 

[ShinChan]

Since A J Styles is injured and wwe to write him off TV for afew months which he will then be buried as was Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Daniel Bryan which they all had titles they had to relinquish you will see Styles buried as to either Ziggler wins it from Styles to lose it to Cena or Cena pins Styles cleanly to be even for the loses he took from Styles and become the 16th time WHC! Its too bad A Jobber Styles will be a jobber again and buried alive afterwards!

So, new facts presented by you:

Seth Rollins was buried. But he won the title back when he returned from injury. Yet, he was buried, okay.

Finn Balor was buried. What? Really? He's undefeated on main roster. He defeated the likes of Roman Reigns(that's a big accomplishment) and Seth Rollins. Yet, he was buried, okay.

How come Bryan was buried?

AJ Styles is a jobber? Really? Who's the one undefeated against John Cena of all people? Who's the one to perform well in his Royal Rumble debut and headline a PPV in just 4 months?

That's a blatantly ignorant opinion.