John Cena's Evolution - I Like Where He Is Right Now

[scottyshowman82]

John Cena is going through another career defining evolution in his character right now and I really like it. To me if anything was established about Cena after Mania it's that "he is who he is attitude" for better or worse and I actually want him to stay that way. The guy has something really special going on. If I was a pro wrestler I'd honestly love the crowd to be behind me, but this "Let's go Cena, Cena sucks" dymanic is HUGE. This guy can go out there with The Rock, CM Punk, any star in the world and the crowd will be wrapped up in him doing that infamous back and forth chant that all revolves around Cena.

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to Cena. For me, I respect anybody who has the courage to into the squared circle and bust their ass and break their bodies for our entertainment. That goes from the guy who has his first day official match in the indies all the way up to the the #1 man in the business. John Cena is a funny case for me, I always thought he had charisma and great look, people forget how over he was when he the Dr. of Thuganomics on Smackdown. He was at one time the most interesting character on that show. Then when he came to Raw and he started to get more family friendly and had that really really long title reign, and I think that reign that was like 10 months really hurt him with a lot of fans. The show was getting stale.

The worst thing that I can say about Cena is that he did get stale. Other fans say a lot worse. They actually use the word "hate." I really don't think he deserves that. There's a guy in a video leading up to Mania28 that says "He hates John Cena, but he has earned his respect." Again hate is a strong word but I like that he has the good sense to respect what Cena does for this business. I can't hate a guy that signs autographs for everybody the way Cena does which I have seen first hand. I can't hate a guy who supports the troops that defend the United States and I definately cannot hate on someone who drops everything and goes to a sick kid when so many would make excuses and do something eles. Is John Cena goofy? Ya. Is his jokes corny sometimes? Definately. Is the most cutting edge, consistently entertaining superstar of all time? Can't say he is. But is a man of character, does he have a good heart, is he the hardest working man in the WWE, does he care about his native country. Absolutely and I respect him a lot for that.


He is who he is, a special kind of inbetween character. I want to see how this character reacts to The Rock and vice versa after their now famous Wrestlemania clash. I'm looking forward to the next inevitable encounter he has with CM Punk. Punk is very critcial of a lot people but even says he respects John Cena. He calls him a boy scout but they are very different and you know when it comes to the WWE Title it's gonna get nasty again. And how about that very well executed promo confrontation Cena had with Brock Lesnar. I like that Cena was beaten but he can still come out and tell his younger fans that sometimes you do lose in life but you have to get back up and try again, that's a good message for kids. I like that he lets the crowd boo him and that he was so honest with the crowd reaction. He didn't ignore the Daniel Bryan chants, and he didn't ignore the premature Lesnar chants either, which makes Cena interesting to me, because a lot of people wouldn't have done that. Cena and Lesnar had me eating out of the palm of their hands, from Cena's wanting to call out the Rock, to when Lesnar shocked the world and walked out on a Raw stage once again, to Lesnar's impromtu FU kicking Cena's new green hat into the crowd. It was hands down one of the best post WWE Attitude segments in the history of company.

What will Lesnar say to Cena? How will Cena react to all this? It's a damn good time to pro wrestling fan is all I have to say.

 

[futurefrog]

I've always been a strong supporter of Cena. He can go in the ring and never misses a beat on the mic. The problem is not with Cena, it's how he has been booked over the years. I understand people being tired of him, but we are in the process of seeing a major change in his character. Look at it like this, Cena has done nothing but put people over for the past year and reintroduce older stars to a new generation. He made Punk, he made Miz and he reintroduced Rock and Brock to the WWE Universe. He has always put the good of the company before the good of John Cena and as a character I think if we look back to his feud with Kane, there was a point where Kane says 'If you don't embrace the hate you will never beat the Rock' you know what? He didn't embrace it and he didn't beat the Rock. During his match with the Rock we see the heel tactic of stealing the opponents finisher in a mocking fashion. WWE is trying to convince us that Cena won't turn heel. I am calling it now, we will see him constantly beaten on the Road to Summerslam, at which point, the switch finally flips and we get the Hogan Heel Turn that Cena has needed for years. I called it, Summerslam guys, Cena turns heel. Watch and see.

 

[AwesomeRko]

I will go on record and say that I have been a pretty big critic of Cena for years spanning from 2006-2011, I have never liked the extent to which he is shoved down peoples throats, his monopoly of the main event/title scene or the repetieive super-cena can't be beaten clean type stuff.

Having said that post Survivor Series he has impressed me, I like the new direction his character has taken and i like that he is slightly edgier. I think the Rock brought out the best in him again and he cut some of the best promos I have seen from him since his initial rise as the Dr of Thuganomics. Your right, this tweener who is just proud to be himself garnering such a split response is unique and is also very interesting, the fact that the WWE are finally acknowledgeing the hate rather than attempting to mask it is great.

Finally the new-found vulnerability he seems to have after taking several beatings frm Kane, losing to Rock at mania and recieving that huge F5 from Lesnar is very refreshing. I think the main issue myself and many anti-Cena fans have always had is that he is portrayed as invincible in a sense, I think the fact that he has shown he is actually capable of losing has made his charcter far more three dimensional and eaiser to engage with. He's still not my favourite by a long-shot but I think he is definently on the right track and is the most interesting he has been in years.

 

[brighamosity]

At this point, I think the ironic thing is that if he does turn heel, everyone will start cheering him. So his attempt at a heel turn will be more like a face turn. That's because in a weird way, he's already a heel. First he was booed against CM Punk, then Rock, and now I'm sure he'll be booed during this Lesner feud. It seems like WWE is now going out of their way to put him against people who will be cheered. Maybe this is WWE's way of giving the fans a reason to boo him without actually turning him.

 

[JaylisJayP]

Cena is already a heel. Fans everywhere boo the crap out of him. Hopefully Brock comes back and says "Enough is enough." And everybody knows what it means, and that's what gets the wheels in motion. Seeing Lesnar do what he did - to CENA - was just so perfect.

They'll give us little changes to Cena's character and have him do a small heel move here or there (like the People's Elbow), but they won't fully turn him heel. Not without a new super-hero to give to the kids and there's nobody there for that right now longterm. Could've probably been Orton, but I still maintain that moving him to Smackdown was the worst move WWE has made in years. I understand the reasoning after Edge left, but he's faded completely into irrelevence. I just wish the WWE would completely end the brand split already and go back to letting these feuds happen twice a week. Orton is on Raw but he rarely talks on raw and nobody gets amped up seeing him fight a watered-down Kane.

Sorry, we're talking about Cena

Here's my prediction - if anyone can get Cena to embrace the hate, it's Lesnar...but I still don't see Cena doing it. He jobs to Lesnar because ultimately John Cena the man is the ultimate company man and will do whatever Vince wants.

 

[H33LTurn]

I like where Cena is too. I've never been a huge fan of his, hell I'll say it if he left the WWE tomorrow it would make my day but I think WWE finally realized they dont have to throw the strap on someone every other month or make them win 99% of their matches for them to be relevant. Cena's star has been fading and its only appropriate that Cena's character and booking reflect that.

 

[NotaHippie]

To me, John Cena is far and away the most interesting part of the WWE. He's a consistent performer, has less weak performances than just about everyone. His character is fascinating: it's hilarious to see the reaction he gets, and let's be clear, he's getting the reaction he wants.

This past Monday on Raw, the crowd was begging him to lash out at them and turn heel. They were begging for it. And if they would have gotten it, they likely would have cheered it. But he didn't lash out, and didn't turn heel, and thus became an even bigger heel to them. His dynamic of being himself, of being a good guy, and being hated for it is fascinating and unique.

 

[Headman]

Cena is already a heel. Fans everywhere boo the crap out of him. Hopefully Brock comes back and says "Enough is enough." And everybody knows what it means, and that's what gets the wheels in motion. Seeing Lesnar do what he did - to CENA - was just so perfect.

They'll give us little changes to Cena's character and have him do a small heel move here or there (like the People's Elbow), but they won't fully turn him heel. Not without a new super-hero to give to the kids and there's nobody there for that right now longterm. Could've probably been Orton, but I still maintain that moving him to Smackdown was the worst move WWE has made in years. I understand the reasoning after Edge left, but he's faded completely into irrelevence. I just wish the WWE would completely end the brand split already and go back to letting these feuds happen twice a week. Orton is on Raw but he rarely talks on raw and nobody gets amped up seeing him fight a watered-down Kane.

Sorry, we're talking about Cena

Here's my prediction - if anyone can get Cena to embrace the hate, it's Lesnar...but I still don't see Cena doing it. He jobs to Lesnar because ultimately John Cena the man is the ultimate company man and will do whatever Vince wants.

Getting booed doesn't make you a heel. A heel is a bad guy and Cena's character isn't a villain. The fans are the heels in this case. They're booing a guy because he insists on doing the right thing. They also share all the aspects of heel wrestlers such as jealousy, selfishness, bitterness. I don't know why the anti-Cena fans don't just embrace the hate and start calling themselves the bad guys since that's all they want to cheer for.

 

[RussellMania]

Even though I am not a Cena fan in the slightest, I have to say with him losing cleanly and looking vulnerable as of late, it has generated a slight interest in his character for me. Thank god his WWE dominating days of 2005 to 2011 seem to be a distant memory. From Piper slapping him in the face, to Kane trying to force him to embrace the hate, to Cena losing the "biggest match of his career", to Lesnar F5ing him to huge cheers from the fans, I can honestly say for the first time in a long time that I do not know what lies ahead for John Cena.

 

[The Extract]

I am LOVING where Cena is at right now. I have always been a fan of his because of his mic skills, but i always felt there was a tiny little something missing in his mic work... until last night's Raw. I felt that he really was doing everything right with the script, and even when he went off script, he was still doing a great job! I am going to be paying special attention to the fued with lesnar now!!!!!!!!

 

[DetectiveZelix]

I've only liked Cena during his thuganomics phase in which he rose to the top but then I hated him as soon as he sold out to the all around Good Guy routine but after while I respected him. I still dont like him but I can always say he has balls and so much love for the fans and the company. I still despise his boy scout character but im entertained and a little offended at his teasing a heel turn then spitting in my face saying NOPE! I wont snap. The guy is great he's a very compelling character that challenges us haters so its taught me to oddly enjoy this transititon in Cenas career and with Brock taking him out becoming our defaulted hero but alas I sit back and prepare myself for an awesome fued between the Next Big Thing and the Biggest thing we had in the last 7 years. Im down for it and hope Cenas character keeps this smarty pants attitude. Its basically the closest thing to a heel turn we'll have Just my opinion. Thank You

 

[Peoples_Champ]

I really like where Cena is. He's at the center of a divided Universe. The kids love his persona and the older fans want him to evolve into something else. Even those who 'hate' Cena still pay attention and enjoy his promos / matches. Sure they'd like to see him get beat, but that's not a bad thing at all.

It's interesting what one poster wrote about Cena being in feuds with huge faces. Punk last year, then Rock and now Lesnar. It really does seem like Cena is the only tweener in the company, because he's being used to put faces over while still beating heels (Del Rio, Kane). Cena's spot is really remarkable and I'm sure its very lucrative as well.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I've always thought his character was the most interesting. ******s will say 'HIS CHARACTER IS SIMPLE, JUST A GOOD GUY" but it's a LOT deeper than that. Nobody else in history has had his reaction because this is really the first ime there isn't a uniform audience. Typically the audience generally agrees on what is a good guy and what is a bad guy. Now they don't. It's amazing.

I love how Cena works BOTH sides. It was hard at first for me to even wrap my head around that, but that's basically what he's doing, it's amazing. If you look back through history, this isn't a new thing. vs RVD, vs HHH, etc. They're just being a little more blatant with it now.

 

[Fansince1992]

Some of the Cena haters really annoy me!
Cena is an absolute god send to WWE. He has always bust his ass to put the fan favorites over. He did it with Punk, Rock and now Lesnar. He gets mocked for being Cheesy, Nice, thoughtful, Clean and pure. I agree Anti Cena fans should dislike his Persona, but to say stuff like "If Cena beats Rock i stop watching WWE" is just ludicrus. The OP was right about the hater who stated he hates him but Respets him. That Particular Cena hater can probably see that Cena is putting what ALL fans want over what he wants himself.

Imagine other Company Faces like Hogan or Bret Hart, i doubt they would of stood there in the ring and let Lesnar own them like he did Cena.

I agree Cena dominating everyone for the last few years became stale. I feel the others were just lacking the talent that Cena has to take Cena's spot as number 1. Now with Lesnar and Rock on the scene Cena's talent is matched and he is losing cleanly. Cena isn't a great wrestler but has so much more to offer than just his wrestling ability. People whine he is to soft and can't be aggressive. Total BS, if he wants to be aggressive he can , just watch this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdy_G6-TFxo

As we saw Cena changed his attire again back to a fruity pebbles green. He was smiling and clapping when Brock Lesnar made his return. Cena wants to be cheesy again to piss the haters off. When Brock slammed him like he was a 12 year old the fans went nuts. In My opinion John Cena made that Brock return look amazing.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Some of the Cena haters really annoy me!
Cena is an absolute god send to WWE. He has always bust his ass to put the fan favorites over. He did it with Punk, Rock and now Lesnar. He gets mocked for being Cheesy, Nice, thoughtful, Clean and pure. I agree Anti Cena fans should dislike his Persona, but to say stuff like "If Cena beats Rock i stop watching WWE" is just ludicrus. The OP was right about the hater who stated he hates him but Respets him. That Particular Cena hater can probably see that Cena is putting what ALL fans want over what he wants himself.

Imagine other Company Faces like Hogan or Bret Hart, i doubt they would of stood there in the ring and let Lesnar own them like he did Cena.

I agree Cena dominating everyone for the last few years became stale. I feel the others were just lacking the talent that Cena has to take Cena's spot as number 1. Now with Lesnar and Rock on the scene Cena's talent is matched and he is losing cleanly. Cena isn't a great wrestler but has so much more to offer than just his wrestling ability. People whine he is to soft and can't be aggressive. Total BS, if he wants to be aggressive he can , just watch this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdy_G6-TFxo

Cena's character has changed a lot since Punk. Haters just always hate because they don't want to admit that he's talented. Cena works them into hating him and basically gets whatever reaction he wants "should I lash out to the fans?" *massive cheers* "well I'm not" *massive boos* The supposed smart marks are the easiest people to work because they're so predictable.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

This is by far, the best Cena yet. The guys is growing on me everytime he shows up.

I totally agree, this was never cena fault, but booking/writers. Now we see that this guy can get his ass kicked and that makes him way more interesting.