**MERGED** John Cena Thread - Heel Turn, Matches, Etc. (Keep it in here!!)

[Skinsley]

The man earned my respect a long time ago.

The problem is I dont enjoy his work on screen. He is good for business, but not good for people that actually like wrestling.
Cena Vs Big Show at No Way Out was the down point of the show appart from the Tuxedo Match. Johnny Ace being put through the announce table was the only decent thing in the segment.

 

[PSachkovsky]

I think the people that boo him are doing it just because they got used to do it. Yeah, there are many haters, but John Cena became the guy that everyone loves to hate. But everytime, John Cena steps up and silences the critics. I respect John Cena, my only problem is with the creative team making him bigger then the WWE Championship. Because, while CM Punk is the champion and supposed to be the face of the WWE, Cena is always the focus of the whole show. And it kind of makes Punk's reign a completely waste of time...

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Not mine. I got on an old school wrestling kick today at work and started watching a bunch of Raw's from 96. I cam across Warriors last apperance on RAW where Camp Cornett takes him out. Just watching the match Warrior (as bad of a wrestler as he is) was still able to execute a perfect verticle suplex and some nice hip tosses.

With Cena everything looks so sloppy. That's the thing that kills me. He looks so bad on offense that every match of his is the same where he gets beat on forever and then comeback time. It worked early on when his matches where short, but once he established himself as the top guy and had to start working longer matches he became exposed for the fraud he is in the ring.

My point of no return with Cena was at WrestleMania XXIII. Being from Michigan I got myself a ticket and was so pumped for my first ever Mania. I wanted nothing more then to watch Michaels beat Cena to end the show. Now I knew this was very unlikely, but as the match progressed it was all Michaels. Now this is so sad because Cena is so much bigger then Shawn and usually the big guy is the agressor but not with Cena. Got the spot of the night with Michaels piledriving Cena on the steps. Absolutely lost it and probably the last time we ever see a piledriver in the WWE. Not only does Shawn lose, but he taps to a whole lot of yelling coupled with a sloppy stf. Now Shawn is the same guy who went an hour plus with Bret and in the last minute was in the sharpshooter for over 30 seconds and wouldn't tap but Cena makes him tap? The logic there is enough to enduce migraines. Remember too that a year prior he makes Hunter tap to the same move. Back to back years two of the all time greats tap to a guy who not only is a bad wrestler, but was never billed as any type of submission specialist.

It was such a huge deal when Benoit won at WrestleMania XX by submission against the same two men and it came off good because that's who he was. Now to give Cena that same accolade is just a shame and a slap in the face to all the great submission wrestlers of all time.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

No. And Is it compulsory to like John Cena ? Why should everyone like John Cena ?

Wrestlezone has most Cena fans as compared to other forums because most admins of this forum are Cena fans and they delete any Cena hating comment or just merge all the posts in a single thread.

Some people just don't like John Cena ...Get over it.

 

[PSachkovsky]

With Cena everything looks so sloppy. That's the thing that kills me. He looks so bad on offense that every match of his is the same where he gets beat on forever and then comeback time. It worked early on when his matches where short, but once he established himself as the top guy and had to start working longer matches he became exposed for the fraud he is in the ring.

I am going to disagree. Did you even watch his match with CM Punk at Money in the Bank last year? Did you watch his match with The Rock this year? Obviously you didn't. And by the way, that beat-down and comeback thing you are talking about, was also part of Warrior's style of matches. And also Hulk Hogan became famous thanks to that type of booking. That's how you book a star. Same booking was done with guys like Undertaker (late 90s), The Rock (early 2000s), Stone Cold (late 90s). It what made many stars look great in the eyes of the fans.

Claiming that he is a sloppy worker is as ridiculous, as Mae Young's appearances in WWE nowadays. The fact you come in here trying to compare him to Chris Benoit, is none realistic. Benoit was a first class technician, who worked his ass off in the ring. Yet, look where Benoit is now, and where is John Cena. Yeah, technique makes matches better, but most of those technical matches makes tons of injuries for the wrestlers involved. The WWE tries to be careful with Cena, because he is valuable for them, and that's why the matches are booked the way they are.

 

[closet_fan]

The man earned my respect a long time ago.

The problem is I dont enjoy his work on screen. He is good for business, but not good for people that actually like wrestling.
Cena Vs Big Show at No Way Out was the down point of the show appart from the Tuxedo Match. Johnny Ace being put through the announce table was the only decent thing in the segment.

These two sentences summed it up for me. You can respect someone and not like them. And to hate Cena isn't to hate him personally, but to hate the way he is used.

I hate his character, but I respect the guy for what he does.

 

[[cL]]

It was never a matter of respect. Most intelligent people respect John Cena.
We understand his contribution to the business.
Its the business and what its becoming that we're starting to despise. Its causing everything to look soft, and causing what was once a fairly decent Cena to watch into this terribly unwatchable character.

 

[tomthebodz]

John Cena earned my respect on 23rd April 2007 when he and Shawn Michaels had an incredible match on Raw. On of the best I have ever seen.

I don't like him as a character, but I have lots of respect for what he has done/achieved in the WWE.

 

[The Ghost of Benoit]

Not mine. I got on an old school wrestling kick today at work and started watching a bunch of Raw's from 96. I cam across Warriors last apperance on RAW where Camp Cornett takes him out. Just watching the match Warrior (as bad of a wrestler as he is) was still able to execute a perfect verticle suplex and some nice hip tosses.

With Cena everything looks so sloppy. That's the thing that kills me. He looks so bad on offense that every match of his is the same where he gets beat on forever and then comeback time. It worked early on when his matches where short, but once he established himself as the top guy and had to start working longer matches he became exposed for the fraud he is in the ring.

My point of no return with Cena was at WrestleMania XXIII. Being from Michigan I got myself a ticket and was so pumped for my first ever Mania. I wanted nothing more then to watch Michaels beat Cena to end the show. Now I knew this was very unlikely, but as the match progressed it was all Michaels. Now this is so sad because Cena is so much bigger then Shawn and usually the big guy is the agressor but not with Cena. Got the spot of the night with Michaels piledriving Cena on the steps. Absolutely lost it and probably the last time we ever see a piledriver in the WWE. Not only does Shawn lose, but he taps to a whole lot of yelling coupled with a sloppy stf. Now Shawn is the same guy who went an hour plus with Bret and in the last minute was in the sharpshooter for over 30 seconds and wouldn't tap but Cena makes him tap? The logic there is enough to enduce migraines. Remember too that a year prior he makes Hunter tap to the same move. Back to back years two of the all time greats tap to a guy who not only is a bad wrestler, but was never billed as any type of submission specialist.

It was such a huge deal when Benoit won at WrestleMania XX by submission against the same two men and it came off good because that's who he was. Now to give Cena that same accolade is just a shame and a slap in the face to all the great submission wrestlers of all time.

You forgot the part where Michaels worked on Cena's knee for most of the match, and then all of sudden Cena starts running around the ring clotheslining Michaels like his knee just magically healed!

I am going to disagree. Did you even watch his match with CM Punk at Money in the Bank last year? Did you watch his match with The Rock this year? Obviously you didn't. And by the way, that beat-down and comeback thing you are talking about, was also part of Warrior's style of matches. And also Hulk Hogan became famous thanks to that type of booking. That's how you book a star. Same booking was done with guys like Undertaker (late 90s), The Rock (early 2000s), Stone Cold (late 90s). It what made many stars look great in the eyes of the fans.

Claiming that he is a sloppy worker is as ridiculous, as Mae Young's appearances in WWE nowadays. The fact you come in here trying to compare him to Chris Benoit, is none realistic. Benoit was a first class technician, who worked his ass off in the ring. Yet, look where Benoit is now, and where is John Cena. Yeah, technique makes matches better, but most of those technical matches makes tons of injuries for the wrestlers involved. The WWE tries to be careful with Cena, because he is valuable for them, and that's why the matches are booked the way they are.

Do you have any reasons why technical wrestling makes "tons of injuries" for the wrestlers involved? In Bret Hart's HOF speech he said he never injured anyone in the ring. Because he knew what he was doing. I dont recall Jericho, Benoit or Angle injuring anyone either.

If WWE really wanted to be careful with Cena, they would actually give him some time off every once in a while. He's pretty much wrestled for 8 years nonstop.

 

[Ryberg]

I don't hate him for being John Cena terrible wrestler. I hate him because he's ALWAYS being shoved down our throats. The guy shouldn't be ending RAW or PPVs with crappy feuds. That should be Punk's spot now. I hate how they create stupid retread feuds just to keep him on TV and force us to sit and watch him. As soon as his end of RAW matches come on I was watching American Chopper or now something else. The biggest egos in wrestling are: 1) Hogan 2) HHH 3) Cena, BUT at least Hogan and to some extent HHH were willing to change their characters. Only thing Cena has done is stopped the lame Eminem thing other then that he's the same stale wrestler he was 5 years ago.

Other then that I respect him for his work ethic in the ring and ability to be a closet scumbag and still come out smelling like roses. I can say he probably is the second hardest worker backstage next to HHH.

I can't wait for all the dirt to come out about him and see how the WWE does damage control with the divorce. The more I read about the guy the more I am wondering how the Cena fans will react to having his golden boy image shattered.

 

[Loveless]

Nope, he hasn't changed, his "personality" still annoys me, his ringwork is still average, boring and reliant on others to make a good match and his theme tune annoys the fuck out of me. On top of that he's still top of the show, above the WWE title. The WWE is stale because he's getting in the way.

 

[justinept]

If John Cena is getting booed less these days, it's because a high volume of Cena "haters" stopped watching. Nothing he has done in the past year has done anything to make people hate him any less than they did.

With exception to his match with CM Punk at MITB, all his matches have been the exact same. He gets beaten up... then magically comes back, forgetting any injury that might've occurred during the match ... and wins.

All his promos have been exactly the same. He tries to be funny... He talks louder to express his passion ... and if he loses, he either congratulates his opponent for "putting up the good fight" or chastises them for "taking the easy way out."

So no. He hasn't earned my respect because he hasn't done anything different in the past year to change my opinion of him. He's an awful worker and a cliche speaker.

As many have said themselves, I also respect Cena for the work he does outside the ring in promoting the company. But I don't respect anything he does on television/ppv.

----

To the poster that cited Rock/Cena at 'Mania as an example of Cena putting on a great match. What f'ing match were you watching? The match lacked in both pace and execution - and the crowd seemed dead because of it. The lack of two-counts, inability to apply submission holds properly and general inability for either wrestler to show off any athleticism during the match made it one hell of a let down in my opinion.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't think Cena will ever earn the respect of the "haters". They will always find something to criticize him for whether it be his moveset, overall appearance, or the fact that they're mad because he's always in the main event. He's their biggest draw and the biggest draw always deserves to be in the main event. If you don't like it, tough.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Over the course of the last 6 or 7 months, I think that John Cena has earned the on the respect of some fans who have hated on him for a long time. Just like every other wrestler, there are going to be some fans that just aren't digging Cena's character or what he's doing. There's no escaping that no matter what as there's no such thing as a universally loved guy in any walk of life.

The build up for Cena vs. Rock at WM featured John Cena with more of an edge to him than we've seen in a long while. In my eyes, Cena showed that he's someone who can hang with The Rock when it comes to promos while retaining the core essence of his character at the same time. You also have to take into account the fact that some fans were kind of turned off that all this attention was lavished on Rock after being gone for so long that some fans, and even some members of the WWE roster, consider Rock to be an outsider now. Whether he is or not is neither here nor there, it's just how some people feel. While Rock did all of his catchphrases and classic stuff in his promos, usually as a means of trying to embarass John Cena, Cena basically stayed the course and did win over a good number of people. When Rock first showed up during the real build to WM, Cena got tons of boos from the crowds whenever he came out. By the time WM rolled around and the fact that he & Rock put on an incredible match at the ppv that lived up to a year of hype, a lot of those boos had changed to cheers. That was only reinforced I think during Cena vs. Lesnar and the great match that they had at Extreme Rules.

I'm not a huge Cena fan, I like the guy pretty good though he does get on my nerves at times, but I don't think anybody can claim that Cena doesn't deserve the spot he's got & he's had for so long now with the slightest shred of credibility. He ALWAYS keeps fans interested in what he's doing, his feuds are almost always at least solid, many of his matches during these feuds are some of the best of the year, he can deliver on the mic even if he does sometimes get on your nerves, etc. When it's all said and done, every wrestling company out there hopes & prays to be able to have someone like John Cena on the roster. Some will always hate him, some of it unjustified in my opinion, but it's not going to change the fact that Cena is the top face in wrestling right now and deserves to be.

 

[The mind]

Let's be honest, Cena is just like Hulk Hogan. A wrestler with great speaking skills, but limited ring skills who is always paired with someone who can carry him in the ring. There's a reason that the ratings and ppvs have dropped off, the real fans got smart to Cena's gross limitations, and went elsewhere. There is a reason that the WWE is pushing Punk and Bryan for the belts, and have for the better part of the year, taken Cena out of the title picture, because the fans actually want to see wrestling.

I do respect Cena though, for his work with Make a Wish.

 

[ECW Sandman]

I don't hate him as a person as a performer yes I hate him I think everyone hates him because he is shoved down our throats week after week he's always on the top of the show and the bottom of the show, and fan's get sick of it now like you said if he was WWE Champion I would understand he would be the last match defending the championship but he's not, and no one should be above the WWE title but WWE feels like it he is better then the title and That is why a lot of fans boo him and hate him so much.

 

[Ryberg]

Let's be honest, Cena is just like Hulk Hogan. A wrestler with great speaking skills, but limited ring skills who is always paired with someone who can carry him in the ring. There's a reason that the ratings and ppvs have dropped off, the real fans got smart to Cena's gross limitations, and went elsewhere. There is a reason that the WWE is pushing Punk and Bryan for the belts, and have for the better part of the year, taken Cena out of the title picture, because the fans actually want to see wrestling.

I do respect Cena though, for his work with Make a Wish.

Well I think you're right but the one thing different between Hogan and Cena is that Hogan is a smart business man. Also this isn't the 80's anymore. Back then all you had to do was have a limited ability as long as you were larger then life. Andre couldn't wrestle and the man was a star. Hogan was a prick and still is but smart enough to know when he needed to adopt and change.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I think the Cena bashing has certainly decreased since WM and there are a number of reasons:

- he's had some pretty entertaining matches over the past year with Lesnar, Rock, and Punk
- he has lost what feels like more big matches in the past year versuses the last five
- he's going through a divorce
- his Make A Wish tribute videos have aired quite a bit and they are powerful
- his last couple of opponents are not exactly smark favorites in Show, Otunga, Laurainitis, Cole and Tensai
- But Lesnar is the key here. WWE has done a great job turning the fans on him with his on-screen persona and backstage "stories". Great heel who the same type of people who hate Cena generally do not want to see Lesnar succeed. Lesnar has absolutely earned his money for the way it has quieted the Cena haters.

Put Cena in feuds with guys like a heel Orton, Cody, Ziggler, and other smark favorites in smark cities and things are likely to go back to normal but right now his haters are in a bit of a lull.

 

[Ithil]

Well I think you're right but the one thing different between Hogan and Cena is that Hogan is a smart business man. Also this isn't the 80's anymore. Back then all you had to do was have a limited ability as long as you were larger then life. Andre couldn't wrestle and the man was a star. Hogan was a prick and still is but smart enough to know when he needed to adopt and change.

Andre couldn't wrestle by the end of the 80's from his health problems, but he was a star back in 70's when he was a solid wrestler. Of course the main event of WWF in the 80's after the boom was 100% Vince approved, all bodybuilder looks.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Now that Cena has gotten Big Johnny "fired" and Big Show has tossed his hat into the WWE Championship MITB match, Cena is in need of a new program.

As of right now, according to F4WOnline.com, Cena isn't booked for a match at the MITB ppv. The WON reports that, allegedly, Cena isn't expected to be added to the WWE Championship MITB match either.

As of right now, allegedly, the idea is for John Cena to co main event the SummerSlam ppv by facing CM Punk for the WWE Championship, renewing their big feud from last summer. The other "main event" is set to be Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar with a lot of focus scheduled to be put on those two matches.

Even though plans can change at any given minute, advertising for the Night of Champions ppv suggests, at least for now, that Cena won't win the title at SummerSlam. As NOC is going to be in Boston, Cena's hometown, it looks as though he's also going to go after the title at that ppv. All in all, according to what's being said right now, Cena is expected to be in the WWE Championship picture for the latter half of 2012.

I made a thread several weeks back saying that Punk vs. Cena II needs to go down in order to really silence some of Punk's doubters. If these rumors are true, then it looks as though we're going to get it. In my opinion, it's the feud that both men need to have and it'll be good for both of them. Cena has been out of the WWE Championship picture for almost a year. I don't know if Punk will ultimately walk out of the feud as WWE Champion but, again if this does indeed go forward, a few solidified wins over Cena in what are undoubtedly "main event" matches would be a great way to cap off Punk's current run if Cena does turn out to be the guy that ultimately ends it.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

The dynamic of Punk/Cena is something we really haven't seen since Rock/Austin. People like to compare the rivaling popularity of Cena/Batista or Cena/Orton when it comes to face vs face type match ups but Punk/Cena has ultimately had way better matches and feuds than the rest. I have know idea what Cena will do for the next month, hell I don't even know what Punk will do for the next month. As of now Punk has pretty much beaten all who have stepped up. But Punk vs Cena needs to happen, the outcome doesn't matter as long as I get to see a CLEAN finish. There was no real interference in their previous PPV bouts but their was such things as distractions and shady officiating. As Punk said in a interview once Cena is Superman and he is Batman, it's probably one of the greatest dynamics in comic history basically translated to wrestling: As strong and mighty as Cena is, that's how smart and dangerous Punk is. Really interested to see what will happen the rest of this summer.

 

[Awesome_Miz]

No one should really be mad by this decision. You want to know why? Because everyone is getting what they have been wanting and that's the WWE Main Event a PPV. Also, people should be happy because Punk is getting in that bigger match.

For me personally, I don't care how the rivalry starts or ends. All I want to see is a CLEAN FINISH and a Great match. We already know they will have an outstanding match that can win MOTY. Howevr, my real concern is how will the finishes to these matches be cause we know there will be more matches between these guys.

 

[Headman]

CM Punk fans should be thrilled. Punk did his best business with Cena and now he gets to do it again. Of course from what I've been reading around other parts of this site the Punk fans aren't happy with this at all because they're terrified their guy is going to lose the championship. Yes, they're worried their guy who by that point will have held the title for nearly a year will lose a fake title to the guy he works best with and some how this is going to ruin his career. People amaze me sometimes.

 

[JerichoHolic00]

I think it's the right next step for both John Cena and CM Punk. Punk has beaten everyone who has stepped up and if you want the titles prestige to rise you need to have your biggest star fighting for it right? People say he's booked more important than the title but he can't be if he's in the title match.

I'm just hoping that we don't see another cash in straight after the match. Especially if it's that Brock Lesnar rip off, Big Show, with the briefcase

 

[Suviluer]

I'm really happy about this!! Cena isn't even close to be one of my fave, but he's the face of the company and he has had damn good matches with punk! The feud doesn't need to be that crazy, with the history between the two and the title on the line should be enough. Cena haters, he hasn't had a Championship match in like a year and I'm sort of looking forward to it, and Punk lovers, punk is a solidified main-eventer, he doesn't honestly need the championship to have the most entertaining feuds in WWE! So i only see positives in this!