Sheamus is the best thing that's happened to Cena since rap music

[Thriller Ant]

That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but let me explain. Cena has been getting mixed reactions for years. The WWE decided to try and cover it up by calling him "controversial" and "opinion-forming" among other excuses.

You see, I believe that the problem didn't totally lie with Cena. Yes he was shoved down throats and all the other stuff Cena haters complain with. See, the issue was his opponents. Think of the guys he faced the most: Orton, Edge, Triple H. These are all guys a majority of fans, either internet or general, love. Orton and Edge have IWC support, while Triple H has the Attitude Era fans' support. Basically, every time Cena had a major feud, the fan base was split in their support.

Then along came the man of an over-the-top amount of untruths himself, Sheamus. Sheamus was able to destroy the so-called "Super Cena" and go from destroying Evan Bourne and Jamie Noble to WWE Champion and the man who beat Cena. Even after Sheamus lost the title and Cena regained it, Sheamus had Cena's number.

In the process of Sheamus kicking Cena in the head at every opportunity, Sheamus gained heat. Like, a lot of it. Every time Cena was attacked, more people began to go to the orange side, rather than the Dreamsicle side. Fast forward to tonight. Sheamus leads off Raw, and gets core of the sun type heat. After a short promo with Sheamus mocking Cena, Cena comes out to a massive pop to beg for a match at the PPV and all that other stuff.

So the point I'm making, in a nutshell, is that Sheamus finally represented someone/thing that could be hated by a majority of the WWE fans and, in turn, support John Cena.

 

[CenaFan]

You do have a point, that the wrestlers that Cena face are well respected superstars, but honestly, I don’t think the boo’s and cheer’s matter in WWE.

This generation of WWE, WWE is focusing on the kid’s not the adults. Cena being face of the company isn’t being directed at the adults, it is being directed to the kids and the parents of the kids. When kid’s start to boo Cena that is when a issue starts because Cena job as face of the company is to make the kid’s happy.

When Austin, Rock and them were the Face of the company, they were made to entertain the adults, not kids but that isn’t the same for Cena. Cena is made out to entertain the kids. Sure at one point he was probably there to entertain the adults but the generation has changed a great deal ever since they went PG.

The kid’s are getting entertained, they are cheering him, so Cena is doing his job as a face right. Cena isn’t out there to entertain the adults that is not what WWE is aiming for. They are aiming for the kid’s which is why the adults are not enjoying Cena.

The mixed reactions are in a way a good thing for Cena, because that means that he's doing his job right. Haters would rather cheer "Cena Sucks" then cheer for there favourites in a match.

So even though Cena is getting booed by the adults, I do believe that is what WWE wants, because they would rather have the kid’s behind him, which is what this is all about in the first place.

WWE is focusing more on the kid’s aspect and that is why when Cena came to WWE the first time, everyone including adults enjoyed him, because he was aiming for adults and kids but now things have changed.

In my opinion though, I wish WWE would make Cena character/gimmick more for everyone to enjoy but I know that isn’t going to happen.

Sheamus I think, is just being pushed to fast.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

Interesting perspective Thrillnerico. To be honest, I believe you are right. When you look back 5 years, the only people he has feuded with other than Trips, Edge, and Orton are RVD, Jericho, and Big Show. Those feuds only lasted a few months for Cena, and he was once again feuding with the aforementioned 3 superstars. Seeing somebody new get an opportunity against John Cena has been a real treat to watch. The fact that this rivalry has been going on since last December is also great. Also the fact that it is a newer superstar is pretty cool too. Yes, Thrill, you are right Sheamus is the best thing to happen to John Cena.

 

[Tenta]

You know, you have a point, man. Sheamus has been the only heel in the past two years to actually get sustainable, unadulterated heat over John Cena. I think a good portion of it may be that people connect him with Triple H, who's arguably more hated by the IWC, and thus the fans that dislike Cena. I believe that fans view it as though Cena is the latter of two evils, and that having Cena at the helm is better than Sheamus.

Not that I feel that way, but I see Sheamus take as much abuse on these forums in six months as Cena. People complain that he's not good enough to carry the WWE Toitle, that the only reason he's champion has to do with Trips, and that he overall just should die. Now me? I'm a mark for Sheamus, but I understand where the hatred comes from those that simply don't understand how good Sheamus is.

As for you idea that Cena was going against wrestlers over with the IWC.... Perhaps. One moment that always strikes me is his title feud with The Great Khali, in which Khali couldn't get the heel heat that is possible. Khali is by no means over with the IWC, but still couldn't get the heel reaction he wanted because he was going against Cena. Then again, that was during his time of nuclear heat. Perhaps you're onto something, but there's been plenty of instances in which Cena couldn't get a heel reaction from someone not loved by the IWC. The point being here, is that many fans probably feel Cena to be the latter of two evils. You're definitely onto something, Thriller

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

Agreed. Sheamus is the perfect Lex Luthor to Cena's Superman. Sheamus has done nothing but beat Cena in different ways and the crowd is hating him for it. Finally Cena gets the cheers he want because almost everyone,outside of this forum, hates Sheamus. He's so easy to hate, for the IWC it's that he was pushed so fast and he's Triple H's buddy, for the normal fans he's white as the driven snow so he's easy to make fun of, and he's just a good heel all in all.

 

[1ofThePeeps]

...Batista.

Cena has always been way over with his target audience. To me Batista was a more believable challenge to Cena. I doubt the kids even think Sheamus has a chance to beat Cena clean. Batista at least gave off the illusion of some strength and power.

I like the change of pace Sheamus brings to Raw. I think one day he could be a legitimate top heel caliber superstar, I don't think that time is now. The title doesn't look right on him, it makes the title itself look weak. I wouldn't be shocked if he dropped the title at MITB to Cena, or the winner of the Raw MITB match.

 

[RKGO2SLEEP]

Sheamus has really been a breathe of fresh air. nobody has really captured the actual hatred of john cena since edge did last year with his promo on smackdown about hating how cena plays to the kids and wears his sweatbands and everthing. i think after TLC 2009 i saw something in sheamus that nobody else has ever done for cena. walking in to this match i think sheamus has a legitimate shot at winning, and he is the only guy that has REALLY done that since orton did back in 07.

 

[Dave]

Whilst I don’t think that he is the best thing that has ever happened to John Cena, I would agree with you that he has gained a lot of support from the fans lately and some of that must be accredited to Sheamus.

John Cena has been feuding with guys who are darlings of the IWC for too long and he just needed something to shake him up a bit. His gimmick was becoming stale as the title bounced around from Triple H to Cena and Randy Orton to Cena and Batista to Cena. What he really needed was something new and exciting that would allow people to believe in his gimmick again and the Nexus and Sheamus have managed to give him that. He has consistently been made to look very weak against Sheamus and Sheamus has decimated him on more than one occasion. The Nexus have attacked him for the better part of a month now and the “never give up” gimmick has never been more relevant.

Sure, he is the same John Cena that we have generally seen out on Ra every week but at least his gimmick actually means something now. It is hard to talk about not giving up when you have accomplished everything in the business and I think that the WWE spotted this and decided that this would be a good time to take the title off of John Cena. His gimmick can again be put into practice as he goes after the Championship again and not giving up will be essential to his plight. I do agree with you though. Sheamus has been like a breath of fresh air through the WWE and has revitalised everyone that he has feuded with. John Cena is example number one and I am very much enjoying seeing their feud pan out.

The only problem that I see arising, is that Sheamus is getting a lot of cheers from the live crowds because he is so different and entertaining. A lot of us around here love him and I am worried that his cheering may start to overshadow Cena’s. Whilst I am loving his almost comedic gimmick right now, I think they need to make him a little bit more of a heel to keep this momentum going.

 

[pun2003hh]

I have to agree that the Cena reactions are getting a bit more solid, but more so, I think Sheamus is really coming into his own as a heel. I've thought his in ring work has been solid for sometime, but his promos have been generic. "I'm this Irish warrior and you can't beat me, and on and on and on". Then all of a sudden, over the last 2 or 3 weeks, his promos have come up onto another level. He still at times lacks a tiny bit of confidence in his voice, but last nights promo to start Raw was gold, especially the unexpected "The Champ is Here" line.

Sheamus is doing what every good heel should be doing. Walking the fine line of putting down his opponent with personal attacks without being funny or endearing himself to the fans. He isn't trying to be the "cool" heel that many have been before, he is just trying to be an all around asshole (no pun intended Mr. Anderson) who is brick wall tough at certain times and a coward at others. And the guy who he is feuding with, aka Cena is going to benefit because of this.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Sheamus has been good at getting heat and making the crowd cheer for Cena more but I'm not going to say he is the sole reason. Batista was doing a good job as a heel and Sheamus came along and furthered it more. Cena has been his best in a while on the mic and as a face and while Sheamus has helped a lot, he is not the sole reason.

 

[Vanderhook]

The problem with your argument is that Sheamus is also an IWC darling. I haven't found a wrestling forum/board/whatever that has it out for Sheamus. In fact, he gets a lot of love. Most people around the IWC think he's fresh, interesting and talented on the mic and in the ring -- not to mention an awesome look. The IWC is probably even MORE behind Sheamus than Edge (who actually seems to divide the IWC) or Orton, simply because they want to see something new.

Also, maybe it's just me, but last ngiht when Sheamus came out.. I swear I could have heard a few cheers.

So yeah, not buying your arguement.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

It's true that Cena's opponents he faces are the problem for the most part. You look back at around 2005 when face Y2J is when you started to hear the mixed reactions and they just seemed to get worse at time grew on. I think it really culminated at WM 22 against Triple H and I am not a Cena hater (more like just dont mind him), but i was rooting for Triple H during that match mainly because I was sure he was going to win and felt he should have at that time, but i do understand him putting cena over.

Same goes for when he went against RVD, I mean not one single fan cheered him at ONS 2006 and for reason it was a ECW event. People boo'd Orton and Mysterio even. The pattern really just continues from there. It is all about who Cena faces. I hated Sheamus when he first came, I saw nothing in him and thought it would just be kind of like a Koslov push where he dominated got a title shot then just fell into mid card status until being future endeavor'd. I love sheamus now he has really grown on me for some strange reason, mainly because I havent seen somebody like him before (finlay doesn't count).

I do believe Sheamus is the answer to Cena getting more cheers, due to the fact the kids are like wtf with him and most adult fans still arent use to him and dont think he deserves his spot. Sheamus is proving he deserves his spot as of late though.

 

[Ferbian]

While I do think that there's a chance that Sheamus could make John Cena the crowds favorite again, but I do not see that it will become a large margin that he will change.

John, without the shadow of a doubt still has a large group of haters, he will always have that, unless John magically changes his gimmick, or his alignment, and that's not gonna happen, at least not in 2010 to say the least.

Sheamus gets a lot of heat, like it's supposed to be, but ultimately the heat he gets is from the John Cena lovers, and perhaps a bit of the heat from some of the Cena haters, but not nearly enough to clear out the loud and obvious negative chants towards John.

So yes I do see your point, but ultimately John's hate will still shine through, brightly as well.

 

[Money Inc.]

I really don't think Cena has gained more of the audience.

It might seem like that because Sheamus has taken in some much heat, but in my mind Cena's love/hate is still about 60/40.

The best thing that happened to John Cena IMO is injury (Not trying to promote injury, and wish all wrestlers health of course) But if you all remember Cena was in the range of this 60/40 before his injury (mostly because the stale character reasoning) Then Cena makes a comeback and got his fan base back to that 80/20 with the minority being the smart fans.

I personally think Umaga drew the most heat from Cena and was able to get the fans to actually believe their baby face was getting dominated again.

 

[Super Crazy]

I don't think the fans are going to love Cena because they hate Sheamus. I just think they hate Sheamus more then they hate Cena. Cena has a large amount of hate directed at him, and he will as long as he has this gimmick and as long as he is associated as the face of the PG era. Nothing will come from this and the fans will still hate Cena once he moves onto his next feud after Sheamus.

 

[President Evil]

All points made here are interesting. So lets say Sheamus is Superman's kryptonite. Its Sheamus 2 Cena 0. When Sheamus became WWE champ in TLC 2009, the E was high on being unpredictable, also, many people said it was Vince's way of telling the Cena-haters "ok, you dont want the belt on Cena, I'll show you I can put it on someone else" enter Sheamus. This makes sense, but at the same time it may night because Vince's/E's goal is to be kid friendly.

Anyway, the E has this stubborn mission to get Cena over and win over some Cena haters to the orange side. So they thought "who can we get that can be just as annoying or perhaps even more annoying than Cena?" Sheamus. With glow in the dark skin, powerman 5000 style hair, and telling all the fellas he's going to win the wwe toitle. I hope Cena never beats Sheamus, because if this happens, Sheamus will simply be another statistic to fall victim to the Never Give Up orange shirt that we've seen since October 2009.

 

[Stone_Cold_Randy_Orton]

The best thing to happen to Cena in terms of being in a rivalry with a worthy up and coming star? Yes. The best thing in terms of popularity? Hell No. And now to fan the Sheamus fire the IWC has another reason to love Sheamus: hes feuding with Cena. This guy has it at the moment. He's also WWE champion. I can't ask for a better scenario. All I hope is that he wins MITB. I really doubt they'd strip him of the title immediately after he won it. That would mean something came up in that time frame such as a drop in orange shirt purchases. So I believe his momentum will rise in the coming weeks. Also we know HHH is coming back soon, so if WWE continues the story properly, he has a feud with Sheamus. And knowing HHH every time he returns he has to go for the title. So it would either be Cena or Sheamus and I think its going to be Sheamus. Cena still has the NXT thing and without Barret the only way to keep them alive is if they are kept with Cena. So No, Cena's popularity is going down and without a win against Sheamus or a feud with someone else we can expect it to get even worse.

 

[Chardee Macdennis]

I was half asleep during Raw last night, so I may have heard this wrong, but didn't Cena say Sheamus was actually a "pretty good guy" when asking for his help against the Nexus? It seemed as though Sheamus may have even bought into the idea of breifly siding w/Cena for the greater good of the Douba Doube E roster, that is until the mystery GM announced potential suspensions/terminations for anyone initiating contact with the other group. I think Sheamus should help Cena start turning the tables on the Nexus crew and then as soon as they get the upper hand, Sheamus should absolutely level Cena. IMO, this would help further story lines w/out having Sheamus come off as the "good guy" Cena started to describe him as.