The Compliment Sandwich: John Cena

[Dave]

So, this is the latest in my series of threads that encourage people to really look at a subject matter and get to grips on what they really think about something. The way it works is very simple. You state something that you like about the subject matter. It could be something as simple as how they look or how much they make you enjoy something. After that, you simply state something that you do not like about the subject matter. Again, it could be anything. After that, you, simply round it off with something positive.

Simple as that

In this specific episode, we are looking at the WWE's prize possession in the captain of ship-PG... John Cena!

John Cena is one of my favourite wrestlers. He has been for a while. What I can say about him is that he entirely deserves to be where he is. Whether he was the winner of circumstance after the departure of Brock Lesnar or not, he has worked his ass off to make sure that he remains on top of the WWE. The kids that follow the WWE fall head over heels in love with him after every show and that can only be testament to how charismatic he is. He is regularly the only person who will allow himself to get near to the boundary line of the PG Era and that is what makes him one of the more interesting members of the WWE roster.

John Cena, the character, is pretty stale though. The problem with Cena, is that he is walking in the footsteps that the WWE have tread before and I don't think he suits it. People who have gone before him, like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have left heavy treads in the sand and had a whole lot more leeway in trying to accomplish the persona that they eventually became famous for. Would the Austin character have been quite so successful during the PG-Era? I don't think so and that is what Cena is contending against. I think that he needs to change something about his game. Whether that is a gimmick change or a change of alignment, something needs to be done. People are getting annoyed with the character that he has played for the last few years and that is never a good thing.

That being said, Cena is one of the most versatile people in the entire WWE. Sure, he may be doing his dream job in wrestling but you must feel for him when people boo him for being so closely associated with something that was beyond his control (Read PG Era). I give him a lot of respect for getting on board with the fact that fans are always going to boo him for that and I think that he uses things to his advantage brilliantly well.

Your turn!

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Cena is 100% behind his company - he makes the most public appearances. He gives his heart and soul whether the cheers are blasting the roof of or the boos are drowning everything else out (his work at One Night Stand against RVD was extraordinary).

SuperCena - sometimes he comes across as more of a phenom than the Undertaker and this detracts from believability.

He always gets a reaction, be it love or hate and this makes nearly everything that he does 'must see'.

 

[Burnout]

John Cena is also a favorite of mine. He is charismatic, and works so well with whatever may be thrown at him. He has a huge fan base, one that WWE heavily relies on, the younger generation. Now that WWE is PG, John Cena has become Mr.WWE, he is the top dog without a doubt, and like it or not, he's going to be there for many years to come. John Cena brings something to WWE that most don't. It shows every single time he walks to the ring. He loves the WWE. He loves the fans, he loves being out there, he loves performing, he loves the action that is not shown on TV, he just loves the business, and it's such a redeeming quality to have. He can tell a story, in the ring and on the mic, he can hide any supposed lacking ability in the ring, by being able to tell a story, and is just another of the many great qualities about Cena. He is dedicated to his work and fans, he does amazing charity work outside the ring, and even if you hate the guy, everyone has to give him props for that.

Now, although he is a favorite of mine, he's not perfect, no-one is. So my gripes with Cena, he, although I'm not a firm believer of it, has his "Super" moments, and they just nag me occasionally, as I sit there and wonder, how the hell could he do that? Also, I don't like an overload of Cena, I hate it when he starts the show, has some backstage action, and then the main-event, it's just too much, but it doesn't really happen anymore. Sometime he doesn't sell great, but he's definitely improving at it, so that's a minor thing.

In saying that that he has his super moments, He's meant to be a hero to young people, and heroes are might to be superhuman in their actions from time to time. In saying he is sometimes shoved down our throats and has multiple appearances during a show, it's a rarity he delivers a disaster segment or match. In saying he no sells occasionally, as I said, he’s improved a lot.

 

[Nomis]

He lives for the WWE. He loves what he does.

He gets really boring and annoying. SuperCena gets on my nerves

He's the most over person in WWE

 

[CH David]

Lulz, okay Stewie! Good shit my friend.

I enjoy John Cena's character. He is the go to guy right now, and can be the leader in getting young talent over. He is at the point where he doesn't need a title to be over or cared about. He is the top dollar dog of the company, the workhorse that Vince can count on to take his ass out in front of the crowd and give it everything he has got.

I hate how he can bulldoze through almost an entire faction in a matter of what, 5 minutes? I understand ending the feud with the New Nexus, but getting rid of Ryan, Otunga, McGillicutty, and Punk in that short span when they dominated the rest of the roster is a joke. Especially when he got annihilated by the old Nexus on a fairly regular basis for so long.

I love the fact that he goes with the crowd. He embraces the hate and it is very refreshing to see. He knows how much he busts his ass to entertain people and even if they don't want to show their appreciation, he is making money as the controversial figure.

 

[LigerBomb]

I appreciate and laud his dogged work ethic and deep sense of commitment. If the stories are to be believed, he absolutely lives and breaths (bleeds?) WWE. What most everyone fails to realize, is that coupled with a bit of talent/luck, hard word is the key to being great. A similar case can be made for the reason behind Mizanin's recent rise to the top. Almost everybody knows what to do; almost nobody does what they know.

However, his biggest virtue is also his biggest weakness (as it relates to me and my personal enjoyment/entertainment). He just tries too damn hard to be entertaining and funny, and it never comes off as anything but forced and inorganic. The only analogy I can make would be that of joke-telling and how it's all in the delivery. Two people can say the exact same words but one delivery can be infinitely more humorous than the other simply due to the intangible qualities that some people either just don't have naturally or find virtually impossible to develop –no matter how hard they try. In the realm of Sports & Entertainment Cena routinely bulldozes through both with equal parts verve and determination, while lacking any true sense of finesse or subtlety.

As an aside, he can hardly be blamed exclusively for it. Much of WWE's Raw is like a comedy show written by people who have no business—or experience, evidently—in comedy.

Coming back around, I will say he's a charismatic presence that casts a truly larger-than-life shadow and who is perfect for WWE's current brand of family friendly programming. He exhibits a bombastic (in a good way) aura and exuberance in almost everything he does and really has a knack for feeding off the energy—both positive and negative—of the crowd and throwing it right back at them.

 

[krazyd]

John Cena is one of the HARDEST working wrestlers in the company..hes the go to guy for a lot of public appearances and he has a heart of gold with the 200 wishes he made come true....

he is not the best person in the ring technically speaking i remember a few months back he wrestled cm punk cm punk went for a simple transition move and cena fell over hm n they had to like... redo it real quick if u kno what im saying...

..that said he does not have to be the most technically sound wrestler in the ring..thats not his game he is a power guy and he uses that perfectly ...super cena or not he knows what works and what doesnt hes got a great head for the business..and yes i am a fan!!

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I like John Cena, the man. He is one of the hardest workers in the industry and is known to treat all kinds of fans with respect. He gets a lot of criticism but rarely loses his cool. He has genuine love for the business.

I dislike John Cena, the character. He talks about conquering insurmountable odds all the time in every feud of his but the only guy who faces insurmountable odds is his opponent. I was really into his character for the first time in his feud with The Nexus before he started destroying the entire faction singlehandedly.

All his feuds are basically the same deal. Heel comes out and challenges him. He talks about never backing down from any challenge, gets beaten down before the PPV and wins on the PPV in a rather predictable manner. Lather, rinse and repeat.

His insults are also rather lame and while I am sure that you can be funny even in the PG era, John Cena is simply not.

All in all though, Cena is the most charismatic individual in the industry today and that is the reason why he is the face of the company. Cena and the wrestling business as a whole have gotten stuck into a rut which does not seem to be harming them at all. It might be a bit boring for us to see but I cannot argue that it does not work. Cena also manages to put on good matches from time to time against the right opponent.

I would like to end by saying that Cena might not be everyone's choice for the face of the company but for the moment he is certainly the correct choice.

 

[WWE.IS.AWESOME]

John Cena is the hardest worker in the company. He puts everything he has into his work and loves doing it, too. Cena makes plenty of public appearances and movies and tries to expose the WWE as much as possible. He also earns the WWE a lot of money and is the top face of the company.

The "Super-Cena" gimmick is getting very stale. I think he needs a change to keep us interested. Cena is good in the ring, but a few new moves wouldn't hurt him. Lately he's been doing alright on the mic but that's not his strongest point.

All in all, Cena's a great worker with a few tweaks whose doing wonders for the company.

 

[ctln4rko]

To me, Cena's positive attribute- as WWEISAWESOME says, "John Cena is the hardest worker in the company. He puts everything he has into his work and loves doing it, too. Cena makes plenty of public appearances and movies and tries to expose the WWE as much as possible. He also earns the WWE a lot of money and is the top face of the company."
I do not like how he always wins and how he immediatly came back after getting "fired"

 

[JGlass]

He doesn't not get a reaction, and that's the most important thing in wrestling. Even when he's booed he makes it work for him and can at least get the viewers at home on his side. That said, for the past couple months he's been getting the cheers he deserves, and the WWE has been reaping the benefits. Nobody is able to get the live crowd pumped like Cena, and he's become the highlight of nearly every show.

He's predictable, I'll be the first to admit that. While being predictable isn't the worst thing in wrestling, it gets rid of some of the suspense in matches you know he's going to win. He'll start off strong, get his ass handed him, and then he'll hit the shoulder blocks, mat slam, 5 Knuckle Shuffle, and then he'll either hit the AA or miss the AA and turn it into an STF.

Everything he does is magic. You could put him in a feud with TEd DiBiase or any equally awful star and he'll make it into something awesome. Miz, CM Punk, Barrett's Nexus, Batista, Edge, Randy Orton, every feud you put him in is gold.

 

[MoizH28]

The guy as a person is amazing Ive met him twice once at a appearance Blockbuster and ran into him Buffalo Wild Wings he remembered me it was only a day apart but still.

In the WWE however Im tired of his character but if I was the WWE I would probably be doing the same thing with him, he is kind of like the chicken who lays golden eggs if that makes sense. The audience does always give him a reaction and all the higher ups like him as well so its the best of both worlds. Everyone says turn him heel blah blah blah no dont do that at all, if the WWE goes PG 13 he can eaisly bring back his rapper gimmick as a face like he did towards the end of his smackdown run.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

COMPLIMENT

Same as everybody else has said, Cena works his ass off for the WWE. He does the public appearances, the signing sessions, the house shows, the TV appearances etc. He really does give his all for the company, and is very grateful for the opportunities he has been given. There is no better company man than John Cena. I have alot of respect for the man and his dedication.

Criticism

His moveset. It is SO stale and poor. The Attitude Adjustment is an appalling finishing move, that should not be used as a match-ender, it really isnt that believable. The no-pressure STF is almost as bad, the way Cena locks it in is terrible, it doesn't look painful at all. He should be better than that. The Five Knuckle Shuffle is an embarrasment, it doesnt look realistic and the un-realistic punches Cena throws and his dire hip-toss really need improvement.

Compliment

Cena plays his character very well. I found him very entertaining back in his rapper days as a heel, and just after his face turn but he is extremely limited in the PG compared to how he used to be. However, he continues to do exactly what is asked of him no matter that he is booed heavily by some of the audience and is a hate figure to some. He does all he can, and I think people just boo him for the sake of it now, as its the "in" thing to hate John Cena. I think he does his job well, but needs to improve his moveset and character very soon.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the letters: W-W-E is John Cena; and I am more than positive the same goes for millions of other fans. John Cena has done what not many in the business can ever hope to achieve - and that is achieve the level of grandeur that Cena has conjured up for himself through his dedicaion as well as his determination. John Cena has become an icon to the wrestling world. Everywhere you go, anywhere you find yourself being - anytime you find a logo of the WWE - you will see a picture of John Cena nearby. Why? Because John Cena's level of greatness is so astonishing that it has got him to the point where he has become the 'poster boy' of the WWE.

However, that being said, I feel as if John Cena's character is maxed out now. I won't go as far as to say that Cena has grown stale – No, I don't consider it that bad. However, I do consider it to the point where the character of John Cena has just reached its limits. John Cena – being the way he is now – has nothing new to offer in terms of character. We've seen him with the same attitude; same never give up speech; and same defying all odds crap. Sure, it's all interesting to see because, well, he is the 'hero' of this story; but the problem is that we've seen it all too often.

Even, I'm sure it’s been dully noted how lately, there are times where Cena tends to overplay himself a bit – thus trying to be funny when he really isn't (as pointed out by LigerBomb). Could it be the reason because he too is aware that his character has maxed out? I haven't a clue. All I know, is John Cena's character has done all it can do.

Though, in a sense, it's not himself to blaim. If anything, it's more of WWE’s'fault. John Cena has potential to be so much greater than he already is – and look at where he is – could you imagine Cena any better? – I can. I see it. Cena can be so much more than what he is now.

Being as good as he is, Cena has the ability to feed off of both the negative energy and the positive energy that he recieves and use it in order to get himself over. Just even, in November (I think it was), in his going away speech, Cena was able to get the girls and kids to chant: "Let's go Cena!", while at the same time getting all the smarks – the dudes to chant: "Cena sucks!". When you have a guy that can control the crowd like that, you know that the guy who did that is good at what he does. And John Cena is indeed good at what he does.

 

[Pro Wrestling is FAKE]

First Post here so dont rip me off ppl..

As far as I can say, and many in this post have already done so, Cena is undoubtedly the hardest worker in this industry right now. We know it, WWE Universe knows it and also Vinnie Mac. And that is why he is the top dog right now and will hopefully continue to do so.

N no i'm not a Cena-Mark nor a U-15 for saying so. I'm saying this coz the guy loves this biz like his life. And do tell me if you are good at what you do won't you be the first person your boss will endorse when he thinks about his company??

That being said, I also say that his character isn't intriguing that it once used to be. Sure one may say that he's the PG version to HUlkamania but even then Hogan used to get a reaction which is constantly ebbing away from John.

All I gotta say here is that Creative needs to tweak his character now. sure the Super-Cena wont go away, he can still overcome the odds but then there should be meltdowns from him now (Remember Michael Tarver, or how he reacted after losing WWE Championship to RVD) I guess that's the only thing that is missing from his character right now. Give him that edginess, sort of like Orton displayed last year, and lo, he could bring the house down like anything....