Let me begin this by saying I don't "hate" John Cena. I respect what he does outside of the ring, I would never say he can't wrestle, and I believe he truly earned his spot at the top of the company. However, in the words of Owen Hart, Enough is Enough and it's time for a change.
This thread came to mind as I was in the comment section of the Raw results tonight on the main site. I was arguing with a user about whether or not the match between Cena and Cesaro was wasted because of the finish. I believed the match was wasted as Cesaro needed the win to be viewed as a legitimate challenger for the title in the Chamber match and Cena didn't need any momentum going into the match to be viewed as a viable contender. The other user postulated that taking Cena to the limit was just as good in terms of making Cesaro look credible.
That's what finally made me realize exactly what my issue is with Cena.
It isn't the amount of title reigns. It isn't the fact that he rarely loses and even more rarely loses cleanly. It isn't how he's always in or near the main event. It isn't that there are other guys I'd rather see in his spot. It isn't his match quality, his promos, or his kid-centric gimmick.
My problem is that a guy coming from a midcard level tag team into his first main event slot taking Cena to the limit should be a big deal. It should be a sign that he's a contender, but it isn't because nearly every single John Cena match shows the opponent taking Cena to the limit and Cena winning anyway.
It doesn't matter if he's against Brock Lesnar or Santino, John Cena is going to bump like crazy, make the other guy look credible, and then beat them. That shouldn't be the case.
In the past, there were clearly defined lines as to who was the top "Superstars" and who weren't. If the top guys faced a bottom tier guy or middle tier guy, they won quickly and handily unless there were mitigating circumstances like stipulations against them or interference. Now, one month Kofi can beat the World Champ cleanly and the next month lose cleanly to Jack Shwagger. A few years ago we witnessed The Miz not being able to cleanly beat Jerry Lawler and yet he picked up a victory over Cena at Mania.
What John Cena needs to fix this is a series of squash matches against lower to mid tier talent. I'm talking hit the ring, counter into his finish and go home. Make it look like Cena (and really any top level talent) is just that much better than all the guys below them to the point that even coming close to beating them is an achievement. Right now, there is no benefit from "almost beating" Cena because every single person he faces "almost beats" Cena.
WWE wonders why the current generation of "stars" aren't viewed in the same light as the older stars and this is the main reason why. The stars of yesteryear only looked vulnerable against other top level talent, the "stars" of today look vulnerable in nearly every single match they're in whether it's against another main eventer or a curtain jerking jobber.
Trading wins and building up the entire roster to look like credible threats doesn't work. There has to be jobbers, there has to be clearly defined midcarders, and there needs to be clearly defined main event talent that are portrayed as so much better than the rest of the roster that "almost winning" has nearly as much value as winning does.
This thread came to mind as I was in the comment section of the Raw results tonight on the main site. I was arguing with a user about whether or not the match between Cena and Cesaro was wasted because of the finish. I believed the match was wasted as Cesaro needed the win to be viewed as a legitimate challenger for the title in the Chamber match and Cena didn't need any momentum going into the match to be viewed as a viable contender. The other user postulated that taking Cena to the limit was just as good in terms of making Cesaro look credible.
That's what finally made me realize exactly what my issue is with Cena.
It isn't the amount of title reigns. It isn't the fact that he rarely loses and even more rarely loses cleanly. It isn't how he's always in or near the main event. It isn't that there are other guys I'd rather see in his spot. It isn't his match quality, his promos, or his kid-centric gimmick.
My problem is that a guy coming from a midcard level tag team into his first main event slot taking Cena to the limit should be a big deal. It should be a sign that he's a contender, but it isn't because nearly every single John Cena match shows the opponent taking Cena to the limit and Cena winning anyway.
It doesn't matter if he's against Brock Lesnar or Santino, John Cena is going to bump like crazy, make the other guy look credible, and then beat them. That shouldn't be the case.
In the past, there were clearly defined lines as to who was the top "Superstars" and who weren't. If the top guys faced a bottom tier guy or middle tier guy, they won quickly and handily unless there were mitigating circumstances like stipulations against them or interference. Now, one month Kofi can beat the World Champ cleanly and the next month lose cleanly to Jack Shwagger. A few years ago we witnessed The Miz not being able to cleanly beat Jerry Lawler and yet he picked up a victory over Cena at Mania.
What John Cena needs to fix this is a series of squash matches against lower to mid tier talent. I'm talking hit the ring, counter into his finish and go home. Make it look like Cena (and really any top level talent) is just that much better than all the guys below them to the point that even coming close to beating them is an achievement. Right now, there is no benefit from "almost beating" Cena because every single person he faces "almost beats" Cena.
WWE wonders why the current generation of "stars" aren't viewed in the same light as the older stars and this is the main reason why. The stars of yesteryear only looked vulnerable against other top level talent, the "stars" of today look vulnerable in nearly every single match they're in whether it's against another main eventer or a curtain jerking jobber.
Trading wins and building up the entire roster to look like credible threats doesn't work. There has to be jobbers, there has to be clearly defined midcarders, and there needs to be clearly defined main event talent that are portrayed as so much better than the rest of the roster that "almost winning" has nearly as much value as winning does.
