The paradox of John Cena

[Dwayne_Jason]

We all know the immense hate Cena gets from many of the IWC and the wrestling "smarks"

Many people make convincing arguments and many don't. Many think he's stale and many think he should turn heel but here's something we all agree on:

Cena's talented. Moreso than anyone else in WWE today.

Now, I was just reading up Jericho's interview with IGN and something struck me. I realized why whenever Jericho makes some sort of "return" people hop on the bandwagon immediately. Because he never returns the same. He always, ALWAYS reinvents himself.

So what does this have to do with Cena?

Here's an excerpt from his interview:

when you work for the WWE, you work 52 weeks out of the year and on TV every week. You can't look the same or act the same every week. It gets boring.

That's Mr. Cena's "problem"

WWE isn't stupid. They hear it, they censor it, but they sure as shit hear it. Half the people in that crowd boo immensely when Cena comes out. Why? Many arguments:

He sucks in the ring (false)
He sucks in general (also false)
He can't do promos (false)
Its the same old shit...

Yeah.


It is, but it works. Yet, it doesn't. If you are to say the one thing Cena has different from every other face; he's not fully loved; that's to say, his reaction isn't universal. Which is bad.

WWE as a PG must have a clear line between loved and hated and Cena, as much as they tried to push him has always been in the middle. He's loved and he's hated. He sells merchandise but he's boo'd out the building. He is the top man in the company, but he doesn't get the reaction of a top man of the company.

That is the paradox of John Cena. And that's why, in my opinion, his name is etched in history.

If Cole gets one thing right about Cena is this: He always gets a reaction.

Most wrestlers have a universal problem: The crowd either cares about you, or they don't.

Cena doesn't have that problem and he never will. He either gets boo'd immensely or he gets cheered just as much and more commonly its half and half.

Most top faces were loved universally, they HAD to reinvent themselves otherwise they couldn't survive. Not Cena, primarily because different people view him in a different light at different shows. Cena never gets old. Whether you cheer him or boo him. A slight change here and there (such as the Rock response) and they go crazy: hate or love.

In that same way, no matter who you are: Hater or CeNation fact of the matter is you'll never get bored of Cena. You'll either hate him with passion or be a part of Chain Gang.

Its a lot like those cult celebrities. Beiber will come and go Tom Cruise will stay forever. Love him or hate him. If there's news about Tom, you're gonna watch it. To appreciate or criticize, you'll watch his movies. Why? Because he's transcended the population that is so fickle. IWC, no matter what, in any way shape or form, in any manner will never, ever, be sick and tired of John Cena. Love or hate. Its something rare we share in common. While we will differ on who gets the pushes and who gets the championships we will all no matter what be stuck like glue when Cena comes out: To hate or to love.

So keeping him safe is a viable option and I've debunked the myth of same old shit.

Or have I?

Should Cena reinvent himself? After six years Cena has come from thuganomics to SoldierCena to SuperCena.

Is this a right time for Cena to become another Cena?

This is the paradox of John Cena: While his character, stale and hated has gotten tired, weak and old its still fresh, it still sells and its still on the top.

How to solve this? Do you keep him the way he is? Or should he follow Jericho's footsteps and strive to recreate and reinvent himself? If so, what do you want him to be?

Note: Keep it PG, kids must like it and no heel. Cena's not a heel.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

I dont know how people can say he can wrestle. Go watch the old days, thats wrestling. Cena can not wrestle well. Its a fact. He wouldnt have even been mid card back in the day when it comes to wrestling skills.

Now to the question at hand. The only way to fix Cena is to completely get him out of the main event picture. Get him away from the title picture all together, then people wouldnt hate him as much. Get rid of the kiddie humor and act like a man. He really is the only person i know who can talk so much about being a man yet acts like a child with half the things he says.

He needs to change the color of his jean shorts. Wear some black ones or something. Simple little things like that can make you look different. He should change the same routine he does every night when his moves. He should stop talking to the cam as soon as he walks out. I personally hate it, irritates me, dont know why.

Hes stale. Besides that or a heel turn, i cant think of much.

To be honest , hes the only wrestler in my whole life of watching wrestling that I wish would just retire so I dont ever have to see him again. I really mean that. I hate watching him on TV, but if he wasnt in the main event, i can deal with it.

Hes also one of the only wrestlers that if u take pix of every year, he basically looks the same.

I respect him for what he does in the company, but I dont like whats hes done for wrestling.

Btw , everyone screams give him a heel turn , but in reality , when the matches start, its still the same skills that he doesnt have.

 

[Papa Zapatista]

Many think he's stale and many think he should turn heel but here's something we all agree on:

Cena's talented. Moreso than anyone else in WWE today.

I think most people here will stop taking your topic seriously after this point. Most of us in the IWC do NOT think he is talented. He may be popular for various reasons, but he is not popular for his wrestling ability I can assure you of that. You have struck a point that I believe many do not strike enough, however. He's stale. He needed a gimmick/character change back in 2008. If he had been constantly evolving like someone such as Triple H, Y2J, Undertaker, Edge, or The Rock, I think everybody would like him a bit more. He can stay face, but he can't stay as SuperCena.

 

[worldchamp101]

It has been stated many times that Cena haters will watch himm just to boo him or see if he loses or not. That doesn't apply to me. I hate Cena the wrestler (I respect Cena the person) and therefore I don't bother watching many of his matches. Whenever he has a match coming up I just have the feeling that there are other things that are more worthy of my time. There are only a I want to few John Cena matches that I show any interest at all in watching (and while I am on the subject the Rock vs John Cena at Wrestlemania is not one of those matches I want to see).

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

I think most people here will stop taking your topic seriously after this point. Most of us in the IWC do NOT think he is talented. He may be popular for various reasons, but he is not popular for his wrestling ability I can assure you of that. You have struck a point that I believe many do not strike enough, however. He's stale. He needed a gimmick/character change back in 2008. If he had been constantly evolving like someone such as Triple H, Y2J, Undertaker, Edge, or The Rock, I think everybody would like him a bit more. He can stay face, but he can't stay as SuperCena.

Exactly Cena today is what was Hogan in the 80's to mid 90's. Hogan evolved then because he knew he was getting stale, and what did we get? Thats right Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the NWO. Cena is stale beyond belief but he won't evolve thats the problem.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

Exactly Cena today is what was Hogan in the 80's to mid 90's. Hogan evolved then because he knew he was getting stale, and what did we get? Thats right Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the NWO. Cena is stale beyond belief but he won't evolve thats the problem.

I hate this comparison. Hogan was never legit HATED AND BOOED at the level of Cena. Have u ever heard hogan get you cant wrestle or hogan suck chants in the mid 80s to early 90s? Shit you didnt even get that when he was in the NWO.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

I think most people here will stop taking your topic seriously after this point.

I'm truly hurt.

Most of us in the IWC do NOT think he is talented.

In wrestling ability sure, its debatable whether or not he can really wrestle that well. I'm talking about talent. Not wrestling. Talent. Promos, Wrestling, Ring Psychology, Acting, Singing, Selling (though not his best). He's overall talented. Moreso than anyone else today.

He may be popular for various reasons, but he is not popular for his wrestling ability I can assure you of that.

Look above.

You have struck a point that I believe many do not strike enough, however. He's stale. He needed a gimmick/character change back in 2008. If he had been constantly evolving like someone such as Triple H, Y2J, Undertaker, Edge, or The Rock, I think everybody would like him a bit more. He can stay face, but he can't stay as SuperCena.

That is a valid point and I appluad you for that, but what other gimmick do you think will suit him? PG and face.

 

[Lucid]

Cena's "problem" and paradox is that no one else in the locker room get's the crowd interested like he does. Love him or hate him.
The rest of the talent just isn't connecting right now.
It singles Cena out and amplifies him in the way a lot of people here have taken to bashing on The Rock.
Basically, the other guys look much worse than they are in comparison and when a nail sticks out people want to bash it down and make it fit in rather than elevate those around it.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

I hate this comparison. Hogan was never legit HATED AND BOOED at the level of Cena. Have u ever heard hogan get you cant wrestle or hogan suck chants in the mid 80s to early 90s? Shit you didnt even get that when he was in the NWO.

Well i was young at the time so if so i don't remember Hogan being legit hated to the point that Cena has been hated. As for Hogan as the leader of the NWO, i was a little older and wiser and you are right he was cheered like crazy even if he was a heel. Not even Ric Flair and the horsemen could pull this off.

 

[moneymaker90]

ITALIAN NYC Wrestling is, wasn't and it will never be about wrestling skills. It seems an oxymoron but it is th truth. You mention the good old days but your days must be different than mine. The guy that became a cultural icon, Hogan, couldn't wrestle if his life depended on it. Wrestling is about a popularity contest, but it has 2 measuring sticks: love and hate. I'm not saying I defend this, I'm just calling it like it is.

As for Cena, I will say what I've always said: Is he the best wrestler? no. Is he as bad as the IWC is making him? hell no! To say he sucks at his promos is just plain ridiculous.
As for him being stale: maybe. This is an era where that is a lot more exposure and therefore we see more 10 times what we used to see 1. And Cena did change a bit over the years. When he arrived at the main event scene he was the rapper guy. Later on he became the military guy. After that he changed to what he is now, the HLR guy.
I believe that PG doesn't give you as much room to fiddle around with you character.

However I believe Cena is the prime example of what is happening in the IWC, and that is: the IWC doesn't like faces. And you have clear examples all over this forum.
Cena is face, Cena is stale. Edge became face people were throwing the same thing. Morrisson is face and people are calling him boring. Orton is a face for some time now and he is being called Cena 2.0.

My point is Cena is not that bad, but the IWC will always think he sucks.

 

[drk_knight]

Why ould he need to change his character? He's the main reason WWE is soo big right now. The reason Hogan didn't get any boos or any sort of hatred from the crowd was because he was before the attidude era. Austin and Rock set the bar sooo high that if you create another version of Hulk Hogan you would get booed. Hell if Hogan was created after the attidude era he would never get over like he was. The differnece between Cena and Hogan is that Cena has great in ring ability and Hogan is one of the worst in ring competitors ever, and Cenas mic skills surrpass Hogans by a mile.

 

[CH David]

Solid question, but no. Cena doesn't need to change anything as long as he remains a face over the next few years. If he wants to be a heel, he needs to do heelish stuff, but then morons in the IWC may start to cheer him. Sidetrack. Slyfox opened my eyes in a thread in another section that mentioned Hogan as a great professional wrestler, as much as I want to think Hogan sucked! They tell stories in the ring, and Cena is damn solid in the ring and deserves more credit than he is given. He tells stories, can sell, and puts on a damn entertaining match more often than not. People in the IWC can choose to hate him because he isn't a chain wrestler like Chris Benoit or Dean Malenko, whatever. He is where he is because he makes people care or react to him. That's what a professional wrestler does, they care, they react to them depending on how good the wrestler is at making them react.

Cena is fine and isn't in a paradox per se. People just want to hate him because he is now "SuperCena" and can't lose!!! If the whole audience turns on him, then we cross that bridge when it comes, but if just smarky people think he sucks, which really is the demographic that does, I don't think he or the WWE have anything to worry about for the time being.

 

[georgia wrestling 2]

Well honestly is Cena a great wrestler no. Second define who is a great wrestler. I've been watching wrestling for over 30 years. Honestly great wrestlers not as numerous as you would think. Great entertainers absolutely. PLENTY over the years. John Cena compared to Hulk Hogan is a good comparison. Hulk Hogan has said before I had the same foot to the face leg drop gimmick for years but it worked the fans liked it end of story. Cena would have had the same reaction Hulk Hogan did for years in that era. The atttitude era kayfabe being broken the internet has dramatically changed IWC and a lot of that. Ultimate Fighting is huge more real more violence etc etc. The match some people are praising as match of the year is Undertaker Triple H for example. Because of the hardcore or the consecutive pedigrees. I don't know. I was there at Wrestlemania and personally ticked off at the submission victory stupid in my opinion but hey everybody's got one. The way the WWE has welcomed back the Rock as well as the majority of the wrestling fans should tell you this and all you need to know about Cena. The Rock is wrestling him Why? Because it will sell tickets or draw money ( Thank you Mark Madden) And as long as the majority accept it everything stays the same. Also, as it relates to Hogan Cena is now the most asked for person on make a wish just as Hogan was in his hey day and my understanding is Cena is as well got to give him props as an aside because he never turns it down just like Hogan never did. I'm always still impressed with Cena's strength too Big Show and Edge on his shoulders at the same time in the triple threat a few years ago impressive. Ask Triple H. Bottom line when it doesn't work it will change. Whether I or you like it or not. P S They gave the Miz a longer run with the world championship than Christian really!!!! really!!!! suck up to Vince harder do all your asked then maybe you'll grow up to be like Cena and the Miz!!!

 

[JJ15776]

I dont know how people can say he can wrestle. Go watch the old days, thats wrestling. Cena can not wrestle well. Its a fact. He wouldnt have even been mid card back in the day when it comes to wrestling skills.

Lmao.

First, the idea that wrestling was better or more real back in the old days is the biggest myth I've ever heard in my life. Let's debunk that right now. There is no point in the history of professional wrestling where wrestling was more wrestling than it is now. Have you ever actually watched a wrestling match from the 60's and 70's? If Raw aired a match like that, USA Network would cancel the show the next day. It's nothing but fake as hell punches and faker than hell kicks with a bunch of rest holds in between. It is HORRIBLE, believe me.

Or did you mean later than that, like the 80's? Did you mean when HULK HOGAN was the biggest star in wrestling history? Yeah, considering Cena is a million times better wrestler on his worst day than Hulk Hogan ever was on his best day, I have a feeling Cena would do OK - probably even better than he does today. You try to qualify it by saying "when it comes to wrestling skill" - no shit sherlock, he's not in the main event today because of his wrestling skill either. He's the biggest star in the company because of his ability to connection with the crowd, love or hate, and because he's decent in the ring. Is he great? No. But he's sure as hell better than the IWC would have you believe.

To answer the OP, it'd be stupid to change anything about him. You have a great formula that works to perfection right now. If it's not broke, don't fix it, and it's not broke.

 

[JJohns]

The one thing that I think can benefit John Cena the most right about now is if they let him off the chain. Give him a live mic, and allow him to do a segment where he doesn't have writers writing the words that he says. When he flows from the hip, it comes out amazingly. When he's using the words that whatever former Soap Writer gives him, that's when it comes off bland and stale.

That's the big problem. Let Cena do what the Rock did in the 90s. Let him portray himself with the volume turned to 11.

Pro Wrestling is not about wrestling, like many others have mentioned before in this topic. It's about being entertained. And when Cena doesn't have the restrictions of following a script, he's pretty damn entertaining. I remember when he did "Five Questions With The Champ" on wwe.com, he had more creative input on those, and they were much more entertaining than some of the generic promos that he does when he's feuding with guys like Wade Barrett and the Miz.

 

[holdingholder]

Actually Hogan was getting booed around 1996 when he was in WCW. That's when he first tried to change his character to that whole "dark Hogan" crap, he was getting pretty much the same type of reactions Cena gets. As for the topic, this is probably the finest and most dead on Cena thread I have seen, I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[whoopin' ass]

it works because wwe is aiming for a younger audience and this is all new for them. Cena has been a top guy there for 7-8 years or so. wwe seems to be aiming for kids under 18. with 9 or 10 year olds, the Cena type character goes over like crazy. they can then grow up watching Cena like people did with Hogan in the 80's. why won't they change? wwe has regressed their wrestling back to a 1980's level by going the pg route. parents who wouldn't let their kids watch wrestling during the attitude era would today since it has been toned down. that means there is always a new crop of kids out there every year so watch Cena and cheer for him so even if they lose some fans, there are more coming in. it's that simple. it is the same reason why Orton has been watered down. remember, he used to be the legend killer. this is the same guy who handcuffed hhh to the ring ropes, then ddt'ed steph and kissed her infront of hunter. this is the same guy so punted vince in the head. but wwe/vince thinks he can make orton the john cena of smackdown and now orton is a nice guy and the crowd goes nuts for him. don't hate the guys. you can dislike the character, you can stop watching the product but don't confuse john cena the person with the guy you see on raw every week. yes, you may think that the character is boring, weak, lame, etc but the wwe universe like it, and more importantly vince likes it and pays cena well to be that guy. and in the end, it is a job. if vince told cena to go out there and be the biggest, most bad-ass heel we have ever seen, cena would do it because that is what he is paid for.

 

[Normer]

John Cena bothers me for the same reason a lot of people in the real world bother me, his unshakeable positive outlook. Dude never gets angry, he didn't say one thing about the Rock costing him the match at WM. I know he loses his smile and gets serious and sometimes even drops a pile of chairs onto people, but things seem to never go bad for him. Orton goes both ways, Rey gets pissed and angry and vengeful, Edge would lose his mind the same way wether or not he was a heel or a face that week.

Cena just stays positive, its annoying as hell. I work in a restaurant and it sucks like working in every other restaurant ever. There are some people who love being there and love working, and it drives me crazy, our job sucks. Now I get that Cena loves his job, but the fact that his life makes him happy every second of every day (at least in character, who knows if he's really like that too) makes me really hate him. The only time in the past year recently where he wasn't completely upbeat was when he made his goodbye speech, and even then he was having all that fun, he remained positive.

I hate Cena because he has a one dimensional character, he's fucking Ned Flanders.

 

[H33LTurn]

Cena has re-invented himself in the past, as youn pointed out. I think that the latest incarnation of Cena, superCena is what has really struck a nerve within the IWC and the WWE Universe. The fact that Cena cannot be fairly defeated puts the WWE in a tough spot. Its the same spot they've been with Orton for a while now and they seem to have no cure for it. But they have, however, worked themselves around the situation with Randy Orton by keeping him away from the title even though the rivalries have been pretty ridiculous. Cena has to be kept away from that title at any means necessary. Think of how refreshing this year without Cena as champion has been. Hes maintained his top spot in the company but the business itself has not suffered due to him holding the strap. If Cena is in a title match it needs to include some sort of wild card, like Morrison in the match at Extreme Rules. That made it way less obvious that he was going to win. The enemy also needs to outsmart Cena in certain occasions. Every RAW during this era usually ends with Cena knocking out one of his rivals. The last time we saw RAW end with Cena being dominated by a single opponent it was when Batista was around. Its all about making Cena lose this 'invicible' stigma his charcter has gained without making him look weak or ridiculous. It can be tricky but WWE has done it with superstars of the same caliber as Cena before (Orton, Austin, etc.) and I'm confident they can do it again.

Also keep in mind all the top WWE stars have taken a significant amount of time off of camera, which has made their returns moore refreshing. Cena has not taken any significant time off due to the fact that it might hurt RAW ratings, and therefore has not been given the chance to renew himself in the eyes of the fans. I think the WWE needs to break from Cena, rehab if you will, because they've obviously beecome addicted to the point of severe dependence.

 

[skeet mg]

ITALIAN NYC Wrestling is, wasn't and it will never be about wrestling skills. It seems an oxymoron but it is th truth. You mention the good old days but your days must be different than mine. The guy that became a cultural icon, Hogan, couldn't wrestle if his life depended on it. Wrestling is about a popularity contest, but it has 2 measuring sticks: love and hate. I'm not saying I defend this, I'm just calling it like it is.

As for Cena, I will say what I've always said: Is he the best wrestler? no. Is he as bad as the IWC is making him? hell no! To say he sucks at his promos is just plain ridiculous.
As for him being stale: maybe. This is an era where that is a lot more exposure and therefore we see more 10 times what we used to see 1. And Cena did change a bit over the years. When he arrived at the main event scene he was the rapper guy. Later on he became the military guy. After that he changed to what he is now, the HLR guy.
I believe that PG doesn't give you as much room to fiddle around with you character.

However I believe Cena is the prime example of what is happening in the IWC, and that is: the IWC doesn't like faces. And you have clear examples all over this forum.
Cena is face, Cena is stale. Edge became face people were throwing the same thing. Morrisson is face and people are calling him boring. Orton is a face for some time now and he is being called Cena 2.0.

My point is Cena is not that bad, but the IWC will always think he sucks.

My opinion is just that like you said, PG doesn't give you much room to fiddle around with your character, and I think that especially applies to faces. Randy Orton is clearly different from every other face, but he only has one element to his character, and to me, he's more stale than Cena could ever be. I'm more sick of Orton after 9 months as a face than John Cena for 6 years. To make matters worse, Orton's promos are always the same and I think he just has that standard WWE promo voice and it gets really annoying. Whenever he has had an upcoming match on RAW I turn if off because I don't like his matches. Good thing he's on Smackdown since I don't watch it. I won't have to change the channel away from another Orton match.

On to Cena, I do think he is stale, but I can deal with it. To me his work isn't the most entertaining but I have to respect the hard work and dedication he's had to get himself where he is. I would like Cena to be a heel just for the simple fact that it would finally be a change (and speaking of turning heel, Orton's character is best suited as a heel). Jack Swagger as a face would probably work if he turns on Michael Cole, and I think Zack Ryder could work as a face or a heel with his current gimmick.

Oh, and to the person who started the thread, you can't say Cena won't be boring if you hate him. There's a good amount of people who hate him because he's boring.

 

[cwcanno]

So, here's my opinion. Take yourself for example. Those of you who are in a little bit a a mundane rut in you own lives, a routine you can't live without.

You get up in the morning, drink your coffee, red bull, moutain dew, or whatever. Go to work, school, or just sit on your ass a read these wrestling blogs. You tune into your favorite programs on TV every week.

It does'nt matter who you are. Everyone has their own routine. It makes life easier. You know what to do when you get out of bed without thinking about it.

My point is, you are bored with the same routine, but it is comforting, because it works. It is what gets you through the day.

This is the same somewhat with wrestling. Sometimes wrestling has to get redundant for a person to actually appreciate it or the storline. Take Miz for example. Most people in the IWC do not like the guy personally for whtever reason. He has a look we hate. He acts like the people we hate. And generally most people hate him.

I actually caught myself the other day, thanking God that the Miz interrupted the Rock and Cena. I couldn't believe it my self. I was thinking he has no reason to even be in the same ring as those guys but I was glad he did.

The point I am trying to get across is, Jericho is right. You have to reinvent yourself to keep things interesting. We would tune in because its Jericho (or The Rock, or SCSA, etc.) but if they dont reinvent themselves, eventually we would get bored. Actually, I am bored already with The Rock. He says the same thing, does the same thing, and can't come up with anything original.

 

[Papi Chulo]

Out of all the crazy gimmicks guys have had over the years none are more cartoonish than Cena. He is like Homer Simpson. No matter how many years go by he still acts and dresses exactly the same. From the time he debuted on NXT Heath Slater has changed more than Cena has in the past 6 years. People always say that he needs to turn heel but thats not really true. He just needs to change something. Stop talking like an obnoxious middle school kid who thinks he's funny. Stop sucking up to the "universe." Just be a better version of yourself. Make it a point to find different ways to put the story over. He's always going on and on about how hard he works. Maybe in some respects thats true but to me he's like a band thats put out 1 popular album and then just spends the rest of their careers singing those same 10 songs over and over again.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I don't think that the cases of Cena and Jericho are comparable. Jericho is essentially a career upper midcarder and a decent draw at best. Cena is the franchise player of the company. When you are working towards the middle of the card, it is much easier to reinvent yourself. Your sole job is to entertain the people. Now if Cena reinvents himself tomorrow, he will be answerable to a lot more people than a Jericho. Cena is WWE's poster boy; what Cena does is what the people think WWE represents.

Also the more I think, the more I feel that it is not a case of staleness. The fact is, that you are only as good as the talent around you. We all saw how Cena matched Rock, promo for promo. When you are working with great talent you have an opportunity to show just how good you are. Tell me, what kind of promo will Cena cut against a John Morrison or a Miz that will impress you? Most of the guys in the WWE don't have colorful or even developed characters like the wrestlers had in the Attitude Era. It is much easier to cut a promo against Steve Austin than against John Morrison because Morrison has no character.

So I think that it is a case of Cena being surrounded by guys who have little character developement.

 

[SomeAreSet]

The paradox is that Cena is simultaneously the biggest heel and the biggest face in the company.Nobody else is on his level in terms of getting the crowd on their feet.Not even Orton.Maybe if Orton turned heel,but that argument's for another time.

The fact is,the WWE knows about the IWC's hatred towards Cena,and they (very smartly) has Cena do what he does to get a rise out of them.He's playing the IWC as much as he's pandering to the kids.

In my opinion,Cena turning heel is not a smart move for the company.Here's how I see it.Kids love Cena.They buy his t-shirt,his caps,his wristbands.They buy the spinner belt.They order the PPVs.Their parents bring them to watch the shows live.On the other side of the coin,the people who hates Cena loves whoever he's feuding with.They were high on Nexus and they are high on Miz.Look at how many Nexus t-shirts and Miz t-shirts the adults are wearing.Look at all the Edge t-shirts the adults were wearing in 2006.Look at all the Orton t-shirts they were wearing in 2009.Cena can drive merchandise sales up even when they don't buy his merchandise.If Cena turns heel,he potentially loses the kids market and the adults who hate him end up loving him,so they'll probably stop buying Miz shirts or whoever Cena's feuding with,plus there's no top face that connects with the kids like Cena does.That's not smart business.

Anyway,it seems like everyone who wants a Cena gimmick change just wants a rehash of the Attitude Era,where everyone is an anti-hero.Sorry guys,it doesn't work like that anymore.So many kids are watching the WWE that they can't have their faces do "bad" things because it sends the wrong message to kids.The WWE has a moral responsibility.I know,I'm just as bummed out as you are.

Now,I don't think Cena is stale or in need of a new gimmick,but if there's anything they need to change about him,it's that he shouldn't be written as the underdog in his matches.I don't mean that Cena's the underdog in the lead-up to his matches,I mean DURING the match.I understand the frustration the fans have when Cena gets his ass kicked for 20 minutes and then gets this burst of energy and wins.What I want from the writers is for Cena to have more even matches.More submission moves from Cena would also be a nice touch.Also,as the main guy,he never squashes anyone either,even the smaller guys.I understand that Cena's the ultimate company man and he loves to put the smaller guys over,but even he should know that it wouldn't make sense for him to not squash guys like Dolph Ziggler or Evan Bourne,who are much smaller and are much lower on the card.It doesn't mean that Cena should win in 30 seconds,but in a 5-7 minute match,there's no reason for Ziggler or Bourne to have the better of Cena during the majority of the match.They can perform their big moves,but ultimately,Cena should school them,so to speak.That's my main beef with Cena,that as the top guy,he's not being portrayed as a top guy.That match against Miz was well written.The action was back-and-forth and nobody came out of the match looking weak.That's the kind of main events Cena should be in,instead of getting his ass kicked for 3/4s of the match,making a false comeback in the middle of the match and ultimately getting his finishing move off and winning.More wrestling,less Cena getting his ass kicked.

 

[blueskyy]

Paradox with John Cena? I don't see the paradox...

He sucks in the ring (true)
He can't do promos (partially true)
Its the same old shit (true)

He is talented? Hell no, he's no talent, absolutely not, not by a long shot (unless you redefine the definition of "talent"). But he is popular though... Why? Because he is portray as a hero who stand up against the injustice, as a patriot to the United States, etc... He can't wrestle, he can't sing, he talks like a kid. Where's the "talent" you were talking about?

I could have said a lot more about him, but that would just be repeating the first 3 replies on this thread:

I dont know how people can say he can wrestle. Go watch the old days, thats wrestling. Cena can not wrestle well. Its a fact. He wouldnt have even been mid card back in the day when it comes to wrestling skills...

Get rid of the kiddie humor and act like a man. He really is the only person i know who can talk so much about being a man yet acts like a child with half the things he says...

He should change the same routine he does every night when his moves...

I hate watching him on TV, but if he wasnt in the main event, i can deal with it...

I respect him for what he does in the company, but I dont like whats hes done for wrestling...

everyone screams give him a heel turn , but in reality , when the matches start, its still the same skills that he doesnt have...

Most of us in the IWC do NOT think he is talented. He may be popular for various reasons, but he is not popular for his wrestling ability I can assure you of that...

I hate Cena the wrestler (I respect Cena the person) and therefore I don't bother watching many of his matches. Whenever he has a match coming up I just have the feeling that there are other things that are more worthy of my time. There are only a I want to few John Cena matches that I show any interest at all in watching (and while I am on the subject the Rock vs John Cena at Wrestlemania is not one of those matches I want to see)...

Ask yourself this: What is that in Cena that captivates you?