Turn Cena Heel.... But how?

[LegendKiller_RKO]

For a while now people have been wondering when Cena will make his infamous turn to the dark side. I personally would love to see it happen myself. But how? Now the characteristics of a heel are usually as follows. They garner major amounts of heat by getting cheap victories and not always, but usually come up on the short end of the stick when competing against major faces unless they find some sly way to pull off the win. There cocky, arrogant, and not very crowd friendly. Now lets break it down:

Garner major heat: Cena could definitely do this. Trash talk the crowd, join a faction of other heels, basically there are a plethora of ways of making this happen.

Cocky, arrogant, not crowd friendly: Once again he could easily pull this off via his promo work. If there's one good thing no one can deny about Cena its that he's pretty good on the stick.

Now there's just one aspect of this I cannot EVER see happening. Cena losing clean!!! Heels lose clean!!! There's no face, unless there making a turn to heel, that wins cheaply, at least to my knowledge. So how could Cena ever lose? Your telling me that when he makes his heel turn he all of a sudden starts having to get cheap victories and losing matches clean? I don't remember the last time I have seen Cena lose a match clean. Even the losses to Punk!!! One time its Vince's distraction, next time its the foot on the rope. It just doesn't happen!!! So my question is as follows:

How could Cena's run as heel be pulled off to accommodate clean loses and cheap wins?

Also a little bonus question. Does anyone even know when Cena's most recent legit, no foul play, clean loss was? I would really like to know.

 

[Luminous]

I've always thought to myself, "If Cena should turn heel, he should do it like Hogan." I believe they were going to try that with the Nexus but they didn't know what to do & rushed everything in fear of *gasp* losing the "cash cow." Now, if let's say, Trips & Nash & Johnny Laurinitis (spell check) were to create a new faction. I can see Cena joining forces with their clan. It's a easy set-up. Nash & Trips beat the crap (or in Trips case, abuse his power) against an over-faced star (let's say...CM Punk, or Kofi). Cena makes the save. Backs down Nash & Triple H & then turns around & gives Punk a AA. BOOM! Heel turn!

Or, if Cena was to turn heel by himself, he'd have to do something like I said above, but let's say a Matt Hardy type way. Help someone beat someone up & then turn around & give them a AA. He would have to cut a really good promo on why he turned heel. Something like "I worked my ass off for you people & you boo me? Well, I'm sick of it!"


Now, about the clean loses & cheap wins.

Cheap wins? Well, like I said. If they were to do the new group thing, the group can help him out with that. But the clean loses? Hmmm...they would need like 3-4 more stars to help the fight against the group.

If he was to go about it solo...I can't picture him losing clean. He's established himself as way too powerful & a comeback kid. With the cheap wins, he can easily just do some Ric Flair or Triple H-esque type thing & distract the ref & then kick the opponent in the nuts & set up the AA from there or something. I dunno. Haha.

To answer your bonus question: Without Google'n it. I have no idea....

 

[PocketJokers]

If Cena turns heel, you can't do it even slightly like the nwo - that has been done, and the fans aren't idiots. They will know what's going on.

There's a very simple way, have a wrestler the crowd loves become the guinea pig - build up to the match, but also show Cena geniunely getting hurt and insulted by his haters over time - say for a month straight, show him losing - show the taunts from the crowd actually messing with his head.. He'll see a Cena sucks sign, and gets depressed - kind of like when Austin was lost back in 01.

And then the match comes, against a huge fan favourite like Rey. And he starts to lose again, getting hit by the crowd to - and he's a good actor in the ring, he can make it look like the crowd is getting to him. And then, when he's about to lose again - he goes nuts. He grabs a weapon, gets himself disqualified, but just brutally assaults his opponent. Like HHH used to do the Rock back in the day.

It isn't so much the storyline that's original, it isn't. It's just a very dramatic image to see with a guy like Cena. It's a complete 180 from his old style.

He becomes a blend of HHH and Goldberg, psycoticly pissed off and completely numb with his expressions, like he doesn't care about his fans. It would work.

And then after that moment, treat him as a standard hell if you wanted to.

(I know this doesn't entirely address the criteria you put out for his heel turn - but still thought I'd share my idea.)

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

If I turned Cena heel, I would not have him start winning cheap all of a sudden, I would build it up slowly. I would start it with Cena being able to beat most guys cleanly like he usually does except for one guy whom he would just not be able to beat. I would have Cena go on a losing streak against one guy while remaining dominant against others. Then, I would have Cena start showing signs of frustrations like beating down his opponents, the ones he would win against, post match and maybe even insult the younger fans in the crowd.

Cena's heel turn cannot be an individual story. It would have to be a story that coincides with the rise of another individual. That was why Hogan's heel turn( and the rise of Crow Sting) and Bret Hart's heel turn( the rise of Austin) was so successful. They both had foils to play with something that Austin did not have in 2001 when he turned heel because Rock was unavailable for the majority of his heel turn. Also, they tried to make Austin into a coward too soon which was more unbelievable because of the gimmick Austin portrayed before that.

That is what I would not do with Cena. Cena would start behaving more and more heelishly AFTER he has gotten the better of his nemesis, most probably via some sort of interference. After that I would have him start using underhand tactics more often. I would also explain it a bit more properly in kayfabe terms by mentioning stuff like he does not go to the gym all that often and how he has let his work ethic slide. It also would not be too bad if he loses some of his muscles during his heel turn. That would also imply that he is not working hard and has become more reliant on taking shortcuts.

 

[Lewi_Suarez]

I would have cena lose to the rock at wrestlemania, cena recieves massive heat in this match from the crowd, after the match cena would attack the rock (rock goes for a handshake or something). Then the next night on raw cena comes out looking pissed off, not doing his salute thing and all the other babyface things he does, basically not interacting with the fans. He would start ranting about how he lives by hustle, loyalty and respect, theres one problem though the wwe universe doesnt. He says the rock turned his back on the wwe fans an left for years only to return last night at wrestlemania. An the fans fall for the same crap everytime. He says they will probably not see him for another few years, unless its via satellite. He says he is not one to complain bout being booed by fans as they have a right to opinion, but he busts his ass every week for the wwe universe as do the other superstars in the locker room. But the rock still is adored by the fans even though blatantly lied to their faces by saying he was back for good. He calls the fans idiots for believing the rock, he says no wonder the rock is in hollywood he is actually a good actor cause he makes the wwe universe think he actually cares about them. He says all the rock cares about is the money (hollywood) were all he cared about was the business that he has loved since a kid. He would go to say that all he has done is hustle for the wwe. But in return the fans show no loyalty or respect, they are fickle and he is sick of not getting the apreciation he deserves, before the fans were the most important part of wwe to him but now he is in it for himself as he's relised how thick the wwe universe is. I would have him throw his shirt and armbands on the floor and leave. Have the camera man find a kid cena fan crying, just to add more heel bonus points. Then in the following weeks he would become more and more of the heel rapper character he used to be. Perhaps have him make raps about how much the crowd suck and how two faced they are. I would just basically make him anti wwe universe

 

[Cracka Jack]

How could Cena's run as heel be pulled off to accommodate clean loses and cheap wins?

I don't think it can, nor should it. Heels can't cleanly beat guys at or above their level unless they're a monster heel. That's part of being a heel; that a guy needs to cheat in order to defeat his match in the ring. If Cena's a heel, he'll have to lose clean to faces at his level (Orton, Punk, etc.).

Also a little bonus question. Does anyone even know when Cena's most recent legit, no foul play, clean loss was? I would really like to know.

I think it was his Summerslam loss to Batista a couple years back, the one where he left the match injured. They were both faces at the time, and the match was even through most of it. Batista won off of a powerbomb on Cena when he came off the top rope.

 

[XXJJ]

No need to turn Cena heel. He is far too popular with the younger audience. He makes the WWE a lot of money by appealing to that portion of their fanbase. It be like turning Rey Mysterio heel. What is the point of turning Cena heel... so the smarks can start liking him?

Maybe one day, when he isn't as popular with the kids. But right now it makes zero sense to turn him heel.

 

[fiasco28]

If Cena turns heel, you can't do it even slightly like the nwo - that has been done, and the fans aren't idiots. They will know what's going on.

There's a very simple way, have a wrestler the crowd loves become the guinea pig - build up to the match, but also show Cena geniunely getting hurt and insulted by his haters over time - say for a month straight, show him losing - show the taunts from the crowd actually messing with his head.. He'll see a Cena sucks sign, and gets depressed - kind of like when Austin was lost back in 01.

And then the match comes, against a huge fan favourite like Rey. And he starts to lose again, getting hit by the crowd to - and he's a good actor in the ring, he can make it look like the crowd is getting to him. And then, when he's about to lose again - he goes nuts. He grabs a weapon, gets himself disqualified, but just brutally assaults his opponent. Like HHH used to do the Rock back in the day.

It isn't so much the storyline that's original, it isn't. It's just a very dramatic image to see with a guy like Cena. It's a complete 180 from his old style.

He becomes a blend of HHH and Goldberg, psycoticly pissed off and completely numb with his expressions, like he doesn't care about his fans. It would work.

And then after that moment, treat him as a standard hell if you wanted to.

(I know this doesn't entirely address the criteria you put out for his heel turn - but still thought I'd share my idea.)

It makes the most logical sense to do it in that fashion.. the formula is already there. Just have it where he just finally gets tired of the boos and feeling unappreciated, along with him having a losing streak. have where he just cant take it anymore and snaps and attacks a face is vicious heel fashion.

I think since you got this inter promotional thing going on with 2 shows, to me it would make sense if you had him beat down the number 2 guy, which is Orton. Let him Jump Orton beat him down with a Chair or whatever just in a dark fashion.. next week on Raw, he explains that hes fed up and has had enough of fans booing him and not appreciating him for what he has done for them and the company.. Have him say he's tired of someone like Orton or others getting more cheers and pops than him, when he's better than them.. Or you could have him jump CM Punk and it would work to, either or anyways.. and of course let him lash out at the fans and cut against them or whatever, we know he can

He gots the make up for that angry vendetta dark heel persona, let him be an angry bull and just have him beat down everyone, not win all his matches cleanly anymore and not even make it be about him winning, just him outlashing.. then come time with The Rock and that matchup, have him say that he hates The Rock and is pissed that the fans cheer more for a guy that hasnt been with the company for several years, than they do him.. make it personal to where he's jealous of The Rock and what Rock has done in the ring and with the movies. Thats how you do it in my opinion. I think its the perfect time to do all of this

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Yes I would turn him heel right after the match where Rock wins, and they shake hands and after that Cena smiles, then hoists Rock up for an AA and hits it, and then Cena goes to get a steel chair and he hits The Rock with the steel chair not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but 5 chair shots in the back and then Cena locks in the STF on an unconscious Rock

That would definitely turn Cena heel in a New York minute

 

[boywithbluehanger]

If they give Cena the immediate shift of "I'm a veteran and I've done it all" then he can fairly lose to some of the new top-card face wrestlers. He can get his immediate heel turn by cheating to beat The Rock at Wrestlemania. Maybe they can introduce a new character to the mix since Cena's career really involves no ongoing allies. Not necessary but it can help since Cena's way too over and WWE's never handled the switch of someone as face-over as him.

 

[wrestlingfanusa]

i think of two good reasons or ways to do it which the first one would def do it which would be have triple h make a stable with him and nash maybe a few other ppl in it but have cena join forces with punk to face them in a tag match in have cena turn on punk have cena cut on a promo telling the wwe universe saying hes tired of all the boo's and that hes tired of restricting his language just bc the kids have him act all cocky and say hes the poster boy of the wwe and that triple h and johnny ace realized it and that punk is just a overrated indy guy that would really draw heat the other way would to feud with the undertaker have it start off with a face vs face feud then when undertaker turnns his back attack him and say that the undertaker and say that undertaker is old news and that he will end the streak bc he can then have him beat the undertaker by cheating or screwjob