What is the main reason why people find John Cena stale and boring?

[gully side adidja]

Now i don't mind if i get negative reply's for this(it is a forum after all) but john cena is so boring and stale it is unbareable, quite possibly the most boring and stale full time main event wrestler i have ever seen.

Which leads to my question: WHY is John Cena so bland and boring? I have two options pick both if you want.

1. in ring ability: john cena's matches since 2006 have been boring and repetitive, it is like watching a dvd you have seen over a 1000 times, you know the start, the middle, and how it ends, cena starts off well then takes a beating for the majority of the match, only to pull out a win at the last minute, after being beat up for most of the match. I won't get into the 5 moves of doom arguement, as i believe it is not true, but cena does execute most of his moves sloppily,(punches, stf, legdrop from top rope,fishermans suplex, etc.), he also is inconsistent in his selling and overselling(sheamus kicks him and he is knocked out for five minutes when he should recovered a lot quicker) so is this the reason.

or is it.......


2. character/gimmick/entertainer: john cena between 03-05 was a very entertaining person, he had good rapping, legit funny one liners, edgier character, and a slight violent streak in him, since then he has become completely stale, it is only so many times you can say the same stuff and be funny, he has for four years said the same stuff!(I WON'T QUIT I WON'T BACK DOWN FROM A FIGHT, THE CHAMP IS HERE(EVEN WHEN HE ISN'T), he does nothing in terms of shocking, exciting or fresh(changing your clothes, hats, and armbands does not make you fresh and exciting) how do you get behind someone as bland as that! he also has no faults and just seems perfect, people like to cheer a person with faults, aka, a anti-hero, who you can say 'man he is so cool' i never expected him to do that type of person, cena does not have that about him.


so that is my opinion, BUT WHAT IS YOURS!, is it his character, in ring ability, both, or neither, OPINIONS PLEASE!

 

[LitasRevenge79]

FINALLY!!! Someone brings up a cool subject thread. My husband used to like cena when he was a mini-slim shady way back in the golden days. But I've never really gotten into him for some reason. Call me old fashioned but how is it that he MAGICALLY makes it back into the ring just at the count of 9 with 59 seconds left? Or how about if he was to have all of his limbs chopped off in a I QUIT match..yet...he still somehow magically beats Orton/HHH/Jericho or whomever... had it been anyone else in those circumstances...they'd be out injured. I just find it old and tired. Plus I think people are tired of believing that he's some kind of superhuman wannabe military hero. If ya ask me, my father is a veteran, and he always used to tell me that if someone who wasn't in the military keeps saluting as part of entertainment like Cena is, its considered Disrespecful. So Cena...from my dad to you... I even think that jesse and festus' old gimmick had better credential than you did. granted, people can bash me if they want, this is a forum for thoughts.

 

[SSJPhenom]

This is really quite depressing.

Why would someone make a thread about this? How about you just go read the Official John Cena thread and you will have all you want to read about in there. Really........Really......

Oh and so I stick to the thread topic; people find Cena boring because he was shoved into the spotlight, he has a limited move set, and he is very predictable.

There.

 

[Drew]

I'd say a combination of both IMO. Then again, I haven't seen his PPV work, but his TV matches show a very small move list, at least to my eyes.

I wasn't a follower of the WWE when he was a heel, but most say he was much better. In regards to his current gimmick, I think it's a combination of the PG era and his character being the same for the past two years. When I started watching WWE again for a bit in 06-07 before coming back this year, he had essentially the same character, but the tv-14 or tv-m version of him was a bit easier to swallow. Also, he had a great feud with Edge that helped things. Maybe all he needs is some time in the midcard to set up a good program with someone new so that he could either turn heel, or at the very least, regain some respect from the older fans.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

its funny you say he's stale and boring yet he's probably one of the only rain makers in the WWE today... he's selling tickets and getting kids to come to the show. The adults don't like him because we've seen how entertaining he can be as a heel and so this incarnation of him is incredibly boring to us. Yet for business it's perfect, he's the ideal role model AND he's willing to do it all unlike brock lesnar, goldberg, etc who couldn't handle the demands that came with being top dog. Plus he does all the media stuff for WWE as well something triple H doesn't even do (i can go on and on about this one, i won't here). Overall his character is stale and boring to the older crowd because of what it has morphed into for the sake of the business (WWE not wrestling in general). He's playing the role of a kids hero and he does a great job of it, and really he puts more effort and you can see him enjoying it 100x more than even hogan did. So while I may get bored of his character now, I respect the hell out of the man himself.

 

[Viperman86]

DEFINITELY BOTH!!! i swear this guy is making people not want to watch wwe anymore. I nearly vomit every time cena comes onto to the screen, whether its in the ring or backstage. Id rather watch Vickie Guerrero cut a 10 minute promo. YEs for one, its his moveset, its the same old crap everytime. How is it the 5 moves of doom where Cena barely does the moves right. He wins every match the same way. I remember seeing Cena vs Jack Swagger and Swagger looked awesome, doing technical wrestling and so many formations, and kicking Cenas ass the majority of the match, then all of a sudden Cena counters one move, does his 5 moves and wins the match in less than a minute. He cant sell anything, tho ill say when he does decide to sell a move, he does it pretty well, but usually oversells it. I mean, he does more moves in the video games than he does in person. Cena should watch himself in the game and then copy that and maybe he'll be somewhat interesting.

And his boring, annoying, dumb gimmick. Today Cena is a superhero, role model for young kids, babyface. WWE is not for rolemodels, its for great wrestling. I cant stand his superhero thing anymore. He saves people from heels when hes not even involved in their storyline and it pisses me off. And his preacher-like promos, ANNOYING! This isnt sunday morning raw, its monday night raw. Cena isnt entertaining or interesting to any generation of fans except for little kids. So basically, i hate his character.

Another thing that makes Cena boring is his rank in the WWE. Cena is always in the main event of everything, whether its raw or a ppv. Hes always in a title match. Why is a guy who cant wrestle in the main event??? Im tired of seeing him in the main event, tired of seeing him win every match hes in, especially only using 5 moves. Hes always the champion, or in the championship match. The champion means ur the best in the WWE and Cena is not the best in the WWE. Hes always in the main event or title match and im tired of always seeing him. I wanna see someone new in the main event or title match and not Cena, Cena has been champ before, even tho he didnt deserve it, and hes had it enough, so he doesnt need it anymore.

But yea, to me thats why Cena is boring and thats why i cant stand him. I hate Cena and always will.

 

[Greenlight13]

I honestly don't think it's entirely his fault. I don't think it's his ring work that people find boring... well ok maybe they do... but I think the bigger issue is his general character. He's had the reigns put on him in a huge way and been told to be Captain Babyface. When he was an edgey up and comer who was allowed to rap and swear and make sex jokes people ate him up, and he really wasn't all that much better in the ring than he is now, just the difference is that the only thing WWE send him out to talk about is how he's a man's man, all about the respect, stands up for what he believes in etc etc etc. Almost nobody writes their own promos and even those that do are generally given a direction to head in, so we can't blame him for his character becoming bland, the writers are sending him out there with that message.

It's that we've seen it all before. He's either the champion coming out and saying he backs down from no challenge and ____ can bring it on, or he's the challenger and he's trying to convince the champion to not back down from his challenge and to fight like a man. Then there's those lovely somber promos he does where he says I WILL KILL YOU/YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME BEFORE YOU BEAT ME or something. It's the same old stuff.

Women and Children enjoy seeing the same thing over and over, and that's what Cena does. If you think about it every kids show is virtually the same every episode, just with a different enemy, and that's how Cena is. They want him to come out, spread the word about fighting the good fight, look as though he might lose, then ultimately triumph. Essentially Cena is no longer aimed at those who criticize him, which is why they criticize him.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Now I didn't watch the WWE when Cena was a heel, but I think a heel turn now would be quite refreshing. When he was a heel back then he was nowhere near as big as he is now, which would make a turn that much better. It's not like he doesn't have the ammo. Half the crowd boos him when he comes out for reasons you have already mentioned. He says the same stuff over and over and it gets repetitive. Occassionally he says he's changed and you'll see some different side of him and not a damn thing changes. Plus usually when people turn to the other side they also get new moves added to their set. Just look at Miz's moveset before they pushed him to after. Also MVP got the ballin' routine after he went face. This aspect would also aid people who say he's only got 5 moves. Just an opinion.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

DEFINITELY BOTH!!! i swear this guy is making people not want to watch wwe anymore. I nearly vomit every time cena comes onto to the screen, whether its in the ring or backstage. Id rather watch Vickie Guerrero cut a 10 minute promo. YEs for one, its his moveset, its the same old crap everytime. How is it the 5 moves of doom where Cena barely does the moves right. He wins every match the same way. I remember seeing Cena vs Jack Swagger and Swagger looked awesome, doing technical wrestling and so many formations, and kicking Cenas ass the majority of the match, then all of a sudden Cena counters one move, does his 5 moves and wins the match in less than a minute. He cant sell anything, tho ill say when he does decide to sell a move, he does it pretty well, but usually oversells it. I mean, he does more moves in the video games than he does in person. Cena should watch himself in the game and then copy that and maybe he'll be somewhat interesting.

And his boring, annoying, dumb gimmick. Today Cena is a superhero, role model for young kids, babyface. WWE is not for rolemodels, its for great wrestling. I cant stand his superhero thing anymore. He saves people from heels when hes not even involved in their storyline and it pisses me off. And his preacher-like promos, ANNOYING! This isnt sunday morning raw, its monday night raw. Cena isnt entertaining or interesting to any generation of fans except for little kids. So basically, i hate his character.

Another thing that makes Cena boring is his rank in the WWE. Cena is always in the main event of everything, whether its raw or a ppv. Hes always in a title match. Why is a guy who cant wrestle in the main event??? Im tired of seeing him in the main event, tired of seeing him win every match hes in, especially only using 5 moves. Hes always the champion, or in the championship match. The champion means ur the best in the WWE and Cena is not the best in the WWE. Hes always in the main event or title match and im tired of always seeing him. I wanna see someone new in the main event or title match and not Cena, Cena has been champ before, even tho he didnt deserve it, and hes had it enough, so he doesnt need it anymore.

But yea, to me thats why Cena is boring and thats why i cant stand him. I hate Cena and always will.

Who in the WWE doesn't win the same way? HBK attempts SCM, it gets countered, then later in the match he hits it and wins. Same way with HHH, Taker, and the list goes on and on.

Didn't Hogan have a similar gimmick to John Cena and how did that work out for Hogan? I would say he was pretty successful, wouldn't you think? Let's answer the question of why Cena is always around in the title hunt? Could it be that he is the top guy on RAW and is a merchandise machine. That has to be a reason isn't it? Wouldn't you want your top guy to be in the main event? We're never gonna see Evan Bourne or Primo in the main event because they don't draw and they are low on the totem pole.

Cena has only been in the title picture constantly since August. We can't forget those three or four months where he was fighting Big Show and Miz but nobody complains about that. If he isn't the best in the WWE, tell me who is?

I love it when the Cena haters come out of the woodwork. Just fuel to add to my fire.

Every wrestler goes through a period where they are stale and boring. HHH has gone through that period as well as Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker. I trust the WWE to tweak Cena's character a little bit and that does not mean him going heel. I believe Cena will have a much better 2010 than 2009 and I will look forward to watching him perform. Everybody has mediocre years now and then and 2009 was just one of Cena's.

 

[Tyler44]

The reason why most older fans do not like Cena is because of his stale gimmick. This is THE reason why most people hate watching him. He has had the same gimmick for about 3 years and really nothing has changed. It is the same thing over and over and when you are old enough to not look up to somebody's character in WWE, you will get bored with Cena. Older fans don't give a shit about the never back down stuff and how he panders to the fans. They want something different.

Cena's matches contribute to the staleness too because WWE builds every single one of his matches like he is the underdog and how he needs to overcome all challenges to win. Well I'm not 8 years old now and I don't want to watch some guy come back late in the match and win for the 300th time in his career. They built his character as a Rocky Movie, but for every match. Every one of his matches is the same thing with Michael Cole saying there is no way Cena can win this, or the odds are stacked up against Cena. I have had enough of listening to that shit because I don't look up to Cena. I'm 16, I don't look up to a wrestler as a role model because that is for kids to do. We aren't kids anymore and we grew up with WWE so we don't want to stop watching. But when we are forced to watch John Cena's character day in and day out doing the same exact thing every week, it gets boring after 3 years. His matches and gimmick are so predictable and just are so boring now.

I also don't understand why people feel Cena is not boring because he sells out arenas and merchandise and he is the biggest star. Just because you are the top star, it doesn't mean I need to like you and feel you are so entertaining. The bottom line is, WWE's money-maker is wicked boring, stale, and quite possibly the most overdone thing ever in the history of WWE. I get no enjoyment out of watching him because I know what to expect. He will cut a promo with the exact same formula every time (slow, quiet speech that picks up and he starts yelling and trying to pump up 7 year old kids), then he has a match where something happens and he needs to "overcome all the odds" to win and he does just that. I am not doing a run down of his matches because if you have been watching RAW anytime when Cena fights, you know exactly what will happen and that is probably the most mentioned thing on this forum.

 

[fredstephenson]

i think its a combination of a lot of things like his general goody goody attitude weres theres not a slightly edgy thing about him he gets booed relentlesly sometimes and will respond with somthing like i understand its ok or somthing like that instead of telling them to shutup or somthing similar.

also i think to a lot of people he represents the whole childrens pg era thing when he makes his entrance it usually pans out to the crowd and you see him saluting some children clad in john cena merchendise which is fair enough they have every right to enjoy it just as much adults do but it makes you slightly annoyed when you think a few years ago instead you would have seen stone cold driving down to the ring on a quad bike saluting the crowd with middle fingers sure you can put over someone as a nice guy with good morales and a general never give up attitude and make him popular but do it to much and it will sicken people instead.

also his matches are generally fairly entertaining but they are very predictable its very rare anyone gets a clean win over cena and they as many people said follow pretty much the same patern every match where cena gets beat up for a while then comes back with a flurry of signature moves to heroically get the win i may be wrong but it seems to follow a similar pattern to the rocks matches even the five knuckle shuffle makes me think peoples elbow.

i think the main reason though is probally just the cena charector in its current guise has run its course and people know exacly what to expect from him and love to hate him for it his charector needs to evolve to the next level whatever that may be.

 

[JJohns]

The main reason I find Cena boring and stale is that he does what the WWE wants him to do. Watch some of the stuff he did in UPW or OVW, he actually knows more than 5 moves (granted, it's still only 7 or 8, but it's more than what you see him do now anyway.) WWE wants Cena as their poster boy. They're not going to get that if he's wearing throwbacks and pretending to be a rapper. They're not going to get that if he had an attitude that belonged in 1999 instead of 2009.

To me, he'll cease to be stale and boring when he's more like himself instead of being who WWE wants as the face of their company.

If it was because of his moveset that he was stale and boring, then why do people still like Hogan. He had 4 moves (Backdrop Suplex, Body Slam, Big Boot, Legdrop).

 

[Bilawal]

Because we've seen enough of him and his long ass title reigns, him winning all the time etc. He honestly needs to not win or be in a main event for at least a year and when he comes back he will be fresh. But for the past 5 years it's been all about Cena or Orton. Both need to step down and the sad thing about this is that both wrestlers are young for wrestlers. They probably have another 10 years to go.

 

[Harrison101]

Main reasons: His gimmick, and the fact he's over exposed. Not so much is in-ring ability, as that can apply to a fair few within the WWE regardless. It's the overexposure that makes you notice his lack of moves.

 

[JayBriscoe2010]

It's ridiculous how you cant voice an opinion on a forum about John drink this kool-aid Cena now a days. I remember how it used to be trendy to hate him, now it's trendy to defend him or say someone is full of shit when they dont like him. Your damned if you do damned if you dont to some know it all elitist losers I guess. But regarding the topic, Yeah he is stale, beyond belief but it is what it is. He's the Poster Boy and unfortunately that wont change soon. He is solid in Gimmick Matches but cant Wrestle for shit yet he gets praised, it's quite amusing. I liked him back in 03/04 and remember wishing he would turn face and be a main eventer, oh my how I regret that.

 

[chismo16]

Blame the writers for John Cena, not John Cena. The writers are the ones who had him untouchable for years. The writers are the ones telling him what to say. Also to all the poeple who say he cant wrestle SHUT UP. Lol, if he cant wrestle why is he the main event guy right now. And why are people mad that he gets beat up 90% of the match and then comes back to win. If I remember right, The Rock did the same thing. The Rock would start the match on fire, then get beat up for about 15 minutes and then turn it around and win. I'm willing to bet most of the people who hate Cena hate him because of the stretch where he was untouchable, and that is the writers fault not John Cena's fault. So here is an idea, quit looking for things to bitch about and just enjoy the show lol. We all know WWE is going PG so get used to characters like John Cena.

 

[Vintage]

I'll keep this short and sweet, there is much to say but it's been said.

This dude was a hell of a lot easier to stomach when he was cool. The Dr of Thuganomics was cool despite any problems you may have had with his believability. He had his own thing going and he was entertaining on the mic. He's the poster boy and prime example of everything that is currently wrong with the WWE's watered down product as they took something cool and made it as lame as they possibly could. Now he's a pretty much what you get when you mix Hogan and a marine and put him in urban clothing. As innovative as that sounds it just doesn't float.. throw in the 5 moves of doom and you can't nor want to see him. He would definately benefit from being moved to Smackdown and taking a much needed break from TV for about 6 months... I mean it's about to work for Edge isn't it?


edit : I'm not knocking him for only having a small move set per say, but he uses them in the same way, night in and out kinda like how Hogan does. The two issues I have with that is 1) he's no Hogan.. that's just what he does and has done for years and years and 2) the moves just don't really flow well together. A little space between his spots would do him wonders.

 

[Rzarectah]

Now, I respect the hell out of John Cena, and in an areana I would cheer for him, because the man deserves it, he is a very cool guy and is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. BUT, I do not like his charecter at all, sometimes, only sometimes when the WWE lets him be hillarious, do I like his promos, but other than that they are very passionate and skilled, just boring. As far as his in ring work, he isn't as good as he could be because of his charecter, but he still wouldn't be that good anyway. He does more than 5 moves but in the end its all the same. I saw someone say that all the good wrestlers have a routine at the end, but thats bullshit. Shawn Micheals does not do the same thing in the end all the time, watch his fuckin matches and you'll see for yourself.

 

[rko102]

The bottom line of this whole thing is that Cena's character appeals to kids. I started watching WWE on a regular basis in early 2007, back when I was going on 16 years old. At that time I didn't mind Cena's character so much. Its now 3 years later, I'm going on 19, and the same shit is being done with him week in and week out. He's always in the top feuds, always in the title matches, and is it just me or does he always have the worst T-shirt designs? (Bright orange with never give up on it? Only an idiot would buy that).

I've been hoping for over a year now that Cena will somehow go back to his heel gimmick and start up with 'Basic Thuganomics' again and all that. But it's not going to happen. Vince McMahon and Cena are buddies, which is the first reason why this isn't going to change, and of course Cena has millions of kid fans and he sells tons of merchandise. I bet you the majority of kids who go to WWE shows are there just to see him.

To sum this all up, I find John Cena boring because he's had the same gimmick for over 3 years, and because, as other people have said in this thread, he can't wrestle for shit.

 

[Simp]

I personally dont like cena cause he dont have a good arsenal of moves and he is just retarted anymore. He is in the title picture to much. Vince is tryin to make him into what he wanted hogan to be and its ruining Cena. I think a heel turn would do him good and adding a few more moves to him would also help.

Heel Cena WILL Work

 

[gully side adidja]

I AM PHENOM, you are missing the point.

this thread is specifically for why people find him boring and stale, the john cena thread is for ALL DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON JOHN CENA, NONE SPECIFIC.

as for what i have read so far valid points indeed, a gimmick change is what he needs, more than anything, but the wwe see dollar signs in the face cena so he won't be changing heel or adapting his gimmick any time soon, which is a shame.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Like everyone has said on here that makes the most sense. It's the gimmick he has. He doesn't have the cool edgier one liners anymore. He has the same moves, in fact he has more then what people think, with that he has amazing athletic ability that a lot of wrestlers don't have. So yes, it's the stale good guy gimmick that has weaken him. It's not the five moves, or his matches, but it's his gimmick. He doesn't have the one-liners that get people people laughing, then cheering, it's the "I'm thankful for you guys, and I'm here to fight for you" type of promos that get tiresome after awhile. Hopefully this is the last year for the PG era, sure this guy can use the mic like he use to. If anyone is out there complaining about moves, most of the wrestlers on the show have 5-10 more moves then him, which isn't as much as we make it sound to be. It's like Hogan's Gimmick in the 90's. The Yellow and Red got boring, then the black and white turned him around. He needs something to bring him to pull a 180, then he will be getting cheered again.

 

[Kliq]

I don't find Cena boring at all. He is constantly shouting (albeit the same things), so it's hard not to pay attention. He isn't even all that stale. He wears his new merch-of-the-month and has new ways of saying he'll never back down. But despite him not being stale or boring to me, I still don't like him.

He is a character meant for kids, anyone 18+ isn't supposed to find him enjoyable. Obviously it's a plus if people do, and WWE would rather people like him than not like him, but his character has been custom-made so that children have a hero to look up to, and in doing that, WWE have been very successful. I don't like John Cena for the same reasons I don't like Power Rangers or G.I. Joe. With John Cena, there is a very small chance of anything happening other than him coming out on top. With John Cena you are going to get the same predictable promos over and over about the same thing, him overcoming the odds. It is just corny and childish, which is what it is meant to be.

That said, I have no disrespect for a man who does his job very well. He is the definition of a poster boy. His character is so clean and kid-friendly, WWE can use him anywhere. Adults will like him because their kids do. If you are a male 18+ you are probably one of the ones chanting 'Cena Sucks', I know I do. Not because I hate the man, but I'm voicing my opinion of a Power Ranger/G.I. Joe in wrestling.

 

[justinept]

I read the first page, skipped the second page and read the last few threads on the third page - so forgive me if I repeat here.

I think one of the guys in the first few threads hit the nail on the head. Most ADULTS/TEENS hate Cena because his character is designed for us. It isn't his moveset - in fact, most wrestlers use limited movesets, including Steve Austin once he made it bigtime (He was a stud in WCW, but injuries took a toll), The Rock and Hogan. We loved them despite it, though.

The reason people hate John Cena is the same reason that people hated Rocky Maivia and why we eventually grew to hate Hulk Hogan. It's because we grew up and stopped believing that good would always conquer evil so long as it tried hard enough. We stopped believing that smiling all the time or eating our vitamins would catipult us to incredible levels. So when someone continually preached those virtues to us, we booed him.

Cena is preaching those virtues to us. So adults/teens boo him. The kids - who WWE is marketing toward - still believe those virtues to be true. So they cheer him.

John Cena is as good an entertainer as the WWE has had in a long, long time. Everybody loved him when he was told to be edgy - so we know he can do that. The kids all love him now that he's told to be kid friendly - so we know he can do that, too.

I've been saying this for a while, but there is really nothing wrong with the Cena character. The WWE does not need to change a thing about him right now. He is their top draw not because the WWE wants to make him a champion, but because their target audience eats him up - they go to the shows to see him, they buy merchandise because his face is on it.

I know a lot of people disagree with this. They want to see Cena turn heel - they want to see him be edgy again. But you guys need to understand that the WWE can't cater to EVERY fan. For a long time, they catered to the adult demographic. Right now they're catering to the kids demographic. They can't do both, and they've decided for the time being that there is more money in being kid friendly.

 

[Vintage65]

I was never a Cena fan and as much as he is stale and boring most of the time, he doesnt hold a candle to Batista!!
I thought for a long time that there couldnt be anything worse than a Cena match/promo but Batista got him beat by a long shot.