When do fans go too far?

[Dwayne_Jason]

Alright so we all know the insufferable hatred people have for many of the face/heel wrestlers.

My question is, when do fans go too far?

I'd like to show you a couple videos and you can judge by yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWcpsG17z4M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxM3nLleA9s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkt3so8aP_Q

So many of you know that the press conference wasn't a good day for Cena. Here's the report:

You should be able to gather by now where this is going. I have never witnessed a wrestler be so hostilely attacked. I couldn't even hear a word Cena said through his entire conference. The only thing that i managed to comprehend Cena saying, was that "Wrestle Mania is awesome" which was only met by "AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME" which to my pleasure actually made it through the editing process and can be heard. the "Awesome chant" was a nice change better than the previous chants of "**** you cena." It was bad! i even felt the amount of disrespect Cena was being given was unwarranted. I have never seen HHH and Edge look more displeased with a crowd in my life. HHH even leaned forward grabbed his mounted mic during Cena's speech opened his mouth. However, HHH decided not to say anything and instead leaned back. "Let the man speak" can be heard in the video. Cena was flustered and hurt. His voice was cracking he was trying to maintain his composure but the crowd would not let up. It is truly amazing he managed to finish his speech, without just going "forget this" I'm certain he couldn't hear himself talk. Boring chants also managed to sneak by the editing process which can also be heard.


Of course fans have the right to boo and cheer who they want but throwing cereal at a guy? Really? So my question to you is how far is too far?

Discuss.

 

[MaxSteel]

At first, when I've read this report, I had something squeeze and scratch in my stomach. Just a little.
It really seemed like a bit of an overwhelming response, and I'm sure Cena is really not used to this kind of treatment. After all, he's a human being, not just a wrestler.
But than, an uncomfortable, pretty harsh, and to some extant even painful realization came to me - he fucking deserves it.
Sure, the crowd treatment was aweful, but they only did this in response to all those YEARS Cena made them watch his annoying, stale, corny, boring, unbearable "SuperCena" character. I mean, they didn't really attack him, nor did they do anything to him like in those vids. I'm sure that early time they threw the cereal box on him didn't even matter that much. They just showed him the "respect" they think he deserves, after all those years of making them watch his bullshit character.

As much as it's uneasy to say, I think this conference served as a reality check for Cena, to see what people over the age of 14 really think about him - and if he didn't like what he see, well, hope it influences enough to ask Vince to change his character somewhere in the future, and never to repeat the SuperCena character again.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

The press conference was brutal and the fan report was dead on. If you watch the WWE versions of it , they dubbed out ALOT of what was really being chanted, and edited parts where Cena couldnt even talk. There was a very small amount of girl fans who screamed for Cena , and this one group of younger kids as i remember. Kinda felt bad for them. The crowd LOVED the miz though , probably cuz they wanted to see Cena get beat.

Heres some fan videos of Cena at the conference yesterday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lio6LUHPJo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWq96b67wvY

Too far is when fans start believing that what there watching is real. There is real HATE for Cena. I dont think fans should throw anything at anyone, thats taking it 2 far.

 

[eXtreme Hart]

At first, when I've read this report, I had something squeeze and scratch in my stomach. Just a little.
It really seemed like a bit of an overwhelming response, and I'm sure Cena is really not used to this kind of treatment. After all, he's a human being, not just a wrestler.
But than, an uncomfortable, pretty harsh, and to some extant even painful realization came to me - he fucking deserves it.
Sure, the crowd treatment was aweful, but they only did this in response to all those YEARS Cena made them watch his annoying, stale, corny, boring, unbearable "SuperCena" character. I mean, they didn't really attack him, nor did they do anything to him like in those vids. I'm sure that early time they threw the cereal box on him didn't even matter that much. They just showed him the "respect" they think he deserves, after all those years of making them watch his bullshit character.

As much as it's uneasy to say, I think this conference served as a reality check for Cena, to see what people over the age of 14 really think about him - and if he didn't like what he see, well, hope it influences enough to ask Vince to change his character somewhere in the future, and never to repeat the SuperCena character again.

Damn buddy kinda harsh on the man don't ya think?

I wouldn't go as far to say that he deserved it. Like the OP said he is a human being and let's remember: John Cena is NOT the character he portrays on tv right? I mean, the fan report implied that these were not children in the audience who believes wrestling is real. These sound like adults and ADULTS should be able to separate the two men. You shouldn't be so hard on a wrestler that he tears up. I mean I don't like the Cena character either but damn.

But then again this was edited and posted on WWE.com so I guess that means they wanted fans to act like they would at a show (cheer the faces, boo the heels) sooooo I don't know. I'm on the fence. I did feel bad for the guy. Who knew The Rock could turn the fans THAT much on a guy in less than a month like that after 7 years? Dude has power man

 

[MoizH28]

Its bullshit excuse the language but it seriously is. That guy is out there working his ass off probably 10x harder then the "fans" that are booing him. I wonder how many of these "die hards" realize that its fake. Sure if the guy was a dick I would understand but from what we all have read and seen he is one of the most genuinely nice guys in the company. Its really a shame to see how people act nowadays.

 

[Fisheatppl]

No Cena didn't deserve it. This was a press conference for Wrestlemania, not him cutting a promo on Raw. Sure fans can boo whoever they want, and like his character or hate his character, not any realistic person can actually say they don't "respect" Cena for what he's done for the business, and how damn hard he works in and out of the ring. Anyone who has given more to Make-A-Wish doesn't deserved to be treated like that outside of the show. Fans can boo without being overly disrespectful. Trust me, I used to be a huge Cena hater, even before his current gimmick which I don't like. However if I saw the man in person I would want to shake his hand and get his autograph for all that he represents outside of the ring. The fans here definitely went too far, in my opinion even against Michael Cole, although at least he's built himself up to be hated, although still outside of the ring I'd want to shake his hand and hear what he has to say.
The whole thing sounded pitiful, and throwing the box of cereal was beyond unacceptable. Its a show, in 2011 we all know its a show, and there is no reason to get physical, however small.

 

[JJohns]

As much as I'm not a fan of Cena, I think that what happened to him at the press conference was WAY OVER THE LINE. To the poster that thinks he deserves it, what makes him deserve it?

He isn't the one that shoves the "SuperCena" character down people's throats. It's the WWE creative team that does that. He's portrayed as this generation's Hulk Hogan. The only difference between now and 1985 is the fact that the fan base has grown to cheer for the bad guys and hate those that are put in place as heroes.

Cena doesn't deserve what happened to him, and it makes wrestling fans as a whole look like the trash that guys like Colin Cowherd and Phil Mushnik play them up to be. All Cena has ever done for them is go out and bust his ass 250-300 nights a year, then takes some of his limited free time and give that to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

The guy is good at his job, and people are shitting all over him for it. He does as he's asked without question, and because of that, "fans" shit all over him. The guy does more good with his talents than the average person, makes people happy whenever he has the opportunity, and from everything I've read, is a consummate professional no matter what, and people verbally abuse him to no end.

No, he doesn't deserve it, and it's garbage like how the fans treated him that sometimes makes me ashamed of calling myself one as well.

 

[MaxSteel]

Damn buddy kinda harsh on the man don't ya think?

I wouldn't go as far to say that he deserved it. Like the OP said he is a human being and let's remember: John Cena is NOT the character he portrays on tv right? I mean, the fan report implied that these were not children in the audience who believes wrestling is real. These sound like adults and ADULTS should be able to separate the two men. You shouldn't be so hard on a wrestler that he tears up. I mean I don't like the Cena character either but damn.

But then again this was edited and posted on WWE.com so I guess that means they wanted fans to act like they would at a show (cheer the faces, boo the heels) sooooo I don't know. I'm on the fence. I did feel bad for the guy. Who knew The Rock could turn the fans THAT much on a guy in less than a month like that after 7 years? Dude has power man

It sure was hard to watch, and it was no doubt brutal. I myself can't help but feel somewhat sorry for the guy, since in reality, I'm sure he's a pretty nice one.
But, wasn't he the main guy who pitched Vince about going PG, and probably the main reason it even happaned? Isn't he the reason we have those thousands of annoying mindless kids envolved in the wrestling buisness now? And I don't speak about teenagers, those usually at least have some sort of brain and would also be "the future fans of the buisness". The kind of fans Cena attracts are mindless 6 year old marks, who nobody can really stand.

I'm not gonna elaborate too much on this to make a point, I'm just gonna say that he simply payed for supporting the PG are and being "The face of PG WWE". And in some peoples mind, it was well deserved. Sorry to Cena, but as nice as he is, this one was really deserved.

 

[Scuba 06]

THE GUY IS DOING WHAT HE IS TOLD TO DO.

Why dont these idiots boo the sh*t out of Stephanie or Vince if he was there. Maybe even HHH, he pulls a lot of strings. What John Cena does is what they have written out for him on a sheet of paper. He is a actor, a character. If you knew anything about the man, John Cena, you got to be one sick f*ck to hate on the guy that much. You dont see how much this guy has gone out of his way to make kids with life-threatning illnesses happy ? The guy desrves the upmost respect. He is a true professional and a class act. It' a show. You dont have to watch if you dont like it. Next time you see any McMahon why dont tell you curse the sh*t out of them. Anything wrong with the product is their fault not his.

Dont blame the PG era on John Cena. You can blame it on that worthless piece of sh*t. Benoit.

 

[Yarns 3:16]

Pffft all you Total Marks who hate on Cena are the ones who need a reality check. Is he a good wrestler? Not really, but he is good at what he does for who he is supposed to entertain. Yes, we get it, you don't like the "SuperCena" character that he has allegedly "forced down your throats" lets clear a few things up here

1) You want someone to blame for SuperCena? Blame the writers, blame creative, Fact is John Cena goes out there and does what he is told to do and that is to entertain his audience to the best of his ability. Do you have to like it? Hell no, it's your prerogative to like or dislike whoever the hell you want, but obviously a lot of other people would be inclined to disagree with you seeing as he is probably 1 of the major draws in the company right now and has been for years, His merch sales alone are probably greater than most of the rest of the talent combined, so there's not much financial incentive to turn him heel just to bandy to the whim of a few idiot "smarks" who could do with growing the hell up and acting like they've got a pair.

2) You say you can't stand this "SuperCena" routine, but it's basically the same bollocks that you probably marked out for back in the 80's with Hogan "Hulking up" and "Warrior thrashing the ropes before they done their 3 moves of death and finished the match, only this is rehashed to attract a new generation of audience. and that's who I feel sorry for here, having to listen to idiots chanting "Fuck You Cena" to their guy and wondering why people are hating their hero. No wonder people become disillusioned with the product when you've got 30 year old "smarks" ruining it for you.

As I've already mentioned Cena isn't a very good wrestler in my opinion, but you can't deny that he's a bloody hard worker, and he's got a lot of presence and charisma about him. People need to face facts that the Character Cena portrays isn't aimed at pleasing or entertaining them, He's basically the New Hogan for the kids to idolise (Which is what puzzles me about people constantly comparing him to The Rock, who's an entirely different character) Like him or not, that's entirely your opinion, but to anybody who's even half educated, you should at least recognise that Cena deserves a bit of respect.

 

[itssoeasy123]

It sure was hard to watch, and it was no doubt brutal. I myself can't help but feel somewhat sorry for the guy, since in reality, I'm sure he's a pretty nice one.
But, wasn't he the main guy who pitched Vince about going PG, and probably the main reason it even happaned? Isn't he the reason we have those thousands of annoying mindless kids envolved in the wrestling buisness now? And I don't speak about teenagers, those usually at least have some sort of brain and would also be "the future fans of the buisness". The kind of fans Cena attracts are mindless 6 year old marks, who nobody can really stand.

I'm not gonna elaborate too much on this to make a point, I'm just gonna say that he simply payed for supporting the PG are and being "The face of PG WWE". And in some peoples mind, it was well deserved. Sorry to Cena, but as nice as he is, this one was really deserved.

IMO, it was the Linda McMahon senate race that cuased PG to happen. That and the fact that most of the older fan's are leaving wreslting, and hardcore, blading, and all other cliches from a decade ago are irrelevant in this day and age. It also make them have more sponser's and advertiser, which in hindsight mean's more money. It keep's them going. WWE's a business, they need money.

Sure, Cena may be the top face and may have had some pull in the PG product, but I highly doubt he control's what happen's in WWE. Cena probably voiced a positive opinion about going PG, but I doubt he's the sole reason they went PG.

So, your bashing the kid's who go to the show's? Who look up to Cena as their hero? Their not mindless. The people who continue to rip apart a guy becuase of the character he portray's on television are mindless. The kid's are the future of wreslting fan's. Period. Not the 20, 30 year old single men who live in thier mom's basement and love indy wreslting, the kid's.

 

[Fisheatppl]

Completely agree with JJohns. Also it doesn't matter that he draws little "mindless mark" kids. They are the future of the "WWE Universe". For god's sake when did most people start watching? I'm 27 and my friends and I who have watched started with Hogan, and I'd assume most of you who are hating on Cena are the same, although at 6 years old you wanted nothing more than to see your hero Hulk Hogan hulk up and always always win.
This man is completely professional, 100%. There is no reason to boo him for who he really is. I am by no means a Cena mark. I want Miz to win. But I can recognize that this is not "really deserved" as some of you people put it. We're all adults and can all realize its a show.

 

[HamSwissman]

I remember being at Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. Now THAT was some Cena heat. Dueling "fuck John Cena" chants all night. To be quite honest, I don't know if it is as much John Cena as it is/was the product itself that he represents. Mania 22 had potential to have an excellent card, but ended up with a pretty bad one. The backlash all seemed to come to a head in the main event. Hell, most of the people who were cheering for Triple H that night didn't even care for him all that much. I think it was just to intentionally give a collective "fuck you" to the writers, bookers and backstage asshats who were serving out the same stale product that everyone had grown to hate. The only guy who I think got a legitimate huge pop that night (not just for facing Cena) was Kurt Angle. On to my point. I think if the fans are fed up enough, they will force the management to hear their voices. I am okay with that. I guess the only chants that really annoy me are "you can't wrestle" and "what?". Chanting "you can't wrestle" is just everyone acknowledging that the product is fake. I fucking hate that. "What?" is just annoying. As far as physicality goes, off limits (unless you count throwing Cena's gear back at him at ECW ONS as physical, because that was awesome).

 

[futurediva15]

OMG, when I read that report I was appalled!! I believe fans go to far when they get physical, curse, or don't let someone get a word out, much like what happened at the press conference. Booing is okay, I've done it before, cheering is of course good. Getting physical with a performer is soo unacceptable! And I was happy to read that Triple H did something to help out John Cena! I mean, even when Vickie G is on the mic, it gets old after awhile when she can't even get a word out, and I applaud a performer who can keep themselves composed when being harassed like that

 

[prestonluv]

Wrestlers can only dream about reactions like this. It reminds me of the reactions Vicki gets on TV.

Responses like these show the true drawing power John Cena has.

Being booed like this is a compliment in disguise.

Cena should be proud of a response like that.

 

[Attitude>>>PG]

As much as some fans go too far physically, the verbal lashing they get is what they aim for in the first place. A reaction is better that no reaction. As long as they don't take it too far by disrespecting the wrestlers families on a personal level it's all part of the business. As for Cena's lethal tongue lashing at the press conference should tell someone in the back (Vince) to stop forcefully shoving Cena to the fans. Yes he has his own group that loves him and that's fine however the majority of fans are regurgitating what is being forcefully down their throats. They're not buying the character anymore. A change is needed.

 

[supersrc]

I think the fans should say and act how they see fit as long as they dont touch the performers and there property. The people bought the ticket or took time to see the performers, so its there right to cheer, boo, praise, heckle who they want, but the second they get physical they cross the line from fan to assult.

To the stories of the press confrense I think the wwe needs to take note, the people who were booing and upsetting cena, who were cheering for hhh and miz. The fans that showed up at the press confrense represent the demographic that shells out $50 for a ppv, those are the people the wwe needs to please just as much as the kiddies. Almost once a month wrestlezone puts up a article telling how ppv buys are down. The way the fans acted are tied to it. If people within the wwe were unhappy with the crowd they need to observe and fix the problem.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

Wrestlers can only dream about reactions like this. It reminds me of the reactions Vicki gets on TV.

Responses like these show the true drawing power John Cena has.

Being booed like this is a compliment in disguise.

Cena should be proud of a response like that.

I dont like Cena as much as the next guy , and theres a big difference between getting booed because your a heel and getting booed because people just hate you. Its not a compliment at all. The whole point was to show Cena that they didnt respect him at all and really wish hed just leave the WWE. Thats what i got from talking to people there.

I respect Cena for what he does though. But id be happy if he wasnt in the company. Period.

EDIT: And i say that because i feel he holds back alot of guys and most of the other people he works with do all the work in the ring , then he goes into supercena mode. Cena the man , i have no problem with and respect. Cena the Wrestler , i cant stand.

 

[FutureChamp328]

Wrestling and crazy fans go hand in hand there will always be some crazy fans out there who will go to far. Hell there are some truly delusional fans who actually believe it's all real. But that's also any sporting event fan who dislike somebody can be very vocal and in a sport like wrestling where many tactics are very controversial then you need to expect some negative physical reactions. Now my big problem is that the guys won't act like that outside of the actual shows. I met Chris Jericho about a year ago and he was perfectly nice to me. Now if they all kept up kayfabe and acted like jackass characters like on TV then I can see it happening more but stuff like those videos is ridiculous.

As far as Cena goes I positively hate his character but I respect what he has done and what a good person he is. If fans choose to boo hom just because they find him boring then that's their problem there's no reason for it.

 

[Jaims]

Oh come on people, pick up your tissues and stop whining. Everyone is saying "fans can boo who they want" yet the same people are saying "you shouldn't boo so bad you make a man tear up" and "it's a press conference, not a RAW promo". No, everyone there can act however they want. Isn't anyone pissed that the WWE edited the video so it appeared that everyone loved Cena? Now THAT is wrong. Why even sell tickets to shows to anybody, maybe they should just have people say on an application that they will cheer the faces when they attend a show?

Get ready for a favorite line of mine: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. People are booing Cena "the character" at this conference. Cena the CHARACTER showed up and the CHARACTER got booed. If he can't handle boos, then he shouldn't be in the center stage at Wrestlemania. I think he works his ass off and good for him, but it's not his fault nor the fan's fault that many people hate his character. He should be rewarded for his hard work, but what he's doing right now is awful and doesn't warrant cheers from me and apparently a lot of people agree. Cena the person is great, I'll shake that man's hand. Cena the character is infuriating to me, so at a press conference where Cena the CHARACTER comes to promote his match, I would gladly boo him off stage. If I see him doing Make-A-Wish stuff, I'll applaud. Cutting a promo, he's toast. I will agree that throwing stuff at him is a little too far for me, but all the verbal abuse he got is fair play. If you can't stand the heat, GET OUT of the kitchen. He should know by now that NY boos him. MSG is always hostile towards him. To say that he needs to be adored because he is the babyface is ideal, not reality. To be honest, he handled it very poorly, and I don't know what he would do at Mania if the crowd booed him this much. He probably wouldn't be able to wrestle effectively because he'd be so shaken up, based on how he looked at this conference.

What pisses me off is he probably went in all high and mighty, "ha I get to make this fantastic speech that everyone will laud, I am so important" and then when he gets crushed his spirit completely disappears. He'll make some BS statements on twitter about overcoming adversity like people are being racist against him and try and victimize himself here instead of saying "you know what, I guess a lot of people hate me, I don't care about any of you, deal with it."

Cena doesn't necessarily "deserve" hostility, but he damn well better expect it. And better figure out how to deal with it. Anyone can boo who they want, when they want, especially when it's a WWE event, including press conferences. Considering how much Vince loves NYC, I don't doubt that this has slightly planted the idea in his mind that Cena just might not be this generation's Hulk.

 

[spinarooni]

On one hand Cena is a bust ass performer and deserves respect from a professional stand point. On the other hand, he is feuding with one of the most loved Attitude Era wrestlers. WWE has an opportunity to capitalize on a big angle. We need to see a ruthless Cena. Fans turning on wrestlers happens to the best of them. The fans turned on Rock when he was feuding with Hogan. "Word Life"

 

[afark02]

perfect opportunity to finally turn him heel. I wonder if the switch will occur on Sunday just like mania with Austin vs. Hitman and Rock vs. Hogan where Miz will be cheered and Cena will be booed.

 

[Attitude>>>PG]

THE GUY IS DOING WHAT HE IS TOLD TO DO.

Why dont these idiots boo the sh*t out of Stephanie or Vince if he was there. Maybe even HHH, he pulls a lot of strings. What John Cena does is what they have written out for him on a sheet of paper. He is a actor, a character. If you knew anything about the man, John Cena, you got to be one sick f*ck to hate on the guy that much. You dont see how much this guy has gone out of his way to make kids with life-threatning illnesses happy ? The guy desrves the upmost respect. He is a true professional and a class act. It' a show. You dont have to watch if you dont like it. Next time you see any McMahon why dont tell you curse the sh*t out of them. Anything wrong with the product is their fault not his.

This.This.This.

Blame Vince and those in the back for the direction the company is headed, not Cena. Cena does what he is told to do. Get off his back and jump on HHH, Stephanie, and Vince's. Boo the shit outta them. Verbally tongue lash them with insults about the product. If your not happy with the direction the company is headed, stop watching. I don't like Cena's character myself but I wouldn't disrespect him on a personal level. It's uncalled for.

 

[Chadmw]

I bet most of the fans that attended this press conference were people that consider themselves "Smarks" and thought it would be cool to boo Cena at a press conference. If you want to boo the man at a WWE event while he is in the ring fine go ahead, that is his job, but to do that at a press conference is just classless

As For those who bash Cena for his SuperCena and 5 moves of doom, I find it funny how you can then turn around and praise and say the rock is the greatest. In the ring the man was ok, and a lot of his moves looked almost cartoonish (especially the Rock bottom and the People's elbow), and he is spouting the same catch phrases now then he did 10 years ago.

 

[DeadmanFan]

IMO, it was the Linda McMahon senate race that cuased PG to happen.

Meh, not really. As has been pointed out, it's mostly due to heavier endorsements with PG which leads to more revenue, as well as the Chris Benoit tragedy that were the prime catalysts.

(Though actually in recent quarters profits have still gone down regardless. I might just check WWE's stock history and compare revenue rates from PG compared to before PG. It could be an interesting exercise.)

One could argue that Cena was attracting that age group to the product and thus WWE responded to that signal, but it would be indirect. Cena is not the WWE's board of directors so he wouldn't be able to make that kind of a decision. I doubt he'd even lobby for it.

As for the conference, I saw the edited video and was like "lolCenagottrolled." But after hearing the full scope, it was too far. I dislike Cena's character as well but I wouldn't boo his person outside of the show. The Fruity Pebbles was way too far.