But that happens already. Cena's already the biggest antagonist in the company for a LOT of fans, and they certainly pay to see him in the hopes that he will lose. If you have it both ways already, why sacrifice the money part of it? I mean honestly, when you think about it, Cena's a heel to half the audience anyway. And if he were to turn, it would be a face turn for that half of the audience, thereby resulting in the same reactions with a lot less merchandise sales. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
Why John Cena Shouldn't Go Heel
- Thread starter The_Awesome_One
- Start date
Cena's time is coming. The only reason for Cena NOT to turn heel is that he still has to face The Rock. I'm too big of a coward to go out on a limb and say that The Rock vs John Cena @ WM28 is going to be the turning point, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me in the least if the Monday night after WM28 Cena does turn heel. But neither can happen yet.
First John Cena needs to wait to finish his feud with The Rock (Which I predict Cena will lose, simply because I think WWE gonna do some serious reverse psychology on the fans and do what is not expected by the IWC) and The Miz can't turn face because he's being cock-blocked by CM Punk. Once Punk is solidified and his push to the next level has stabilized I think The Miz will go face and move into position to take the void left by Cena, as the babyface for the under 10 crowd.
Right now the John Cena fans are usually over 10 years of age, in the 10-20 age group. They're the ones that grew up watching and loving him and remain loyal. They were the former under 10 crowd that Cena haters always talk about. However it's been 7 years and those kids aren't under 10 anymore.
Kids these days don't actually like John Cena as much as people think. As a father of a 6 year old son & an 8 year old girl, I can tell you from my experience. The new kids are hot on guys like Christian, Sheamus, The Miz, & R-Truth. It's really getting to the point where The Miz's face turn is more necessary than John Cena's heel turn.
Kids want to watch R-Truth get got by lil Jimmy, and they want to watch The Miz be awesome. They like the Luchadores, Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio because they flip around the ring and it wows them. On Smackdown they start laughing and talking about wanting to see Christian get one more chance to lose, and they look at Sheamus like I used to look at The Undertaker; this awesome beast that is OK to cheer because he's a good guy.
This isn't the PG-era anymore, this is the reality era. Cena won't stay a face for too much longer, but like everyone says, someone needs to step up and fill the role he fills right now. Until then he's not going anywhere. I and promise you that the under 10 crowd will love John Cena's heel turn. My kids absolutely ate up R-Truth's heel turn and he went from being some guy they didn't care for very much to being their #1 guy with a bullet. R-Truth caters to their age group better than Cena by a landslide. When was the last time you heard John Cena make one of those ridiculous curse words like baloney fudge & mustard? First time he promo'd against The Rock, that's when. Since then he hasn't done anything for the kids. He's moved on to his new demographic, the early-teens, and that's going to be facilitated best by being a heel.
My guess is that by WM29 The Miz will be in Cena's spot as the #1 babyface, CM Punk will be solidified as the #1 in-betweener for the older fans, & Cena will be the #1 heel.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumb internet smark.
First John Cena needs to wait to finish his feud with The Rock (Which I predict Cena will lose, simply because I think WWE gonna do some serious reverse psychology on the fans and do what is not expected by the IWC) and The Miz can't turn face because he's being cock-blocked by CM Punk. Once Punk is solidified and his push to the next level has stabilized I think The Miz will go face and move into position to take the void left by Cena, as the babyface for the under 10 crowd.
Right now the John Cena fans are usually over 10 years of age, in the 10-20 age group. They're the ones that grew up watching and loving him and remain loyal. They were the former under 10 crowd that Cena haters always talk about. However it's been 7 years and those kids aren't under 10 anymore.
Kids these days don't actually like John Cena as much as people think. As a father of a 6 year old son & an 8 year old girl, I can tell you from my experience. The new kids are hot on guys like Christian, Sheamus, The Miz, & R-Truth. It's really getting to the point where The Miz's face turn is more necessary than John Cena's heel turn.
Kids want to watch R-Truth get got by lil Jimmy, and they want to watch The Miz be awesome. They like the Luchadores, Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio because they flip around the ring and it wows them. On Smackdown they start laughing and talking about wanting to see Christian get one more chance to lose, and they look at Sheamus like I used to look at The Undertaker; this awesome beast that is OK to cheer because he's a good guy.
This isn't the PG-era anymore, this is the reality era. Cena won't stay a face for too much longer, but like everyone says, someone needs to step up and fill the role he fills right now. Until then he's not going anywhere. I and promise you that the under 10 crowd will love John Cena's heel turn. My kids absolutely ate up R-Truth's heel turn and he went from being some guy they didn't care for very much to being their #1 guy with a bullet. R-Truth caters to their age group better than Cena by a landslide. When was the last time you heard John Cena make one of those ridiculous curse words like baloney fudge & mustard? First time he promo'd against The Rock, that's when. Since then he hasn't done anything for the kids. He's moved on to his new demographic, the early-teens, and that's going to be facilitated best by being a heel.
My guess is that by WM29 The Miz will be in Cena's spot as the #1 babyface, CM Punk will be solidified as the #1 in-betweener for the older fans, & Cena will be the #1 heel.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumb internet smark.
Ok so to start, before Austin retired and before Rock went on to Hollywood both men had heel turns at different points to help freshen up the angle of there persona.
Secondly you mention a thread in 2000 saying fans were getting sick of Austin and Rock as they were getting stale and Jericho should be pushed ect. Jericho was pushed not long after and went over on Austin AND Rock in a single night to be the FIRST undisputed champion and then the next years Y2J was a huge star in his own right.
What everyone else here is saying is that Cena needs to do the same thing as Austin and Rock, and HBK and Y2J and Taker Hogan ect did in there careers and not get pigeon holed. I guess to be fair for a lot of these guys there Face runs far outran there Heel runs and in most cases came off the back of a LONG turn as a Face but that still doesn't change the fact that Cena is verging on the better part of a decade as a Face and would benefit immensely from having a run as a Hell for a little while for all the valid reasons other posters have already mentioned. (freshen him up, freshen up the company, give rise to a few new young guys as faces VS Villain Cena and all the other reasons)
_______________________
Just My Humble Opinion
So they should turn Cena heel just to turn him back face by the end of the year, like they did with Austin? What would that accomplish? Let's also not forget that Rock and Austin were pretty much equals at the top of the card. As much as Punk and Orton marks like to think otherwise, neither of them is equal with Cena as it stands right now. Therefore, Cena remaining a face is pretty much essential. Rock's heel turn was after he had already left and clearly was never going to be the top guy in the company again.
It's also not like Cena hasn't put people over like Rock and Austin put over Jericho. Miz beat him in the main event of WrestleMania. Punk beat him in the main events of MITB and SummerSlam. Now, some of those wins weren't exactly clean, but neither were the Jericho wins. And yet, just like with Jericho, they helped to get Miz and Punk over huge and establish them as legitimate champions/contenders.
It's also not like Cena hasn't put people over like Rock and Austin put over Jericho. Miz beat him in the main event of WrestleMania. Punk beat him in the main events of MITB and SummerSlam. Now, some of those wins weren't exactly clean, but neither were the Jericho wins. And yet, just like with Jericho, they helped to get Miz and Punk over huge and establish them as legitimate champions/contenders.
@The Champ
Once again your clearly missing the point of what i said. You are getting caught up in all these comparisons of characters, it was different time, different era and different stars but the formular will essentially stay the same.
Instead of trying to shoot down every example a person makes think more about the point as a whole, more fans on here believe Cena would actually benefit from a Heel turn. Where as you just seem to think he should continue to coast on and on as he has been in a tired old routine that more and more people grow tired of each day, not the opposite.
Has the thought ever crossed your mind that there hasn't been any suitable candidates to replace Cena as a top face (as you so love to point out) BECAUSE of the over saturation of Cena in the past few years and the insistence that no one has had the talent to step up. Which is total garbage as we are finally seeing now in the early EARLY stages of younger superstars getting a slow build.
And no, dont turn him back to face within a year. Keep him a heel for at least 2 years. I never said turn him right back.
Once again your clearly missing the point of what i said. You are getting caught up in all these comparisons of characters, it was different time, different era and different stars but the formular will essentially stay the same.
Instead of trying to shoot down every example a person makes think more about the point as a whole, more fans on here believe Cena would actually benefit from a Heel turn. Where as you just seem to think he should continue to coast on and on as he has been in a tired old routine that more and more people grow tired of each day, not the opposite.
Has the thought ever crossed your mind that there hasn't been any suitable candidates to replace Cena as a top face (as you so love to point out) BECAUSE of the over saturation of Cena in the past few years and the insistence that no one has had the talent to step up. Which is total garbage as we are finally seeing now in the early EARLY stages of younger superstars getting a slow build.
And no, dont turn him back to face within a year. Keep him a heel for at least 2 years. I never said turn him right back.
You mean the formula of the top face being pushed far above anyone else will stay the same? Because on that, I agree. But if you're saying that the formula of a company turning their top face heel for no reason will stay the same, I counter with the fact that WWE learned from the Austin turn and aren't going to take that risk again unless they really need to. Because let's be honest, although the Austin turn was enjoyable in some ways, it wasn't nearly as successful as WWE had hoped it would be.
Actually, there are plenty of people who love what Cena does and don't want him to change at all. Most of them just don't whine and complain about it on wrestling forums every day of their lives. Take a look at Cena's Facebook and Twitter, for instance. Tons of fans, tons of followers, all of whom love Cena and don't want him to change. Listen to the crowd reactions he gets. Sure, he gets some boos, but he also gets a TON of cheers. And don't even bother countering with the ridiculous "But it's only women and children!" point unless you can scientifically prove that women and children are less human than men.
Has the thought ever crossed your mind that they've pushed plenty of other faces over the past few years and that none of them have made even close to the money Cena does? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that the WWE has no reason to look for another top face when they already have their cash cow sitting right there? Has the thought ever crossed your mind that they're pushing and overexposing Punk just as much, if not more than Cena now, so that they do have another top babyface to stand alongside Cena and possibly take over for him if something were to happen? Answer those questions and then I'll get back to you.
javierjiminy
Dark Match Jobber
I've actually have gotten tired of all the people saying that kids are the ones that help wwe make $. Well, where do those kids get the $ from? Answer: Their parents. When Cena turns heel, kids won't get his merchandise, but the parents and adults and all the heel lovers would. So either way, wwe would still make money, and once he turns heel, ratings will rise because this is something new and fresh. Change is what needs to happen in the wwe universe. Cena needs to go back to his roots (Thuganomics) and be a heel.
What a ridiculously flawed argument this is. Wow. Do you really think that the parents give a shit about WWE, or do you think they pour money into it to make their kids happy? Furthermore, do you honestly think that adult males spend their money on WWE merchandise more than kids do? Because if either of those things were the case, then Cena wouldn't be the top merchandise seller in the company and right there with Hogan, Rock, and Austin on the all time list. If adults were the ones who were buying merchandise, Orton's merchandise would sell better than anyone else's. Do you EVER hear anything about Orton's shirts selling worth a dick? I don't.
javierjiminy
Dark Match Jobber
Hey, do you think kids bought merchandise back in the Attitude era when wwe was tv14? I didn't think so. And do you know of rich 6 year old kids these days buying their own merchandise? Didn't think so either.
[QUOTEHas the thought ever crossed your mind that they've pushed plenty of other faces over the past few years and that none of them have made even close to the money Cena does? ][/QUOTE]
Yes, but Cena didnt instantly start making money, the E invested time and money into him and allowed his gimmick to evolve, he wasn't suddenly over with the crowd and certainly wasn't the hottest merch ticket in town for a very long while after his debut.
Granted, I never said he didn't have fans, hell i never really bad mouthed the guy. I have nothing but respect for Cena and do enjoy watching him, this thread isn't a Cena bashing thread it is an argument over the validations of him staying Face or turning Heel in the near future.
And to that i still stand by my original point, Cena needs a revamp, needs something to freshen him up. Im not saying repackage the guy as there is no need for that, look at HHH who has had the same entrance music trunks for a very long time. That's not what I'm saying, all I'm saying is he would benefit from a Heel turn to allow a lot of the younger fans and newer fans to see a different side to Cena, in the long run it is an investment that i truly believe would work.
Yes, but Cena didnt instantly start making money, the E invested time and money into him and allowed his gimmick to evolve, he wasn't suddenly over with the crowd and certainly wasn't the hottest merch ticket in town for a very long while after his debut.
Yeh its what i meant.
Granted, I never said he didn't have fans, hell i never really bad mouthed the guy. I have nothing but respect for Cena and do enjoy watching him, this thread isn't a Cena bashing thread it is an argument over the validations of him staying Face or turning Heel in the near future.
And to that i still stand by my original point, Cena needs a revamp, needs something to freshen him up. Im not saying repackage the guy as there is no need for that, look at HHH who has had the same entrance music trunks for a very long time. That's not what I'm saying, all I'm saying is he would benefit from a Heel turn to allow a lot of the younger fans and newer fans to see a different side to Cena, in the long run it is an investment that i truly believe would work.
WWE was acceptable in the mainstream in the Attitude Era. It's not "cool" to wear WWE shirts in public anymore, so self conscious teenagers and adults aren't going to do it like they did back then. You also just completely ignored my point about the parents not really giving a shit and buying the shit to please their kids. Of course six year olds don't buy t-shirts and whatever themselves, that doesn't mean that their parents give two shits about who's pushed and who's not. In fact, they probably root for the same people that their kids do, because they like seeing their kids smile. Now there's a novel fucking concept.
javierjiminy
Dark Match Jobber
If parents didn't care, we'd have an arena filled with children on monday night raw, since you say parents don't care about the wwe. To an extent, they do care, because their the ones that are being dragged into the arena the first place. Why would they waste money on entertainment they don't care about?
But they pushed him to the top because the fans wanted it. This is evident if you watch any SmackDown during his face run in 2004. He had the overness of a main eventer while he was still wrestling for the United States Championship. I can't think of a whole lot of others who can claim that in recent memory.
I think it would be interesting for sure, but the reasons why WWE refuses to do it are completely understandable to me, because I would do the exact same thing if I was in their shoes. That's my thing with the whole heel turn. I have a feeling that if a lot of the people lobbying for it were in Vince's shoes, and Cena was making them a truckload of money on a regular basis, they would also choose to keep him face. And when you consider the fact that WWE has plenty of young heels that they can build up to that level, and the fact that it's way easier to build heels up than faces, it's easy to see why WWE wants that anchor there who they know they can always count on.
Oh my god... really?
Are you actually trying to argue that parents would let their kids into the arena with no supervision if they didn't care?
Because if so, that is the easily the stupidest point made in this entire thread for pretty obvious reasons. It hurts my head to even feel like I should have to explain it to you, but I guess I will anyway.
It's simple. Parents want to make their kids happy, and parents who have a decent income will spend it on what makes their kids happy. That's it. Sitting through an event that you don't really give two shits about to make your five or seven year old happy is something that plenty of parents do, have done, and will continue to do. I know that when I was a kid, my dad took me to Yankee games despite being a huge Mets fan. Why? Because he wanted to spend time with his son on something that he knew his son would enjoy. If you can't understand that, and this is going to sound offensive, but I hope you never have kids if you're not willing to spend any money or sit bored for a couple of hours to make them happy.
@The Champ
To be fair you make a very compelling argument, and all of your points are valid. I cant find fault in any of them and don't intend to try. Your right about when it comes down to it and if your sitting there at your office with the massive figures your pulling in off of the back of just one of your top guys then it would be hard to decide on changing something that aint broke.
There are plenty of young heels i agree with you on that, and most of them have got the potential, i do see your logic and agree with it. I wont go into to much detail as we've covered most of the key points for both sides of the argument.
Atleast one thing is for sure, things are starting to look up again for the E, no matter what they decide to do with Cena.
To be fair you make a very compelling argument, and all of your points are valid. I cant find fault in any of them and don't intend to try. Your right about when it comes down to it and if your sitting there at your office with the massive figures your pulling in off of the back of just one of your top guys then it would be hard to decide on changing something that aint broke.
There are plenty of young heels i agree with you on that, and most of them have got the potential, i do see your logic and agree with it. I wont go into to much detail as we've covered most of the key points for both sides of the argument.
Atleast one thing is for sure, things are starting to look up again for the E, no matter what they decide to do with Cena.
BigPoppaPunk
BPP is your hookup, now GTS!
While I can understand the logic that Cena sells alot of merchandise for the kid demographic, WWE has been using that as a crutch for far too long. It's another convient excuse to ignore what the majority of the WWE Universe wants to see. Which ultimately is the reason most adults despise Cena. Pretty much any fan from WWE in 2003 knows Cena can be hot as a heel, but mocking us fans and using the kids as an excuse is extremely lame. Especially as it relates to him fueding with top faces like CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and The Rock. It's farfetched to me that both guys have to remain face simply b/c WWE refuses to turn Cena.
WWE acts as if turning Cena would single handedly kill off all merchadise sales. That is probably the worst logic WWE can use. Again, WWE is a marketing machine and several other superstars are kid oriented. What about CM Punk being Straight Edge? That sends out a wholesome message. Or Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara? Last I heard, their mask sales were high enough to pick up whatever slack Cena being heel would lose.
It all comes down to WWE doing what is right for business and it's a pretty simple equation. If you listen to the fans, you'll be successful, if not, then you lose fans. And current ratings definately support that. Cena turning certainly won't please everyone, but so what? Him turning only means once his heel run is over, he'll be even bigger when he's face again. So, what does the WWE really have to lose here?
What evidence is there that the "majority" of the audience wants Cena to turn? Smarks on internet boards are not the majority of the audience, they're a vocal minority. Big difference there. And if turning Cena heel still wouldn't please everyone, then what the fuck is the point of sacrificing all the money? You're just alienating one group of fans to please another, which probably won't buy as much merchandise, which makes no sense whatsoever. Of course Cena isn't the ONLY person who sells any merchandise, but the fact that Meltzer reported him to have sold more than Rock, Austin, or Hogan says a lot. Even with taking inflation and globalization into account, that's still damn impressive and it's still a hell of a lot more than any other superstar in WWE today.
Sacrificing what money? We're not talking about Cena leaving the company to go work for TNA. Only turning him heel. Do you really think merchandising is going to drop with the emergence of a new top face and Cena turning heel? That's a merchandising dream. Suddenly you've got new Cena heel shirts to sell (think nWo, except this isn't WCW so merchandising will be handled with intelligence), and for all those who are upset about it you've got a new top face supplanting Cena that's going to generate damned impressive numbers because now the new generation of fans have their babyface on top.
I've already mentioned that Cena's time is just about up. The NEW generation of fans, these "little kids" everyone is talking about, they're 7 years older than the IWC ever considers. These little kids are at least 10 years old now, and up to 21, 22 years of age. Think about it, say you started watching the WWE at age 6, and one of the first guys you ever saw debut was John Cena. How old do you think that makes you? Let's say you were 14 when Cena debuted, how old would you be in that case? The loyal Cena fans that grew to love him are older than you think.
The new under 10 fan favorites are The Miz & R-Truth. Children love The Miz as their hero, and they love R-Truth as the heel.
When The Miz turns face he'll easily make up for any supposed loss in sales that Cena won't be able to recoup on his own by remaining with the company but just being a heel.
Um, kids don't "love" Miz or R-Truth. Where are you getting that from? Kids boo the shit out of those guys. Not that that's a bad thing, since that's what supposed to be happening, but that's not a good argument for either guy being able to replace Cena.
The idea that any old face could just easily replace Cena in merch sales is just wrong. Cena has sold more merchandise than anyone in history, which means that even with inflation and globalization he has to be just behind Rock, Austin, and Hogan. The Observer also said that his 2008 was the highest selling merchandise year ever outside of Austin or Hogan. You can't just take someone else and expect him to accomplish feats like that. You also have to take into account the fact that the nWo happened while wrestling was "cool." If you think that self conscious males are going to wear WWE shirts around the same way they did then, you need a serious reality check. Kids, on the other hand, don't give a shit because they haven't reached that age yet where people will make fun of them for it.
The idea that any old face could just easily replace Cena in merch sales is just wrong. Cena has sold more merchandise than anyone in history, which means that even with inflation and globalization he has to be just behind Rock, Austin, and Hogan. The Observer also said that his 2008 was the highest selling merchandise year ever outside of Austin or Hogan. You can't just take someone else and expect him to accomplish feats like that. You also have to take into account the fact that the nWo happened while wrestling was "cool." If you think that self conscious males are going to wear WWE shirts around the same way they did then, you need a serious reality check. Kids, on the other hand, don't give a shit because they haven't reached that age yet where people will make fun of them for it.
Kids loved Austin and he drank beer, used profanity, and beat up his boss every chance he got. I know kids look up to him but from a social perspective it would be good to have a role model thats not at such an extreme level of "goodness". I wish I knew how to word it better but basically the nicest person you meet in life is still not as "honorable" as Cena's character. From a business standpoint I see why it would make absolutely no sense and even though we want something new from him theres plenty going on with the CM Punk and Mark Henry storylines among others to entertain us. We should give the kids a chance to enjoy the product as well if this is trully what they're into.
BigPoppaPunk
BPP is your hookup, now GTS!
Where have you been the past 5 years? Cena has been booed out of the building on a regular basis and WWE has refused to completely acknowledge it or listen to what the fans want. I think the strongest evidence that the audience wants Cena to turn is making "If Cena wins, we riot" signs. It happened at ONS back in 06 and more recently at MITB vs. Punk. How can you consider that a vocal minority? The only fans who wanna see him remain face are the women and kids. I guess by that logic they are the vocal minority as well. Adults and teens make up as much of the majority of WWE Universe as the kids and women, if not more. So, to call them a minority is ignorant to the facts. If 95% of the audience is booing Cena out of the arena, then that is to me constitutes my definition of majority.
As far as the merchandise argument, it is very lame reason to keep Cena face. And just b/c he's a top merchandise seller doesn't mean he's the best merchadise seller in WWE history as Meltzer said. It's not like WWE or Meltzer haven't embellished the facts or mistated something in order to justify something. In this instance, it's lazy and reprehensible of WWE to ignore what fans want, simply b/c they believe they will lose money(which is assuming and not technically a fact in any way). Besides, as I said before, WWE has plenty of guys who can step up and sell merchandise equally as well. CM Punk and Rey Mysterio are just as capable of selling merchandise on Cena's level.
In the end, your argument that WWE would lose money doesn't have the legs to stand on. The merchadise argument is another way of excusing WWE not listening to their fans. And yeah, it wouldn't please everyone, but one demographic or the other is gonna be disappointed. Kids would no longer have Cena to look up to, but I'm sure the women like Cena regardless since they consider him hot. By any standards, Cena has long been stale and it's time for a change. If it's what most fans want and it will create fresh storylines and breath new life into Cena's character, how is that a bad thing???
WWE has CM Punk and Randy Orton as role models who aren't at extreme levels of goodness. I don't see why they can't have one role model who is. You're talking one out of the WWE's three top babyfaces right now who isn't an "anti-hero" at a time when WWE is trying to appeal to families and assuage parents' fears about wrestling. It's not so much a matter of the kids not cheering for the guys who are dicks. Parents who are trying to teach their kids moral values are probably more willing to buy them a shirt that says "Never Give Up" than one that has an evil looking snake on it. But again, having both types of babyfaces seems to me like the perfect balance.
I was just looking at it from both ways, in case that needed clarifying. I understand all of the reasons for keeping Cena face, but I'm saying a heel turn wouldnt be as drastic as it sounds. You raise an excellent point with the two types of babyfaces.
I get my information from first hand observation. My kids love The Miz & R-Truth. My kids friends love them, and Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio... did you read my first post in this thread?
Listen, I'm not one of those guys that hates Cena. To me, Cena's one of my favorite guys on the roster because everything he says and does makes me wonder, quite humorously about what the IWC's reaction is going to be. I like him just the way he is... but logically, well. It's just about time. After his feud with The Rock is over, at this point in time there's nothing to stop him. If you plug in The Miz as the new top face (CM Punk is NOT the new top face, he's already the top "tweener" (there really needs to be a better word for that)), Cena is still going to sell an assload as a heel.
I'm saying your logic is flawed in thinking that Cena's sales will drop that much simply because he does a heel turn. No body is going to replace Cena, CENA is going to replace Cena. And the sales boost comes from having a new top face.
I had a long response to this written out, but my Firefox crashed and I'm not typing all that shit again, so I'll just hit the main bullet points.
First of all, your claims that Cena gets booed out of the building every week are ridiculously biased and not even close to being true. It's clear from listening objectively that he gets more cheers than boos nowadays, and your using the two most hostile crowds he's ever wrestled for as your examples only takes away the legitimacy of your argument. If you honestly think 95 percent of the fans are booing Cena, you need to get your hearing checked, because you might have a problem.
Second, women and kids do represent a significant majority of the audience and the kids especially probably pour more money into it through their parents than adult males and teens. And you could claim Meltzer embellished the facts all you want, but I have yet to see you present anything resembling facts rather than your own assumptions that CM Punk and Mysterio would sell just as much. WWE can't run their business based on assumptions, they have to run it on facts.
Also, there are plenty of adult males and teens who DO like Cena. I'm one of them, and I know plenty. I also see plenty at WWE events. There are plenty who don't, that's a fact that I will readily admit, but you are seriously overestimating the percentage and it's not one that requires radical change. Internet fans are going to bitch no matter what so WWE shouldn't go out of their way to accommodate them too much more than they already have with Punk and Ryder and Christian and Bryan and every other internet darling that they've been pushing. If that's not good enough, then nothing ever will be.
Well then your kids are pretty fucking awesome, but I don't think they're an accurate representation of how most kids feel. I don't think I've ever seen a kid cheering for Miz or Truth in a WWE audience; in fact, I don't hear many people cheering for them at all. Which is great, because they're heels and they're doing their job correctly.
I don't really see why it's "about time" considering that Cena is 34 and might be wrestling for another ten years. There's still plenty of time for it to happen if they choose to go that route. Also, I hate the term "tweener" because it's one of those wrestling terms that's almost always used incorrectly. Punk is a face. Not a heel, and not a tweener. A face. He teams up with faces, he wrestles against heels, he panders to the audience, he does babyface comebacks, they cut to positive Punk signs in the audience, Michael Cole doesn't like him anymore. There's nothing tweener-ish about any of that. If there's going to be anyone to replace Cena as top face, even though there shouldn't be right now, I would pick Punk over anybody else.
Well they are, but that's not the point.
Fresno California is pretty redneck, and so a good representation of your average WWE fan. If you look at the kids in school, Cena shirts are worn by the earlyteens around here more than any other age group. Whereas "Hello, I'm AWESOME!" shirts are worn by the even younger crowd, and both my kids are going nuts for me to buy them one. So maybe it's not a perfect sampling, in fact it's definitely not, but it's pretty good. The difference is I'm not watching the crowds, I'm watching the kids at school. My kids cheer the face and boo the heels at live shows too.
Well, when I say about time, I'm a little more loose with the term than some people. When I say about time I mean no earlier than 6 months from now but before Cena turns 37. Cena has had a hard career already, and his body is holding up remarkably well, what with only having taken one leave of absence to recoup from surgery that was the result of injury. But sooner or later, possibly even already, he will start to slow down, and at about that time it's going to be imperative that WWE finds someone else to carry the torch.
That person is not going to be CM Punk. CM Punk is a tweener, insomuch that he's an anti-hero in the role of a face, and it's likely that it won't change ever again regardless of whether or not he's booked as a heel or a face. So maybe I am using the term incorrectly, but I think I've made my point about him. He's the Rowdy Roddy Piper of this generation, not the Steve Austin.
The babyface of the company of the future, is The Miz, mark my words.
