WM 29: The Rock (c) vs. John Cena [WWE Title]

[MasterDebator]

Really? Even those who are against it generally agree that the story behind the heel turn practically writes itself, the only problem is he could get wildly cheered by the NYC crowd if he heels it up to win. I will say that the foreshadowing of a heel turn was interesting to watch, but also hilarious, because it isn't happening, and just make's Cena look like the bitchiest face of all time.



We were supposed to be rooting for Cena in every feud that he's had for the past 8 years, but things didn't work out like that.

So, aren't we essentially saying the same thing? At least about the NY/NJ crowd. If Cena heels it up to defeat The Rock, he will get deafening cheers. But then what? Outside of this specific instance in a bubble, where in the hell do Cena and WWE go from there with his character and the state of their product?

Let me ask you this: When arguably the top babyface in the WWE for at least a decade, Stone Cold Steve Austin, turned heel and joined Vince McMahon in perhaps the most jaw-dropping turn of all time, why did it make sense in the long run? I'd argue that it's because they had a foil for him. The Rock was a huge face and was able to take the torch as #1 face. WWE doesn't have that lying around once Cena turns.

Again, let me reiterate. The tease of the turn is money. It adds necessary depth to this story, considering that the story is surrounding a rematch. However, I'm not getting my hopes up. In fact, I think this puts me in a better position since, if it DOES happen, I'll be floored.

Furthermore, as a digression, plenty of wrestling "story's" write themselves. Punk defeating Undertaker writes itself, too. Doesn't make it any more possible than the opposite.

Finally, we're supposed to root for faces, but this is different, don't you agree? This has the added layer of a true torch-passing; a part-time megastar v. a, albeit disliked, workhorse. Punk was vehemently defended and championed by most of you when he went up against The Rock, partly because of his past and partly because of him having be a veritable Atlas for this company for 2 years. Shuffle in Cena and it isn't the same? I submit that, in more ways than not, it is.

 

[steven87gill]

Let me ask you this: When arguably the top babyface in the WWE for at least a decade, Stone Cold Steve Austin, turned heel and joined Vince McMahon in perhaps the most jaw-dropping turn of all time, why did it make sense in the long run? I'd argue that it's because they had a foil for him. The Rock was a huge face and was able to take the torch as #1 face. WWE doesn't have that lying around once Cena turns.

Just to mention your 'passing of the torch' comment, Cena's been the face of the company for nigh on 8 years, he's already got the torch. All this really qualifies as is Cena getting his win back from last year. For it to qualify as a true passing of the torch, Cena really needed to beat the Rock first time round. For the same reason you had Cena make HHH tap out at WM22 rather than have HHH go over and give Cena a diminished victory the following year. By having Cena beat HHH clean first time round, Cena gets maximum rub and you can give HHH his win back later without hurting Cena. So a Cena win at WM doesn't even really qualify as a passing of the torch, in that respect. They really missed their chance to have a true, 'passing of the torch' moment last year.

Actually, the Stone Cold heel turn, whilst entertaining, is widely considered a flop that was mis-managed from the start, that even Austin himself has come to regret. The Rock left for nearly four months right after the turn and instead of turning HHH face to compensate, they had him and Austin nonsensically become best buds in the ratings poison 'two man power trip'.
Austin played an amazing heel in and outside of the ring, & drew heat from the live crowds like nobody's business, but he couldn't draw ratings, no one wanted to pay money to boo their hero. He was a good guy again before the year was out, and thanks to it, the WWE went into a tailspin that it never fully recovered from. *This* is a BIG part of the reason why Vince has been reluctant to turn Cena.

Austin was (and still is) a universally loved star that people really just didn't want to boo, the same cannot be said for Cena (I'm not dissing the guy, just stating fact) so getting all of the crowd to turn on him and root for someone else isn't going to be as difficult as you imagine)

He's not turning on Sunday, but come on, deep down, you know this turn is *long* overdue.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Cena was booed out of the building at RAW and he's going to get booed out of the building in NY for Wrestlemania when he beats the Rock for the belt. This is absolutely perfect set up for a heel turn. He wins the belt, everyone boos him. So he finally snaps and takes a chair and beats up Rock with it so Rock gets "injured." Then the next night on RAW Cena can talk about how the fans don't care about him so why should he care about them, yada yada yada yada.

There's just no way they can keep him a face with the crowd reactions he's getting. It's not going to get any better, it's going to get worse. When Cena had that long title run a couple years ago, he was getting booed almost to this extent but then he dropped the belt and people didn't boo him as much.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Interestingly, the Rock spent less time acting like a heel last night....and more time boosting himself in the eyes of the audience, which is what a face should do, but not what Rock usually does. Normally, he behaves like a heel, yet gets cheered to the skies, anyway.

Meanwhile, John Cena, who is a face that gets booed unmercifully, spent last night building himself up as a heel.....and it all points to a possible heel change for Cena at WM29.

Think about it: if he wins as a good guy, the fickle fans are going to show extreme displeasure, right? Even so, this is what I had been hoping for; Cena wins and the Rock would display a sense of sportsmanship, embracing his old enemy and trotting back to Hollywood with his legacy intact.

It may still happen this way, yet having Cena turn bad at this event would send his status as a heel soaring right from the get-go. Beating the beloved Rock would reverberate through the world of pro wrestling......the impact would be immense.

I'm hoping for this, and Cena's behavior last night provided a strong indication that it might. It's as if he's saying to the fans: "You hate me when I'm a good guy? Fine, now I'll give you a reason to hate me."

Huge, I tell you.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A quick observation on the selling point of Rock/Cena.

For Rock/Cena I, the match sold itself. It was about today's best against yesterday's best and see what happens.

As for Rock/Cena II, since we have already seen it, there needs to be something else. And that something else is Cena's desperation. The main drawing point for the match this time around is if Cena will do whatever he has to to win. He has teased this attitude and in wrestling it equates to a heel turn. That is the main selling point of the match this time. Will Cena turn?

 

[steven87gill]

Again, to turn heel in NY all he really needs to do is beat the rock clean. Picture the scene, he makes the Rock tap out, and then refuses to break the hold.

Just imagine.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Again, to turn heel in NY all he really needs to do is beat the rock clean. Picture the scene, he makes the Rock tap out, and then refuses to break the hold.

Just imagine.

Or picture him winning the belt clean, then after he gets the belt and celebrates, with fans booing him out of the building, Rock gets up to shake his hand and he AA's him then goes out of the ring, gets a chair and bashes Rock with it several times amid a chorus of boos.

Can you imagine Wrestlemania closing with heel Cena holding a chair and the WWE title standing over a bloodied Rock?

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Finally, we're supposed to root for faces, but this is different, don't you agree? This has the added layer of a true torch-passing; a part-time megastar v. a, albeit disliked, workhorse. Punk was vehemently defended and championed by most of you when he went up against The Rock, partly because of his past and partly because of him having be a veritable Atlas for this company for 2 years. Shuffle in Cena and it isn't the same? I submit that, in more ways than not, it is.

This is one of the best arguments against all the Cena haters around here. Therefor, you can't make it, because they have no defense for it.

As for the heel turn, they've teased it, but it's very unlikely to happen. Get over it. Though I know most of you won't.

 

[steven87gill]

This is one of the best arguments against all the Cena haters around here. Therefor, you can't make it, because they have no defense for it.

Well actually, I do. I was rooting for the Rock at RR and EC, and was about ready to murder someone when Punk pinned The Rock.

Dude, I respect the hell out of Cena & I won't be devastated if (okay, when) he wins. However, I do take issue with some of his more obnoxious fans, who seem to think that The Rock is a worthless piece of shit.

 

[Compound_Lotus]

It's pretty obvious that Cena is going over The Rock here. It's simple, Rock is a part timer. Rock went over Cena last year. Rock is not going to hold the Championship for a long period of time because he is a part timer and Rock is not going to go over a full timer two years in a row. Also Rock is only going to face the biggest names in the company. He has already faced Punk and Cena multiple times who else could he feud with if he did retain? Brock Lesnar? Two part timers feuding over the belt doesn't make alot of business sense. These guys are here to generate more money at Pay Per Views. Rock is only holding the title so that when Cena beats him he not only caps off this tail spin of a year he has had with a victory over the man who started it. But also he gains the richest prize in the business and starts off what will surely be a dominant year for John Cena.

As far as a potential Cena heel turn let's not all hold our breath. As much of a fresh change of pace as it would be for his character it isn't happening anytime soon. Chris Cash covered this exact thing in his front page article. We can all dream but don't get your hopes up.

Potential feuds for Cena could be with Swagger, Ziggler, or CM Punk. Those are the three most realistic choices in my opinion. I see Del Rio retaining against Swagger and their feud being over so Cena would be a logical next step. Ziggler and Big E will probably fail to capture the tag titles but Ziggler could win some kind of number one contender battle royal Monday on Raw and immediately be a credible threat to Cena's championship. And CM Punk is such a big superstar that he doesn't have many avenues he can go down. He will lose to Undertaker, but he almost has to stay in the WWE Championship picture because a feud with anyone else seems like a huge demotion.

 

[Ellye]

Interestingly, the Rock spent less time acting like a heel last night....and more time boosting himself in the eyes of the audience, which is what a face should do, but not what Rock usually does. Normally, he behaves like a heel, yet gets cheered to the skies, anyway.

Meanwhile, John Cena, who is a face that gets booed unmercifully, spent last night building himself up as a heel.....and it all points to a possible heel change for Cena at WM29.

I've noticed this too, but I believe it will end up just being a swerve, not unlike last year.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes in John Cena if he loses this match, though (and, while unlikely, I think that this is a possibility). Not necessarily a heel turn, but some changes to his character, even if just temporary.

But anyway, I won't be disappointed if it ends up just being a clean win for Cena with no real consequence. I'm in the minority around here regarding this, I believe, but I like John Cena much, much more than The Rock. So I would actually be quite satisfied with a clean and conclusive win for Cena.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Well actually, I do. I was rooting for the Rock at RR and EC, and was about ready to murder someone when Punk pinned The Rock.

Dude, I respect the hell out of Cena & I won't be devastated if (okay, when) he wins. However, I do take issue with some of his more obnoxious fans, who seem to think that The Rock is a worthless piece of shit.

You mean the way that Punk marks do?

The fact is Rock winning the belt was good for business, just as Cena winning it off Rock will be.

And whoever wins it off of Cena, it will be good for them, as long as it's booked properly. And if Cena were a heel when he loses it, however unlikely, it will be even better for whoever takes it from him.

 

[steven87gill]

You mean the way that Punk marks do?

The fact is Rock winning the belt was good for business, just as Cena winning it off Rock will be.

And whoever wins it off of Cena, it will be good for them, as long as it's booked properly. And if Cena were a heel when he loses it, however unlikely, it will be even better for whoever takes it from him.

I'm not sure we actually disagree on anything here, I'm a Punk fan, but I'm no mark of his, and I too have an issue with fans of his who suddenly seem to think The Rock is garbage, even though most of them were his best buddies when he returned in 2011 and heading into last years WM, but because their golden boy lost to him, suddenly he's stealing the spotlight, paper chamption, part time superstar, ect, ect, ect, ad infinitum.

 

[Shocky]

Fuck this match. The Rock and John Cena have put together one of the worst builds to a Mania WWE title match I think I can remember. The build has been bad, painfully bad. These two mailed it in for this feud. It reminds me an awful lot of Lesnar vs. Goldberg at Mania 20. Goldberg couldn't work the Mania build because he was shooting Santa's Slay, so Austin stepped into work with Lesnar and keep the build going. Unfortunately, this Rock/Cena feud hasn't had Austin to keep it interesting.

I honestly can say I don't care at all for this match. The match last year was underwhelming and over rated. The match this year is going to be more of the same. Redemption, who gives a damn about redemption? I care about the WWE title being on the line at Wrestlemania, but unfortunately I care more than the characters of John Cena and The Rock.

My Pick: John Cena. It won't be a heel turn that needs to happen, it'll be Cena winning clean, and the story of his redemption will be complete, and we'll be right back to where we were before this painful feud started before Wrestlemania 27, in the same exact place. Cena will be on top, Cena will still get mixed reactions, and we'll go back to the bore of the post Mania season with Cena on top. Last year the build was something to remember, this year the build makes me hope I never see these two wrestle again.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

What's going to happen with John Laurinitis? Is this going to be a factor? Could it factor into Cena's heel turn? Could John Laurinits end up as heel Cena's manager?

It seems very suspicious that they brought him back out of nowhere then haven't really mentioned him again. They brought him back and made it look like he was mad at Cena because Cena got him fired. That's why I'm thinking he'll factor into Cena's turn.

 

[MCMG]

I have never thought of a Cena heel turn but big Johnny has made me think. It is very strange that he appeared for one show. He would be the perfect candidate to turn Cena. I still think that Cena wins clean and remains face but it has made me think.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Along with Cena's reactions and expressions, the presence of Laurenitus adds to the fuel for the fire that is Cena's heel turn. Whether or not it happens is inconsequential because the seeds have been planted and the whole will he/won't he with Cena turning heel is part of the selling point for the match.

The logical outcome is that Cena wins clean (possibly with a similar ending from last year just having the roles reversed and Rock losing because he tries to mock Cena) and he moves onto a fued that involves Laurenitus.

 

[Da Solo]

Fuck this match. The Rock and John Cena have put together one of the worst builds to a Mania WWE title match I think I can remember. The build has been bad, painfully bad. These two mailed it in for this feud. It reminds me an awful lot of Lesnar vs. Goldberg at Mania 20. Goldberg couldn't work the Mania build because he was shooting Santa's Slay, so Austin stepped into work with Lesnar and keep the build going. Unfortunately, this Rock/Cena feud hasn't had Austin to keep it interesting.

I honestly can say I don't care at all for this match. The match last year was underwhelming and over rated. The match this year is going to be more of the same. Redemption, who gives a damn about redemption? I care about the WWE title being on the line at Wrestlemania, but unfortunately I care more than the characters of John Cena and The Rock.

My Pick: John Cena. It won't be a heel turn that needs to happen, it'll be Cena winning clean, and the story of his redemption will be complete, and we'll be right back to where we were before this painful feud started before Wrestlemania 27, in the same exact place. Cena will be on top, Cena will still get mixed reactions, and we'll go back to the bore of the post Mania season with Cena on top. Last year the build was something to remember, this year the build makes me hope I never see these two wrestle again.

The build to this match could have been so much better, but to be honest, when you think about how much they've accomplished outside of the two weeks without Rock, the WWE turned shit to sugar. 3 weeks ago, people bitched and bitched and bitched about how this build was gonna suck because Rock wasn't there and Cena couldn't carry the feud and they were counting on the match to sell itself like it kinda did last year. Now, everyone is tuned in because they created reasonable doubt towards Cena staying face, which was an excellent swerve. Maybe you really did hate the buildup, but in my eyes it redeemed itself, and I think too many people on these boards already had the preconceived notion to hate this match because Rock beat their golden boy Punk and Cena's win looked inevitable.

To be honest, I can't see face Cena leaving the arena with the title. Either Rock retains and Cena goes apeshit (that night or the Raw after) or Cena wins a dirty win, maybe with Laurinitis or maybe he grabs the tights or uses the ropes and then snaps on a promo the next night.

 

[The Warlord]

Would like to see Rock win. Not because I hate Cena, Im actually a fan of his. I just like to see drama...its what I love about pro wrestling. There would be nothing more dramatic or shocking than to see Rock pull out another win and make the fans' jaws hit the floor.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

It's is your draw match. I'd personally have Rock go over again. That would likely require Rock/Cena III though so who knows. It'll have a hot crowd and be a really good match.

 

[The Eighties]

I didn't like their first match, Rock has looked blown up in all 3 singles matches he has had so far so I am not expecting much as far as match quality goes.

The build has been mostly boring but the segment with the HOF panel was really strong and even though I think Cena wins clean and the status quo is maintained, I have to credit WWE with planting enough doubt that a large portion of the IWC fanbase seem to be at least buying into the possibility of the Cena heel turn, which will increase the buys from what seemed a definite outcome in almost everybody's eyes.

 

[Carlito_Orton]

I doubt Cena's turning heel but if he does that'll definetly be a better ending to WM29 then just Cena winning clean. I made a prediction video though discussing why I think Cena's going to win and also addressing how I could see a heel turn pan out at mania for Cena if it happens.
[youtube]PSKoY8ikcDE[/youtube]

 

[Dagger Dias]

Alright, everyone. Here we are. This is where "once in a liftetime" turns into "once in lifetime until we realize what an awful mistake we made with the result of the match and think we will make a ton of money off of a rematch anyway". The Rock and John Cena are facing each other again at Wrestlemania this year in a rematch but this time it's for the WWE Championship. Two generational heroes at the biggest show of the year, facing each other for the most prestigious belt in the business. This is what being a wrestling fan is all about. It truly doesn't get any bigger than this and I for one am extremely excited about the match.

The build has been very well done. By far the best for me was the segment where they had the panel of legends doing a promo with Rock and Cena. It helped add on to the importance of the match. I stand by my statement that I have been stating for the entirety of the past year. Cena should have won last year. That was one of the worst booking decisions in the last decade. He will be winning this year. WWE have to realize that since the fans already place The Rock on such a high pedestal he does not gain anything from a victory. He will remain over forever no matter what he does. Cena DESPERATELY needs the victory here. The haters will still hate him, but at least the fans will know once and for all that he can defeat The Rock.

If WWE make The Rock win again, they will be making a colossal mistake. If they want a wrestler to ever reach The Rock's level again, this is their chance. WWE, do the right thing and give John Cena the win in this match. I expect them to be able to do better than last year's match which was only memorable due to the year long hype. The match itself wasn't much to write home about, so it shouldn't be too difficult for the two to do better this year. I fully expect it to go on last on the card and I hope John Cena wins. There will probably be extremely cool entrances too. The Rock most likely leaves afterward until Summerslam or so while Cena moves on to his next challenger, Ryback maybe?

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
John Cena will win the WWE Championship.

 

[Elchicano15]

I believe John Cena is leaving the event tomorrow night as Champion. I was thinking just maybe we were going to get swerved again, like with the Rock winning last year. At least that's what I once predicted, especially since I was hearing the Rock may be around for the Extreme Rules PPV. This year however I believe Cena will finally get a win on the big stage for the first time in a few years, win the belt and not turn heel. It would be nice especially since the roster has plenty of faces, and with CM Punk rumored to be taking time off it would make a lot of sense. However John Cena will win the title and still continue to be face.

 

[Ian Flames]

Newbie here...

Personally I do not care for this match. Cena will win, shake hands with The Rock afterwards then Rock/Cena will team up afterwards to face The Shield. Boring, predictable.

To those expecting a Cena heel turn: forget it. It's not going to happen, so save yourselves the disappointment in advance. Not only is he the face of the company, but he is also WWE's representative for the Make A Wish Foundation.

I had to chuckle because I searched "Cena heel turn" in Google News and found dozens of articles, mostly from the Bleacher Report all predicting or hoping for a Cena heel turn just like last year. Vince McMahon must be laughing his arse off at the IWC and he is positively milking the anticipation and hopes of those over 15 who have been wanting him to turn to the dark side for years.

Anyway, prediction: Cena clean win, shake hands, boring.