Columns - Online World of Wrestling

WRESTLING COLUMNS

Respect The Champ
April 10, 2006 by Nathan Dewey

First of all, I would like to commend the WWE for a fantastic WrestleMania this year, which was held in Chicago in front of one of the most overwhelming crowds I've seen in a while. On that night, the main event saw the WWE Champion John Cena defend the title against the self proclaimed "King of Kings" Triple H. Throughout the match, John Cena was viciously booed by the massive crowd. Realizing that Cena has been booed many times before, this is really the first time the WWE really acknowledges the fact. In the end however, John Cena showed his heart and determination with a surprise tap out victory. Which leads me to my topic in this column "Respect the Champ."

With thousand of fans outraged with John Cena's popularity, and many others loyal members of the "Chain Gang," Cena's reign has become a hot topic in the world of professional wrestling. However, me being a life long avid fan of the WWE, I've decided to try and shed some positivity on this.

John Cena arrived midway into the year 2003. He faced off against Kurt Angle in his first match and quickly grew to become a heel. His white-rapper gimmick was booed by 'traditional wrestling fans" across the globe; however over time, with the help of Angle and Lesnar, Cena became the bad guy everybody liked. And why did we like him" Because he had attitude. With a surge of popularity after Royal Rumble 2005, John Cena was given a massive boost going into WrestleMania 21 and capturing his first WWE Championship. From here, everything went downhill for Cena. Fans across the globe no longer saw Cena as a wrestler, instead they saw him as a money maker and a cheap talking rapper. With the release of his first rap CD "You Can't See Me," the fans despised Cena for his overwhelming merchandise sales and air time. Which leads into my first argument. What was Hulk Hogan, or Stone Cold Steve Austin without merchandise or time on the mic" Anybody who knows wrestling realizes Hulk Hogan was one of the worst "wrestlers"

to hold the championship in terms of mat technique. But, that never deterred obsesses from continually chanting "Hogan... Hogan!" still to this day. No, he wasn't a pure athlete like Kurt Angle or Bret Hart, but he was an entertainer. Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn't the best wrestler, but he was a helluva entertainer and a best seller for different lame black T-Shirts with plain white text every month. The Rock was definitely not one of the best wrestlers, but he was an entertainer... rivalling Stone Cold as one of the best. I could go on, but you get the picture.

When it comes down to wrestling entertainment, what we see is what we get. John Cena isn't the greatest athlete in the world. He doesn't have too much flash but he has the charisma and the persona that can be built to sell out events. I can't count how many times I've watched match's of Cena's being hyped over weeks and weeks and still keep my interest. Passion is the fuel for any superstar and the fame comes with. John Cena's career has been nothing but definite blacks and whites. Either you hate him or you, love him. And personally, I can't see any one else carrying the company right now. Then again there are always those Triple H fans with the same lame excuses that he's the best in the bizz and will jump the gun and argue the fact, but how many times will we see Triple H's name show up after every other name in the Championship history list. Give him the Intercontinental title for crying out loud.

Since when did the promo become more integral to a superstars success than actual mat skills" When the company was saved by Hulkamania, that's when. However, a counter claim to that may be 'but that was when wrestling was garnered towards the younger generation.' True. but fans today hold on the memories of the past way too much. WrestleMania has become a massive extravaganza, and in order to get obsesses pumped for the event, they relive classic moments of when we were younger. Ever think this may be playing a role into modern day's superstars" Now I realize these facts may be controversial to some, but it's all quite simple. WWE is not looked at from a present perspective, it's gradually the entire scope of its history that's become the center of attention.

John Cena has proven time and time again that he can put on a great match. In 2005, Vengaence saw John Cena battle Christian and Jericho in an excellent match. A month later Jericho and Cena had an entertaining feud which was finished at Summerslam in a good match. Cena then went toe to toe with Angle at least four times, each match being very entertaining, especially the triple threat at Taboo Tuesday. And even though, Cena continually proves his dominance, the haters keep spitting in his face. What does this guy have to do" He's already done everything. He's already beaten "the measuring stick" by making him tap out in the main event. Call me stupid but that's what Benoit did - in a triple threat match two years ago. Does that amount to anything" This is where the haters claim that Cena got a push way to soon. Benoit has been wrestling for twenty years and Cena's only been wrestling for four. Even more impressive I say.

Now I examine how dull some fans have become. Wrestling today is marred with corporate crap. Behind the scenes, political jargon has been released week in and week out, for every fan to gossip and start making personal comments and we have a right to. This still doesn't change the fact that Chicago fans (no offense to them, personally I loved their enthusiasm) almost ruined a "WrestleMania Momment" when Rey Mysterio won the title at WrestleMania. Whatever happened to Rey's nearly 20 year career" The smallest champion ever defies the odds at the Royal Rumble and wins the World Heavyweight Championship on the biggest stage of them all and still hasn't earned the respect of loyal wrestling fans. This is ridiculous. With Rey living a dream, It has become a pointless debate on whether or not he can carry the company.

I once despised John Cena. I hated his ways and often times ridiculed his generic wrestling moves. However, I changed and realized he's more than that. This realization wasn't caused by his presence on RAW being beaten into my skull week in and week out, it was a revolution that Cena can really become role model for everyone. He doesn't back down from a fight. He doesn't care if you hate him. He's just being him, just like your Stone Colds and your Rocks. But other than that, he possesses one of the most important traits of a talented performer: the art of storytelling. Who cares if people think Cena is just there to make more money for the McMahon's, you don't know him and neither do I, so why make assumptions. All I can say is Cena has earned my respect, and that's not easy. Consider me a member of the Chain Gang... actually, I'll save that for another time. So respect the franchise, those who ride with the champ, keep ridin', cause the champ is still here and he'll be here for a long time.

These are my personal thoughts, share yours. Am I nuts, or do you agree" Thanks for the feedback on my previous column "The Natural."

by Nathan Dewey ..

adil alhinai wrote:
i agree on your views completely, for instance john cena is going through what the rock went through earlier in his career with the rocky sucks chants, and look at him now, fans are begging him to come back. hulk hogan thee worst wrestler ever, a body builder, 6 time wwe champion, most popular wrestler to date and why though, he has 3 moves, hulking up, big boot leg drop and the 1,2,3 its annoying seeing him get beaten up for 99% of the macth yet he still wins with that combination over and over again,

its sad to see john cena boo'd for doind hes job ok, plus hes charecter is not a old school type submissionist, he has to be a brawler, maybe hes not the dean malenko of the wwe, but he has heart courage and without that half of the wwe superstars.

Alain Guillen wrote:
Ok Benoit made him tap out 2 years ago, but Benoit never got the chance until 2004 when he won the royal rumble. Had 2 times before to win the WWE title, but was always overturn. Cena was pushed too far and so was Orton, but Orton lost the belt in Unforgiven 2004, yet Cena still holds the belt. Cena "You can See me" is getting old, maybe he should turn his back on his fans and become a heel. Cena's gimmick is over. His time is over. It time for Edge's Era or HHH's.

Rick Murray wrote:
Dude, this is sad! The problem with John Cena, I don't care that you've heard this a hundred times, is that he has lost all the excellent moves he used to employ in his earlier matches.

He is booed because, simply enough, no-one likes a white rapper (especially one whose rhymes consist primarily of gay jokes to his opponents).

On the other topic you tried to subtly sneak into your un-thought-through column, Rey Mysterio wasn't cheered for because of two reasons!

1. The issue of the entire story being a capitalization on a beloved wrestlers death (R.I.P Eddie), and the fact that Rey would not be in the title hunt otherwise, and -
2. He is a 'cruiserweight' challenging for the 'World Heavyweight Championship'! Do you see the problem there. And it was against two actual heavyweights who everyone would've preffered to win the title.

No, my poor deluded fellow obsessee, today's wrestling fans do not dwell on the past because they wish the current superstars were more like thier old favourites, they dwell because they long for the days when wrestling characters/storylines were original and despair at what the WWE has become.

Jackson Daugherty wrote:
I was apart of that crowd that oh so viciously booed Cena during his match with Triple H, and I can tell you first hand why the "traditional" wrestling fans in Chicago hate Cena so much. It actually has very little to do with us seeing him as a corporate sell-out to the McMahons, or becuase he sells so many t-shirts. When Cena first arrived on the Cena his gimmick was very entertaining, I was excited to see the slow-rapping Cena pin the Big Show, solidifying his reign at the top of the mid-card, but thats exactly where one should be with that sort of gimmick, AT THE MID-CARD. We fans were so disgusted when Cena won the premier title in American Pro-Wrestling and proceeded to desecrate it by "blinging" it up and putting a spinner on it. The mid-card gimmicks such as Cena or the Spirit Squad or Eugene should never be put anywhere close to a major world title. The fans disgust and outrage would be similar if the lovable Eugene was awarded with the top prize. Triple H, the definition of a World Champion, was our last hope that WWE would realize its fatal error. But Triple H, the supposed greatest "real" wrestler left TAPPED OUT to Cena and a move that even has a gimmick name (STFU). I'm a wrestling fan, not a WWE fan, nor a "Sports-entertainment" fan and I won't let Vince McMahon tell me who to cheer for. Let's be reminded that the people he had great matches with (Angle, Jericho) are all amazing workers. thats why the matches were good, not becuase of Cena. The only hope left for Cena is to turn him heel like the Rock, but even then signifigant damage has already been done. Let's just hope that Batista will get off the roids, stop tearing triceps, so he can come back and destroy Cena.

Steven Looker. wrote:
You try to tell us that Cena is a good wrestler by highlighting his matches with Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho, so I want to ask you this, Can you name me anybody on the WWe roster that can put on a bad match against either of these men. I'll save you some time and tell that you that the answer is NO. Angle and Jericho are both great athletes and in-ring story tellers, Cena didn't have anything to do with these matches being great all he had to do was turn up.

Kevin Roberts wrote:
Im am sick and tired of everyone ripping John Cena for no reason. People say his gimmick sucks, well, he really doesnt have a gimmick, its more of him just being himself. I think people are just mad 'cause he's not some punk-rocker like Edge or a cerebral assassin like you-know-who. People are so quick to label Cena's "rap gimmick" like he still freestyles or something, and if he did, so what, he's just being himself. I have the privilege of hanging out with Cena while working security at a house show last year, and i have to tell you that the whole "rap" thing is not a gimmick, its who he really is. Its not he trying to be a rapper 'cause he is one, who just happens to wrestle or vice-versa. Speaking of wrestling, people are also ripping Cena 'cause he doesnt do a lot of moves ...... so what, he's entertaining and thats what got him over in the first place. Wrestling would be boring if everyone was a Chris Benoit, you have to have a mixture. John Cena will be a legend, regardless of what you band- wagoners think. He'll be turning heel soon after he loses the belt to HHH or Edge (guess that means Edge will be a face again), and maybe thats a solution that will work for everyone.

Kevin Hamilton wrote:
Do you really think Cena is the best person to be holding the title" True Hulk Hogan can't wrestle. Back in that time it entertainment was needed that's why fans liked him. There is no need for Triple H to be champ but give to a young person that can wrestle or some that deserves it such as Shelton Benjamin or Kane. The WWE is worrying to much about their wrestlers' mic skills and not about their wrestling skills. The Sprit Squad is better than cena but they are stuck with some dumb ass gimmick and Cena can't wrestle out of a paper bag.

Bullen wrote:
First of all, are you trying to maintain kayfabe"" Wrestling-results of a match are pretermined and there are no legit "courage" or "heart" shown by a winner of a match. I mean come on! How old are you" Please tell me why John Cena shows great heart, when the only thing he does is winning in a sport with faked competition, in fact he's one of those who often doesn't show heart for real. He has really basic matches with no dangerous spots or maneuvers. He rarely or never takes hard bumps. Matt Capotelli, Ric Flair or Mick Foley are corrageus guys of wrestling, who has shown great heart a lot of times. The reference to Rock is just bad, man. while Rocky was booed in the early stages of his career, being just a midcarder holding the IC-belt with lousy booking etc, Cena is an established main eventer holding the WWE-belt. As recognized, he is a bad wrestler. People then say that he, just like Hogan backs it up with acting skills. Yeah right! First, Hogan would have NEVER worked today, and second, only 25 % of the fans thinks his childish jokes are actually funny. People don't really buy this supermangimmick anymore. Rock and Stonecold were interesting when they were themselves, but Cenas just a funny guy without a personality. Why does the people boo Cena and cheer HHH and others" Because they are actually entertaining and has some depth in their performance, going way deeper than "YO, MTV rap". And STFU just doesn't work. Cena is not trained in grappling or chain-wrestling so he applies it poorly, actually making it a choke and the referee should start a 5 count and break the hold instead of giving Cena the victory. The hold has no credibilty because it was never built up properly. Chris Masters for instance is a bad technical wrestler like Cena, but the fans respects his Masterlock because no-one has broken it and so on. Everytime Cena makes someone tap out to his STF a little Leprechaun called logic just shouts "BULLSHIT!" in my ear. "Wonder" why. FU on the other and is also a move that kind of sucks, but It's actually impressing if he picks up a heavy guy and performs it. Could've worked, too bad that the bookers wanted to make it look to powerful.

Taylor wrote:
Amen brother! You hit a lot of good points on John Cena. I'm a member of the Chain Gang and am proud to see someone finally express the same respect for John Cena that I have.

True, John Cena isn't the best wrestler in the WWE. But that's alright because it's not his style. He isn't a mat technician, he's a street fighter/brawler. So it shouldn't be a surprise why the fans don't see him pull off moves that Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle or Bret Hart would do.

I do find it pretty weird how the fans keep booing him. Booing John Cena is like booing Hogan, Austin, Rock and Foley (Who are still over with a lot fans to this day). Those guys weren't the greatest when it came to pure mat-skills and they were money-makers when it came to merchandise sales and being shoved down the fans' throats, but they would go out there and give it everything they had for the fans. And the fans loved them and kept cheering for it.

John Cena may have been wrestling for four years, but that shouldn't make a difference in him earning his stripes. It's how those years were used that matters. When he debuted back in 2002, he was just a dull generic wrestler. Before he adopted his rapper gimmick, he didn't really go anywhere. He built moderate success slowly as a heel which then transferred to great success as a face over the past three WrestleManias. When he debuted, he wasn't pushed too fast, which is what happened with Brock Lesnar. Cena won the title in less than 3 years whereas Lesnar won the title in less than 6 months.

I also agree that Cena does have what it takes to be a role model. It seems like over the years, he has become the epitome of the everyday man. You know, the kind of guy that was constantly told that he couldn't cut it no matter how it went down. But Cena has passion and heart and he goes out there and gives it his all. That's something to really admire.

Jon Rosaler wrote:
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING THIS COLUMN!! 250% agree with you. John Cena is not the best,but he is not the worst. (He started in WWE in 2002) John has been known do never Quit (A good example would be the Judgement day "I Quit" Match) John got a major pop on that pay-per-view. One of many reasons is people miss John Cena on Smackdown! I don't mind him on Raw, I just prefer him a SD! superstar,which could happen at the next draft lottery. John Cena reminds me of the late Superboy (Yes, I am comparing Cena to a Comic Book Series) Nobody has ever of this name. When someone looks at a picture of Superboy they think he is Superman. WRONG,people! Cena is a Hero like The Late Superboy. Despite not being liked so much, Cena does what he does. Cena I'm not sure will be as good as Stone Cold or The Rock,but still is good. Just like Superboy, he won't ever be as good as Superman (due to being dead.) Thank you for writing this column. John Cena is no Dean Malenko,but he has the same determination as him (if Malenko has Determination.)

Derrick Cannon wrote:
Nathan you hit my point right on the head. Before everyone at OWW starts calling me a master of hipocracy what was Hogan without mic skills and the entertainment value, what made Austin sure you can talk about his matches with Bret and HBK, but what made him into a legend, a simple catch phrase Austin 3:16, intriguing storylines, and famed rivalries. The Rock was all about entertainment, remember Rocky the Blue Chipper when he debuted, he got nothing but boos chants from Rocky Sucks quickly turned to die Rocky die, the Rock changed his attitude popped the infamous eyebrow and look where he is today, hollywood, and so far he's been a success. My point is you can boo Cena but don't forget where some of your favorite wrestllers came from, if there is one true neccessary ingredient it is this word.....passion

MCT wrote:
I agree with some things in your passage. It was a good article but somewhere in there you said John Cena has only been wrestling four years and Benoit has been wrestling 20. John Cena has been around four about a good 8 years. He was highly praised as "The Protoype" in his indy days. Only reason I believe fans hate John Cena because girls like him. Jeff Hardy was always constantly cheered by the female audience while majority of the guys boo'd. Granted, Hardy was never (and probably never) be World Champion in WWE is another thing. In closing, I like John Cena because he brings a uniqueness to the WWE. He maybe the 1st guy to publicly just be himself on the mic. The Rock and Stone Cold for the most part, had writeen lines and doubtful Rock walked around calling people "Roody Poo's" I hope Cena stays around for a long time because Im sure once HHH wins the title back, many people are going to be angry again.

[Name Removed] wrote:
This does absolutely nothing to change my mind on Cena. In my opinion, he's a mid-carder at best whose flaws have been exposed since moving to the main event, who has been shoved down our throats week after week.

It's nothing to do with merchandise sales that people hate him. How would you explain Stone Cold, DX, nWo, The Rock, there's no animosity toward them is there, just because they shifted merchandise" And, you have to be absolutely kidding me, Stone Cold and The Rock weren't the greatest wrestlers around" Of course, they weren't in the same technical league as Kurt Angle, but they were great at their style. Which isn't what can be said about Cena. Stone Cold has to be one of the best brawlers around, Cena, for a street thug, is absolutely dreadful. Do you see those punches he throws" And what street thug 'pumps up' his trainers"

To be honest, I'd rather Triple H at the top right now. He may not be the wrestler he was, but if you turned him face, gave him the comedy side of his persona back, hell, give him an ally in Shawn Michaels and reform DX with just those two, it would be a hell of a lot more entertaining that constantly hearing 'the champ is here' and 'you can't see me'.

Granted, I feel charisma is needed these days to keep fans interested, as the best matches always involve the fans having some sort of attachment to the wrestler and his persona. But you need at least average wrestling ability at worst to get the World title, which Cena doesn't have. Back in the 80s it was easier, as it was based more on the entertainment side; it was the big guys with superhuman physiques simply wowing the crowd. That's died out. A lot of fans are after proper wrestling, technical, entertaining wrestling, not just matches strung together with 3 moves. It also helped that along with the superhuman physique everyone had in the 80s, Hogan had superhuman charisma, unrivalled by the majority that have come since him. Whilst Cena does have charisma, he's nowhere near Hogan.

On your mention of Mysterio, I have to say that in my eyes it's not to do with Mysterio himself, it's the way he's become champion. The way I see it, WWE have only given him the title as a dedication to Eddie Guerrero, which is over the top. I've always wanted to see Mysterio as champion, it's just a shame it's had to happen in this way. I believe he's only got that title to get more out of Eddie Guerrero, when they should just let the poor man rest in peace. If people don't agree with me by all means say so, as I don't want to speak for everyone, but that's just the way I see it. Besides, whether he has fan's respect or not (I think he has the majority of fan's respect), no doubt people would have still asked questions of his ability to carry the company, for various reasons. He may be well-liked, but I've never truly seen him to be amazingly charismatic, and obviously his size brings a few doubts. It is called the World Heavyweight Championship after all, and while to be honest I have nothing against Mysterio holding it, there's going to be people who don't see him as a World Heavyweight Champion.

I hate replying this long, but I just have to get it out!

Ktrainham wrote:
I read the columns on this website daily. I must say, this piece you wrote was the best I read in a while. I am so sick of reading all the Cena bashing from the internet geeks. Good job on comparisons with Hogan, Rock, and Austin. How long would it take for those geeks to beg for Cena to come back if he left to pursue a Hollywood career"

Chris Romero wrote:
I totally disagree with this article. John Cena's gimmick is BAD. He doesn't have the humor and/or wit of a Rock or Stone Cold (which by the way are a bit underrated when it comes to actual wrestling skills). I'm tired of seeing is stupid, goofy, boring ass promos every week, only to come out and have boring matches. I'm sick of his bullshit week in and week out. They're trying so hard to recapture the whole, Everyone is against me Stone Cold gimmick. It's old.

Another thing, HHH gets a bad rap because he's the boss' son-in-law. I doubt he wants to just push himself and ruin the company he'll one day run, and he doesn't need a title to have heat or be a top guy.

If they keep wanting to shove this Marky Mark looking guy Cena down our throats every week then fine, but me and the several friends that I have that are fans around here won't cheer or respect him, just because he's a face or because he deserves it. Last time I checked, bad gimmicks and bad in-ring skills gets you fired.

I know, this is kind of long, but this is something that has been bothering me about wrestling lately. These online columnists say how people are just following a trend by booing Cena, but these same people do the same thing when the live events come around. I never liked this guy to begin with, heel or face. The rapper gimmick doesn't work if you're from suburban Boston. Except in the case of Ron Killings, this gimmick doesn't work at all. I like Ron Killings, he's exciting in the ring and out, but could never feel the same for Cena. All in all, I refuse to respect this guy because anyone told me to.

Phil Tavares wrote:
"John Cena arrived midway into the year 2003. "....is what Nathan Dewey wrote, which is completely FALSE. I actually remember being in attendence at Backlash in Worcester, MA in April of 2003. At that point Cena, when people actually liked him, was battling Lesnar for the belt and had already been in the WWE for almost a year at that point.

Now that that is out of the way, You say Hogan couldn't/can't wrestle...even though I'm pretty sure he pulls off more manuevers in his matches than Cena. Cena doesn't 'wrestle'. He 'fights'. He kicks. He punches. He throws himself all over the ring and then pumps up his shoes.....No WONDER everyone boo's him! At least Hogan can entertain the crowd.... And Cena tries to be funny like the Rock/Austin, but doesn't come anywhere close.

Bottomline: Cena needs to drop the belt. People only watch Raw to Cena lose/get beat up or just to hear the boo's like me.

Adam Veltri wrote:
Besides not being a good wrestler, his gimmick has become stale and only appeals to kids. Hogan and Rock were able to tweak their gimmicks to keep themselves over, that is the difference between Cena and those two. Also, since the 80's, when was the last time a face champion held the title as long as Cena. Maybe Kevin Nash as Diesel but those weren't very good days for the WWF/E at that time. Faces are always more over chasing a heel champions. I'm not saying faces should never win, but they should never have a very lengthy run in this day and age due fans getting tired and bored with them. His stale gimmick and extensive run as champion is what has led to the boos, Cena could rebound though with a heel turn. RVD and Edge will help make the WWE title interesting for the rest of 2006 as they both add some much needed freshness to the mainevent scene on RAW.

John Austin wrote:
This is something I touched on in a few of my responses to other columns: John Cena is a DECENT wrestler, I saw him do some impressive moves in OVW, including the variation of the octopus stretch that starts as a simple russian leg-sweep. and for the record too, PLEASE STOP SAYING HOW BAD A WRESTLER HULK HOGAN IS/WAS, because he was actually quite talented, especially in his younger days, and if you have ever seen his Japan footage. He was trained by Hiro Matsuda, one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, and the last time you actually get to see some of that technique that Hogan learned was the Bash at the Beach '94 match against Ric Flair. Rent it guys, and look at the Fujiwara armbar he puts on Flair and the way he applies the figure-four leg-lock. When Steve Austin entered the then-WWF, he was Ted Dibiase's "technical wizard", known then as the "Ringmaster", and showed a vast array of technical moves. The problem these three men had, as they entered the spotlight of being World Champion, was how Vince McMahon prefers his good-guy champions "commercial", as they all follow the routines of dominating the first 5 minutes of the match, getting their asses kicked for the next 20 or so, then having the "superman-like" comeback and winning the match, being the epitome of sports-entertainment. I personally think that, being a "Native Chicagoan", that the reason the fans booed Cena is because his gimmick has ran its course. The "Eminem" thing was more entertaining as a heel, mainly because nowadays he doesn't even poke fun at his opponents the way he used to as a heel. A fresh change for him would be to turn him heel right now, let him further develop his gimmick as a bad guy champion, and the right time will come around for him to switch again. Look at how it helped Randy Orton, who is younger than Cena but seems more established even though he is not champion. I think Cena should definitely turn heel and feud with Rob Van Dam over the title.

Tony Bruce wrote:
Why is it every cena mark seems to think because a fan liked the rock or liked hogan they have to like cena too because of the similarities. i never liked cenas gimmick and he's awful in the ring. period. say what you will but WWE should not be represented by such a green champion Hogan is also crap in the ring, didnt particularly like him either, the rock was good because he was an exciting personality and he knew how to make a match exciting, and told a story in the ring. you cant draw comparisons with other wrestlers n say 'fans have to like cena if they liked the rock' because it doesn't work that way, every fans entitled to their opinion n the boos speak volumes. sure there are some cena fans still n u guys can stick with him in his chain gang all you want but you're certainly not a majority.

destrothers wrote:
Even though John Cena is currently being booed by the masses, and people are clamouring for a change, imagine if he does lose the title at Backlash or sometime in the near future. They could set him up somewhere down the road to "snap' or something like that and become the true heel he is destined to be. Believe me, the people at WWE headquarters are definitely contemplating the 'ifs' as all us fans sit here and mumbo jombo over this situation as it is playing out on our tv's at home. It is 'almost' similar to what happened when Austin fought Bret, ironically in Chicago that year. people ended up wanting to cheer for Austin just like HHH, and Bret Hart played the part well up until the point of his departure in Montreal, which ended up lining up the WWE for the biggest payoffs it had in nearly a decade. TRUST me, the WWE is always in it for the payoff, and if it took 4-5 months down the road for cena to lose the title this month, 'snap' so to speak, put the title back on him just like they did Bret in 1997, and lead into a program where he is universally booed as champion instead of half-assed, it would make for a payoff of a lifetime, ESPECIALLY if they had a PPV in boston, it would be reminiscent of Bret coming in as the heel but being cheered by his hometown . I don't know if they are having a ppv in boston this year, but it would make for some dramatic TV of the likes we haven't seen in awihle.

Ryan Cassano wrote: Unfortunately for John Cena and most wrestling fans, I can pretty much summarize Cena's unpopularity in two words: Vince McMahon.

I assure you that I am not in the minority when I say that since WCW and ECW folded, wrestling has taken a new turn for the worst. Why McMahon decided to keep all of these assets publicly under the WWE umbrella, I'll never know. He should have purchased them, but kept them intact and run independently while he collected checks (a truer to life version of the Smackdown/RAw angle, which was terribly rushed and poorly thought though.)

Here's a guy that looked at ECW and said, "I want to support this, I think it's good for the business." Then when ECW is going underwater, he swallows it whole and profits from the nostalgia token DVDs, merchandise etc. instead of KEEPING THE SELLING PRODUCT ALIVE. If he thought the likes of ECW and hardcore were good for the business, why squelch it entirely" He should have funded it, got it a new TV deal and reaped the benefits from the comfort of his executive office. McMahon is better money collector than a mastermind. He doesn't have his finger on the pulse of today's wrestling fans.

The point of all this is that with no variety or options, we as fans have little to turn to, with the exceptions of TNA and indie promotions. When you control the market like McMahon does, you can't pigeon-hole fans and viewers into never-ending title reigns or gimmicks that are thought of by many viewers as thin or weak. John Cena is one of those products. He had his early place in the company, was eventually pushed too hard and has consequently been there too long. WWE is not dynamic in any way and therefore the talent suffers. Do I think John Cena sucks" Kinda, yeah. Do I blame Cena for that" Nope. He's probably just a regular guy, wanting to avoid getting hurt and doing what he's told for the sake of his life and/or family.

McMahon seems opposed to giving the business new life with different writers, different formats and of course, different talent. There's so much that could be done with the assets that he has, but don't expect to ever see that potential realized as long as he is in full creative control.

Richard wrote:
Still playing the same ole song and dance, huh" Respect Cena" Not on your life! This guy is worse than soggy oat bran and frozen grits! Have you ever tried frozen grits amigo" John Cena is so popular of a champion and WWE superstar, no wonder it is Shawn Michaels who is having the feud with the McMahons. Think about it.......................

Aaron Symosky wrote:
First off, I would like to say, he does not need to turn heel right now, there are not enough main-event faces to compete with him as a heel, that's why in the draft I think they will move a face or two to Raw. But anyway, you said Steve Austin is not what you would call a great wrestler, watch some of his matches as The Ringmaster, when he was part of The Million Dollar Corp.

Next, John Cena has a whopping list of 5, maybe 6 moves. He does the same routine before he is about to win. Example: Side drop, 5 knuckle shuffle, F-U. Do you know the outcome of the match when that starts to happen" Yes. It is stale, he comes out, and makes a few jokes, that's it. Watch his title defenses, he is losing most of the time.

I'm sick of people saying "You're just jealous of John Cena" No, we are not jealous, we are observers of WWE and wrestling in general. There's a reason for that, would you watch anything you couldn't criticize in anyway" No, the important thign is, is that we're talking about it. Look what WWE is doing to us with these bad decisions. Making us talk about them. Even bad publicity, is still publicity.

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