Let's recap, shall we?
1. Bray costs Cena the title at the Rumble. Cena hardly reacts and does not seem upset.
2. Cena forgets about Bray completely and Bray goes off to kick ass with the Shield. Then, Bray costs Cena the Elimination Chamber match.
3. In accepting Bray's challenge on Raw, Cena berates him and undermines his gimmick.
4. Leading up to the PPV, Cena beats all of Bray's followers while Bray says he'll break Cena's spirit.
5. At Mania, Cena beats Bray clean. Also, Cole said that if Cena won, Bray would be proven a false prophet, therefore undermining his gimmick more. (To be fair, on Raw the next night, Cole said Bray had "arrived at Mania," which is Cole for "Had his very protected finisher kicked out of and had all of his threats proven null and void, but had a sweet ass jacket.")
6. Two weeks after Mania, (after apparently this feud must continue, although what Cena has left to prove is beyond me) Cena makes fun of Bray's gimmick and weight.
7. The week after, Cena was about to single-handedly beat the Wyatt Family when they got themselves DQ'd. After a beat down, Bray sang his now less over song, apparently proving that he has a chance to win the match that will mean little after the big Mania loss.
Am I missing anything? I know they're high on Bray, but the booking has been very inspired, to say the least.
I was pretty high on WWE's direction going into and after Wrestlemania, (as, I believe, we all were) but the Cena/Wyatt feud has been really bugging me over the past few weeks.
Yup, welcome to the 2014 version of getting a huge push. Not to mention the ridiculous notion that Cena is the one who needs the cage match to protect him from the Wyatts, when he already beat Bray in the first place. Plus clearly the Wyatt Family is still going to interfere despite the cage stipulation, so why not do a different stip or just have Cena get two partners and do a six-man?
Vince Jordan is gonna have a field day with this one
ReplyDeleteThe fabulous world of WWE booking.
ReplyDeleteCould the thread get to 500?
ReplyDeleteIs this where someone jumps in and states that Bray Wyatt was getting too over, so they cool his jets with a cause-losing Cena feud? Then Wyatt can't recover, becomes less over until eventually they give up on him, and his awesome entrance music is playing as he's standing in the ring when we come back from break.
ReplyDeleteGod I hope cena fucks up their heat and makes the gimmick fail! Get yourself over here john...and no one else. Remember you're their to make kids dreams come true and heels are there to job so supercena the shit out of those dudes!
ReplyDeleteI am not a huge Wyatt fan, but this feud has annoyed me to no end... people defending it seriously have no concept of storytelling
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of last night was that Cena got his ass kicked, they went off the air with Bray cradling Cena's lifeless form while singing and yet, they just could NOT let Cena lose a match to three men clean. Just not doable.
ReplyDeleteAs the top Babyface, has John Cena really MADE anyone during his near ten years on top? The only one I can think of is Edge, who became a main eventer after his feud with Cena. Punk, maybe? So two guys in ten years were elevated by Cena.
ReplyDeleteSure, Daniel Bryan pinned him but that win was quickly forgotten with shockingly, HHH and Orton doing more to firmly making DB a top guy.
This feud has sucked after the initial few weeks.
ReplyDelete#ExpertAnalysis
Cena just needs to go away at this point.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting dynamic to this is that you'd bet the rebellious smart fans will eventually start cheering for Bray as he tries and takes down the corporate avatar in Cena.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, the Wyatts should have just triple teamed him right away, got DQ'ed and kept beating on him. Its not the loss, its the way Cena was booked to basically win the match before the DQ.
ReplyDeleteDo a six-man with partners? But then they would have to elevate someone like possibly The Usos, who consistently seem to be getting the best reaction week after week in the mid-card in both smark and mark cities.
ReplyDeleteHe did the same shit with the Shield when they were undefeated as well
ReplyDeletePlus we would miss out on the hot Rybaxel feud they are starting!
ReplyDeleteHe's over coming odds (and evens too)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why he gets so much of a pass from the "IWC". If Hogan or HHH did these same things they would be calling for their heads.
ReplyDelete(Cena, who was #1 in merchandise, sold five times much as the #2 top seller this past month.)
ReplyDeleteCena sold 5x as much merch as the runner up last month. 5 TIMES! 5 TIMES! 5 TIMES!The crowds at the shows are either split or hate him, but lots of Midwest bumblefucks watching on TV still love him, so fuck it. FUCK IT. Just accept that working a program with Cena is considered being "over" now and move on.
ReplyDelete"Just accept that working a program with Cena is considered being "over" now and move on."
ReplyDeleteNo
They also have 5x as much Cena stuff (if not a lot more) for sale than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteYou think if they gave Bryan or Punk circa 2011 that sort of merchandise push, things would be different?
The game is rigged man.
Thanks for the recap
ReplyDeleteYES!
ReplyDeleteClever
ReplyDeleteThe solution: Sell Shield facemasks and hoodies. Hell I bought a similar mask to use during my professional Rock Paper Scissors tournaments this season. Yes, that's a real thing.
ReplyDeleteI've made the "if it was Hunter/Hogan" comment many times. Somehow Cena gets forced into all these finishes that make Cena look like a superhero by the same guy who yelled at writers about how he puts food on their table.
ReplyDeleteBeaver? Wait no that was Cleavage...
ReplyDeleteI actually remember them covering that briefly on an episode of the WSOP a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI love it. Easiest way to win $250-1,000, so long as you can choke down massive amounts of our sponsor...PBR. Ya KNEW it had to be PBR.
ReplyDeletethat Daniel Bryan situation had nothing to do with Cena, though.
ReplyDeleteyou got the briefcase, I got the sheep mask.
ReplyDeleteI am most surprised that people are surprised.
ReplyDeleteSince the Nexus angle, there has been a pretty clear WWE pattern. Something new & different comes along...people (like here) get super excited...it's hot for a few weeks...and then everything reverts back to the way it was before and we get disappointed....then something new & different comes along...repeat, repeat, repeat.
Nexus, Punk 2011, Punk's title run, Daniel Bryan in 2013, Daniel Bryan in 2014...all roads lead back to John Cena as the Superman champion.
They CANNOT take a risk on anything, which is the problem with the WWE being a corporation. They know they can make x amount of dollars with Cena on top. Doing anything else is a question mark. Investors HATE question marks, which is why everyone sold their stock after the Network's first numbers came out.
This is a company that has lost money for 3 straight quarters and almost certainly will again in Q2. You have to stop thinking the WWE is a wrestling company and realize they are a corporation just like GM or Comcast. The last post about merchandise sales should tell you all you need to know about who the next guy is - it's John Cena, not Roman Reigns. And it will always be John Cena.
Cena on top is like the aging sitcom (The Office, Modern Family) that is beyond stale but makes money. The Office would still be on today if Steve Carell didn't leave. John Cena is going to be the #1 guy until he feels like taking a break.
Should we should be happy and silent about not liking/wanting that?
ReplyDeleteI know...but I was pointing it out more so if someone tried to counter me by arguing that Cena jobbed to Daniel as evidence of making him.
ReplyDeleteSome people don't seem to get it. I myself thought The Avengers film was a piece of shit, but they'd be idiots to pass up that money because I'm salty and butt hurt. Same logic for Cena.
ReplyDelete"John Cena is going to be the #1 guy until he feels like taking a break."
ReplyDeleteWhich will never happen because he's got the Hogan Syndrome...he believes his own hype. Not as virulent a case as Hogan, but still.
It was Milwaukee best. Keep your shitty beers straight
ReplyDeleteDoesn't mean people just have to accept it though
ReplyDeleteAll beer is shitty beer. That isn't even the sXe talking, even when I used to drink it a lot I never liked the taste of beer.
ReplyDeleteIt kinda does. I mean it's not going to happen, so either make peace with it or alternatively bitch about it every week in this blog until Cena retires and spends his days laughing at his fan club while swimming in pools of money.
ReplyDeleteNot in the Philly league it ain't. I actually like PBR though...it's probably the best of the shitty beers. Our other sponsor though, Jim Beam, blech.
ReplyDelete"This is a company that has lost money for 3 straight quarters and almost certainly will again in Q2."
ReplyDeleteCouldn't this help the case that Cena != Profit?
Im not a huge beer guy either and see your point. Not a huge distinction in taste for me. I'm just as happy drinking a cheap beer as I am drinking something expensive. The only few beers I proactively like is shit lile Magic Hat and Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me the most is that Cena HAS to know his promo material and angles are crappy (sigh...no pun intended) but he does nothing because he's such a company man. You can't tell me that a guy as smart as Cena doesn't have the stroke to improve his angles by putting the kibosh on stuff. The fact he doesn't means he's just as culpable as the creative team.
ReplyDeleteSide tangent: is there anything weirder than the collection of people who are pro poker players? Such fucking oddballs. I hated that fat guy Raymer.
ReplyDeleteHe is just as culpable as the creative team, and I don't think it's because he's a company man. I think he's a Hunter or a Hogan who is concerned enough with his public image to say sorry afterwards, as in the Jericho and Edge story about the SummerSlam 2010 finish. Keep saying sorry and people won't notice that's the 52nd time you've said sorry.
ReplyDeleteGood point.
ReplyDeleteWhat this feud needs is obviously more poopy jokes! Or Cena could steal Rowan's lamb mask and then put it on in order to have sex with Katie Vick's rotting diseased gangrenous corpse! That'll show those damn Wyatts!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'll say to counter that is that it looks like they are going to go full blast with Bryan right now as the #2 "Face of the Company" with maybe the potential to move beyond. Based on the way he was being presented on recent WWE Network shows, I think they are gonna give him a chance.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the Cena safety net will always be there, and they are gonna book him the "same old same old". But I'm at least willing to see where they go with this Bryan push during the Post WM Season.
That's all well and good until some dumb kid commits a crime while wearing WWE-made Shield gear. Nancy Grace would have several cows.
ReplyDeleteYeah keep your opinions to yourself buddy! This isn't an appropriate forum to give your dumb thoughts about wrestling.
ReplyDeleteCold beer > anything else
ReplyDeleteIf only Jim Ross was around to say, "Those Damn Dirty Wyatts!" whenever they wrecked havoc
ReplyDeleteYou're right. As long as WWE makes money FUCK my entertainment
ReplyDeleteThis is why the whole "it's not about winning for Bray" thing is sooooooooooo retarded. Then why does he go for pinfalls? Why wrestle at all? Why not just beat the shit out of Cena at the catering table? Or his hotel room?
ReplyDeleteBecause if I was a guy who fought other dudes for a living and wanted to make another dude in the same profession "snap" and "turn into a monster," attacking him when he's not expecting to have to fight would seem like a better way to do that.
Yeah but have you ever cena with his shirt off? Cmon he has big muscles.
ReplyDeleteHe should steal Kane's wife
ReplyDeleteSomeone recently raised the point that Bray losing at Wrestlemania really didn't hurt him, so they didn't see what the big deal was. OK, so Cena winning didn't really hurt Bray too much...but did it HELP anyone?
ReplyDeleteCena is pretty much bulletproof and is the top guy, so his status doesn't change win or lose. I'm even willing to concede the point that a Wyatt loss at Mania wasn't a huge deal...it wasn't a squash or burial, and as we saw at the Rumble, Bryan losing really didn't hurt him much. However, Wyatt beating Cena clean would have been huge for him in the long run, and it was the only finish that doesn't maintain the status quo.
I'm not advocating Cena turn into 2005 Ric Flair and job to anyone who will loan him money, but I just feel like Cena winning this feud doesn't help anyone long-term.
Now you're getting it MARK!
ReplyDeleteThis Is the strangest thing about wrestling fans. Wwe fans using wwes corporate profits as a rationalization for their bad decisions.. I admittedly find myself doing it also but movie fans don't give a fuck if a movie company makes a profit. They just want to see a good movie. Same thing with real sports fans, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why
This feud would've made a thousand times more sense if Wyatt would've won at mania with interference from the family. The need for a rematch would make sense, the cage stipulation would make sense. But, hey, we got photoshopped pictures of the Wyatts with Cena grinning, so I guess it's a hot feud.
ReplyDeleteJustin Bieber albums (probably) made a lot of money... sure that justifies continuing to make them, but no adult would (hopeful;ly) argue that a lot of sales makes it a quality product.
ReplyDeleteNow I've been a cena fan since exclusively watching smackdown in 04/05 and I hate the Wyatt's as a gimmick so to me this is glorious but in all honesty cenas merch sales and wwes stock #'s won't get impacted in any way shape or form if cena showed a little ass here. Frankly I hope he doesn't but I don't see any way it hurts the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteIts weird being on the wwes side for once. Cenation/chain gang stand tall!
ReplyDeleteThere is a joke about Cena showing ass and poopy to be made here... but it is almost lunch time and I am running out of energy so I can't figure it out...
ReplyDeleteWay to join the establishment SELL OUT! UNCLE TOM!
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain to me the plot of this feud? Not the booking, but the motivations? I mean, why does Bray give a shit about going after Cena? Bray certainly talks ALOT, but does any of it make any sense beyond, "It sounds cool"? Why wouldn't Bray be going after the title, held by his former protege Bryan, whom he beat cleanly? Granted, I know the answer is, "It's in the script" or "They need a feud for Cena", but honestly, does any of this make any sense even beyond the obvious answers?
ReplyDeleteI understand the story WWE is trying to tell (the Wyatts being more interested in getting into Cena's head and breaking him down so he'll do Bray's bidding than actually winning matches) but the execution as always is flawed. Cena's not a great actor with a ton of range, so he's not really able to sell "conflicted" or any other complex emotion, and he'll always go back to the "poopy joke "crutch whenever asked to go too far out of his comfort zone. And the announce team is terrible, so relying on them to effectively sell the story is foolhardy. Plus, WWE is leery about Cena losing on TV, PPV or anywhere else the kiddies might be watching. It's a recipe for failure when you're trying to get over some different and unique and yet are afraid to challenge the status quo.
ReplyDeleteSo you basically have a short, fat weirdo spouting gibberish with his ineffective goons standing behind him making silly faces, and everyone talks about how evil and dangerous they are and yet they never win matches or do anything particularly evil or dangerous or even interesting. If Bray wasn't so committed to get this thing over, they'd probably already be a midcard comedy act by now. He's working his ass off promo-wise, but until he starts beating people or actually converting people to his "cause", it's only a matter of time before the fans stop taking him seriously.
Right now, the Wyatt feel like the WCW version of an ECW gimmick. That's...not good.
The thing about Cena turning heel is that no organic wrestling angle has done a huge spike in business for YEARS. Even Punks MITB 11 angle didn't really kill it business wise. I like preacher mode babyface Cena...he's just been doing NOTHING since his injury (yea, i consider this Wyatt feud nothing).
ReplyDeleteFinish this shit up and move him on to Bryan, Brock and even, GASP...HHH
Dougie: stark wars is the GOAT because it made a lot of money! !!!
ReplyDeleteI'm giving it till this PPV, If Cena doesn't get destroyed jobbed and ...at least flirting with the dark side or whatever they have planned then I'm out. However its a big up hill battle after the Mania loss.
ReplyDelete...or a beach somewhere for a few months.
ReplyDeleteUsually because they can't defend their arguments any other way. Like whole "how dare you question a billionaire?!?" line that gets thrown around about Vince. Because, apparently, billionaires can't make mistakes or bad decisions.
ReplyDeleteSomething to consider. People ask how Cena can be so popular with shitty story arcs. They ask why their are adults who think WWE has the best show on TV.
ReplyDeleteIt's because most wrestling fans have shit for taste. They don't watch whatever Cable series is taking critics by storm. The Sopranos was boring and slow. Game of Thrones is too confusing. They watch daytime court shows, they think Two and a Half men is the greatest comedy ever, They fill they're scheduled with awful "reality" programs about eccentric jobs--blissfully unaware that they are getting worked.
Now I'll hop of my elitist pedestal and grab some lunch
Starrcade 97 made more money than wwf Canadian stampede.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, money made is the only factor that should be looked at.
I think you're a little off base in your first paragraph. Cena, I think, does a tremendous job of doing the "hard sell" and showing a range of emotions. And the poopy joke comment is unfair....the poopy thing happened in 2008. It's time to let it go. And since Cena's return from injury, he won at Hell in a Cell, won at Survivor Series, lost at TLC, lost at Royal Rumble, lost at Elimination Chamber, and won at WrestleMania. That means he's lost just as often as he's won.
ReplyDeleteWith the chief prerogative being the network, I would think having an AWESOME show is number one concern, regardless of who is where. That should be #1 with a bullet on WWE's list of concerns when writing Raw. Quality, repair the image of ineptitude so EVERYONE needs your "specials."
ReplyDeleteCena fans just want to see him--Bryan fans want him in the main event. There is no reason we can't appease everyone AND put on better TV
Did you watch the Mania match. Cena's acting was embarrassing. Anywhere outside of wrestling that's a clear Razzie nomination.
ReplyDeleteAnd it doesn't matter when Cena loses. He shrugs it off 'cause why should he give a fuck about losing?
This is an even better example then you think
ReplyDeleteBecause LONG TERM, Starcade was damaging and Canadian Stampede was part of Austin's ascension. Sometimes making less short term is more in the long term.
What happened to lunch?
ReplyDeleteI grabbed it. Out of my fridge. Less grumpy. Less elitist feeling.
ReplyDeleteStill sick as a dog though
Just random sickness, or something serious?
ReplyDeleteSome kind of throat problem. Hopefully just a bug and not an infection
ReplyDeleteThat's the worst. GF had strep recently, she had headaches/stomach problems etc... good luck.
ReplyDeleteGiven Cena's bulletproof status as an all-time top guy, I'm a little surprised they haven't given him more sidekicks or a stable to get a rub from him. Zack Ryder was close, but we know how that worked out. I wouldn't mind seeing him team up with the Usos against the Wyatts in a six-man, along the lines of what Scott mentioned. It only makes sense that smiling babyface superman Cena would have a bunch of Superfriends. Yet he's kind of a lone wolf most the time. Guys like Hillbilly Jim, JYD, Brutus, Duggan, Boss Man, et all even got to be Hogan's little buddies at times.
ReplyDeleteIf Cena wins the cage match too, then I'll likely agree that the whole thing was a failure. If Wyatt wins, then it's all good.
ReplyDeletePunk absolutely and without question. Cena made Punk.
ReplyDeleteI still say put the IC Title on him and have him work with mid-carders for a few months with getting the belt over at the same time is a viable option.
ReplyDeleteSorry dude, not happening. Bray is over! Get ready for 20 years of The Wyatts!
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at the number of people who think "reality shows" are 100% real and totally not scripted or rigged. It's embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteHe basically did that with the World Heavyweight title for a few months. Wasn't a horrible spot for him actually.
ReplyDeleteI personally would have had Bray go over at Mania, because the heel winning the first match in a long feud usually makes the most sense.
ReplyDeleteBut if Bray pins Cena relatively clean at Extreme Rules, then overall it's fine and builds towards the eventual blow-off.
And the "cult leader turning formerly upstanding Cena fans against him" angle—which they hinted at early on but went all in on last night— is a pretty good one, even if it doesn't lead to Cena turning heel. (It won't.) It gives Bray a dastardly goal that fits his character, and Cena an actual threat (the little kids are joining the Wyatts??!?!) that fits his stupid character.
The #2 guy doesn't even work for them anymore, unless they've rolled out enough DB junk to get him past Punk
ReplyDeleteThe top guy beating a three man group thing is horrible. Although at least Cena didn't actually win, it was just implied he would. Punk beat the entire Shield by himself. I don't understand how they think those results help anyone. At least it was in a place where Cena was over as a face, but still...
ReplyDeleteYeah, the IC Title needs it more than ever, plus they can add Cena's name to the Triple Crown winner's list.
ReplyDeletewhen they announced the result of the poll last night, i wasn't surprised that rowan rowan on his his own pulled in such a low vote. people want to see either harper on his own, or something including bray, but not rowan. he really has been the weak link in the stable, and they need to do something with him
ReplyDeleteWait, there was no option for Rowan on his own. Unless you made a typo and I didn't understand that correctly?
ReplyDeletei just re-edited; i presented it a little wonky at 1st
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be Avatar now?
ReplyDelete(I don't keep much track of the new records, obviously.)
I don't think it really had anything to do with Rowan personally. basically the only 2 real options were 1 on 1 for Cena fans, or 3 on 1 for Cena haters. I mean, if you wanna see Cena get beaten up, why just go halfway and vote for 2 on 1? It's basically an "all or nothing" situation, I'm shocked that 2 on 1 actually got as much as 8%.
ReplyDelete