Hey Scott,
I left the school in Africa about which I wrote a short essay for your blog last year (concerning the reaction of my junior high students to the Bret Hart-Stone Cold match at 'Mania 13), and now I'm teaching in Pakistan, and once again my students are marks... except this one guy. He reads all the dirt sheet sites and analyzes it all from a smark perspective while still enjoying the hell out of the product.
More importantly, he downloads all the shows for me, so last night I watched Wrestlemania XXVIII; it was the first time I'd watched a 'Mania before reading the results since 'Mania XII!
Until this school year, I had only watched WWE sporadically at best since '96 or so, and I completely missed much of the Super Cena era. I've seen all his Wrestlemania matches except the Miz one, plus various other assorted highlights, and I've seen most episodes of Raw starting with the Summer of Punk.
Here's my point:
I don't care much for Cena's punches.
I hate his shoulder block move. (Ultimate Warrior's had much more impact).
He is frequently more lighthearted than I would like him to be.
Those gripes aside, John Cena is perhaps the most compelling character in recent WWE history, and I would like to gently suggest that everyone who hates him is a fucking moron.
I'm reminded of an old Simpsons episode. (I think it may have been the Lollapalooza episode). The Simpsons were debating the merits of "cool", and basically Marge figured out that there is no way for her to be cool in the eyes of her kids, largely because her kids are idiots. So there you have it: Cena is Marge Simpson, and the fans are Bart and Lisa.
Consider: Cena enjoys his work. He loves to wrestle. He loves wrestling. As he stated recently, he has carried the flag for the industry during a time when it has been very uncool to do so. While we may get sick of him saying it, the fact remains that the character (and presumably the man himself) does not care whether you cheer or boo him. He does not let anyone change him. He does his thing, with no regard for anyone else's opinion.
Compare him to The Rock. Once a detached, too-cool-for-this-crowd anti-hero, The Rock has become a pandering, smiling, repetitive bore. If it wasn't for the fact that wrestling fans cannot help but cheer someone who has been away a long time, the crowds would boo Rock out of the building, and rightly so.
People clamor for a Cena heel turn. I counter that this is like clamoring, in 1987, say, for a Hulk Hogan face turn; why demand a heel turn for a character who already gets greater heel heat as an ostensible face than any heel on the roster?
John Cena's crowd reactions are unique. The closest thing we've ever had to the types of reactions he provokes was Bret's heel-in-the-States, face-everywhere-else run in '97. Why change that? Why reduce him to just another heel when the crowds are always molten for him as-is? The kids love him, the aspiring cynics hate him... it's an awesome dynamic.
Cena also calls Bret's anti-American run to mind because, like Bret, he is completely in the right, and the audience is only booing him because the audience is full of assholes. Again, which is cooler: the guy who has refused to change for years and lets the boos roll off him, or a pandering phony from Hollywood with a cheesy grin?
I also question the consensus that WWE doesn't know how to create sympathetic faces. Sure, that woo-woo-woo guy has been made to look like a bitch, but guess what? He looks like a frat boy douche. So fuck that guy.
The WWE currently boasts arguably its most sympathetic face ever: John Cena. Just 'cause the fans are mouth-breathers who delight in engaging in spastic fits of cartoon cynicism and therefore opt to boo the guy doesn't change the fact that Cena (the character) is a great guy who refuses to back down... and who just lost the most important match of his career... and was then attacked by a sellout cunt of a bully named Brock Lesnar, all to the giddy cheers of the very people he has worked so hard to entertain for a decade.
This is some seriously compelling shit, and the average throwaway Raw match these days has more athleticism than most PPVs had in their entirety back in the '80s (setting aside Hart and Savage, I suppose), and there are nuances and potentially dramatic situations now that one could never have imagined even fifteen years ago, and wrestling fans are the most blindly, stupidly nostalgic asshats in the world, and I am sending this to you as a rambling rant rather than a composed, objective essay because I am so baffled and excited and intrigued by the John Cena character that I'm struggling to view it from anything but a mark perspective.
I desperately want Cena to get his win back from The Rock, and then I want him to beat the ever-loving hell out of that gutless sellout cunt Brock Lesnar, and then I want him to look into the camera afterward and give the "WWE Universe" the biggest shit-eating grin of all time.
But I realize I'm in the minority.
Also? I thought it'd be cool if Rock (who will earn boos if he ever comes around more than once a month on a consistent basis) resurrects his Hollywood heel persona and forms a stable of egomaniacal bitches think they're too good for wrestling: Rock and Brock, with perhaps Batista and Goldberg for back-up.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Cheers,
Monte
I wish he'd turn heel just so I can stop hearing about it at this point. Honestly there is literally nothing left to say about it, it's been beaten into the ground harder than Montreal.
ReplyDeleteKind of interesting to note that the smark fan, Monte here, is kind of showing himself to be a mark with his black and white "anybody who leaves is a sellout and should die in a fire" attitude. Sometimes we're all a little too smark for are own good and come around full circle...
ReplyDeleteFull disclosure before I say anything: One of the biggest reasons I got back into wrestling in 2005 was because of John Cena. I stopped watching again around 2007-08, partly because I was very much tiring of Cena at the top, mostly because the product overall became year-old bread stale.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'd say the biggest problem I have with your argument is your position that people that dislike Cena are idiots and/or "wrong." Right then and there is where you lost me. You can never win an argument using that tactic even if everything else you say makes sense.
I can completely understand why a considerable portion of the audience doesn't dig him, and I'm fine with that. I was fine with it when I was a fan of his during the time I watched again, and I'm more than fine with it now. I found him to be entertaining and a hard worker, so I cheered for him. Others didn't feel that way, and they were "wrong" to do so - they just didn't like his character or workrate or style or whatever else that might have rubbed them the wrong way. Of course, I'm excluding those who boo him "just to be cool," are there are those who do so for that reason, but I highly doubt this represents the majority of his detractors.
Lots of people loved Edge. I never saw the big deal with the guy as a singles wrestler, and I wasn't wrong in feeling that way. He just didn't do it for me at all, and I had zero problem with others who felt he was entertaining and worthy of their money when he headlined shows. He must have done something right for so many to join in, but I wasn't among them.
"
ReplyDeleteMonte here, is kind of showing himself to be a mark with his black and white "anybody who leaves is a sellout and should die in a fire" "
Uh, I didn't get that impression at all. At all. If anything, I felt he was playing the mark though Cena's eyes. Where did you get that extreme idea?
Nothing has been beaten into the ground harder than Montreal.
ReplyDeleteCompare him to The Rock. Once a detached, too-cool-for-this-crowd
ReplyDeleteanti-hero, The Rock has become a pandering, smiling, repetitive bore.
If it wasn't for the fact that wrestling fans cannot help but cheer
someone who has been away a long time, the crowds would boo Rock out of
the building, and rightly so.
OH NO YOU DIDN'T!!! You're lucky Scott posted your letter after such HERETICAL, BLASPHEMOUS comments about his lord and savior, The Rock.
If Cena turns heel in Montreal via screw job, I will leave the internet. I wouldn't be able to take it.
ReplyDeleteI think why we want a "heel turn" is largely down to the fact that he is actually already a heel to us. He gets a lot of boos; he evokes a heel reaction. If he "turned heel", lots of people who currently boo him would cheer him.
ReplyDeleteThough I do question the logic of having the face of the company evoke that reaction. The face of the company should be a guy everyone should be able to rally behind. Saying that, I don't think there is anything wrong with Cena actually getting the reaction he gets.
Soooo....Scott, do you think Bret should've done the job?
ReplyDeleteOh man, Cena putting Lesnar in the STF in Montreal and Vince calling for the bell to ring would be one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteLast year at MiTB when he had Punk in the STF and Vince sent Laurinaitis down to screw over Punk I was almost hoping he'd do it. Yeah it would have been a worse finish, but the heat would have been UNREAL!!!
"and there are nuances and potentially dramatic situations now that one could never have imagined even fifteen years ago"
ReplyDeleteMonte, were you only watching AWA reruns on ESPN Classic during the Monday Night Wars? You may have missed a few things.....
Well-written. At least there are still some teachers out there who know about prose and mechanics. As a teacher myself, we are in the minority. Kudos to you, and while I'm not a huge fan of Cena's style, he can tell a good story and get the crowd involved. I've never been one to say, "Oooh, I wanna watch that Rock match," but maybe a match that involved Rock because of the other fella. However, there are a handful of Cena matches I could watch on a loop: vs. HBK, vs. Punk, vs. JBL (I liked their "I Quit" match).
ReplyDeleteThe Rock is boring now & has the WORST FUCKING SHARPSHOOTER I'VE EVER SEEN! That's enough for me. Though, Cena's STF is horrid, as well. He should adopt the Texas Cloverleaf and rename it the BOSTON Cloverleaf. It fits. Cena--and I can't believe I'm saying this--is more entertaining and compelling than the Rock.
Ouchies.
I'd also like to read that essay you wrote, sir. Where may I find it.
he is right.
ReplyDeleteCan we give this guy a regular column?
ReplyDeletethe times of a babyface that "everyone should be able to rally behind" are over. in theory, EVERYONE could get behind Cena but they don't. but they won't get everyone to like someone like Punk, either (there are tons of people that don't like his "attitude").
ReplyDelete"Can we give this guy a regular column?"
ReplyDeleteI had one, actually: What A Match/Maneuver/Wrestler.
Just ran out of things to say. Thanks, though.
"I'd also like to read that essay you wrote, sir. Where may I find it?"
ReplyDeleteIt was right here on ye olde blog o' doom, but now the URL is dead.
"That said, I'd say the biggest problem I have with your argument is your
ReplyDeleteposition that people that dislike Cena are idiots and/or 'wrong.' "
Fair enough. For what it's worth, I don't really feel that way. I was intentionally being histrionic to counterbalance the thousands of claims that Cena sucks.
lol @ calling Brock a "sellout."
ReplyDeleteI feel that it's good and healthy that Rock found an alternative career, 'cause Bret Hart was right, they really do take these guys out behind the barn and shoot them when they're no longer useful.
ReplyDeleteAs for Brock, I do feel he's a gutless cunt, but I don't hold it against him. I just thought that watching him attack Cena for no reason at that time and place was telling.... it told more about the audience than Brock.
....Oh.
ReplyDeleteI remember that column. I thought it stunk. Clearly you've gotten better over time, though.
An excellent piece. I'll give my reasoning as to why I disagree.
ReplyDeleteA character that doesn't grow or change is not a compelling character. Period. In any story-based medium, whether it be novels, films, plays, whatever you want to put forth, character change and growth is a constant. Watching a character change and grow in reaction to the plot is the main reason to watch the story.
Cena's character hasn't changed or grown in a significant way in years. Literally. When I read your thoughts, I find myself nodding in agreement at parts, but none moreso than when you point out that John Cena, as a character, has not changed one iota. He doesn't care what we think of him. Why does this strike you as compelling? How can a character who does not change or react to any of the circumstances around him make him compelling?
See, I'll only speak for myself here, but my main issue with Cena lies in that dynamic. He isn't compelling precisely because he's become boring. He doesn't react in any realistic way to any of his storylines. He doesn't care whether or not the fans react to him in a positive or negative fashion, so it's hard to have an emotional investment in someone who doesn't care whether I'm invested in him or not, and actually goes out of his way to emphasize that. He gets leveled by the Rock at Wrestlemania, and the very next night, while giving what essentially was a political concession speech, he gets confronted by Brock and DOES THE SAME OLD SHIT. Smiles, jokes, puts his hand out and gets F-5'd into oblivion.
He learned nothing. He grew not a single bit. Why is this compelling?
I'll give you an apt comparison, in my mind. CM Punk. A cartoon character for much of his run, including the parody style stuff with the straight-edge society, he broke out when he grew out of the character that was stifling. He went out and said what he thought. And he became, instead of the 'character' that he was assigned, he became a more exaggerated version of his actual self. And, if you remember that speech, he didn't tell the fans he didn't care what they thought. He said the fans were just as accountable as anyone else when it came to him being held down. He gave the fans a reason to care. He didn't pay lip service, like Cena does, to the fans freedom of choice. He made them accountable for their choices and decisions. And the fans reacted to that. That, to me, is compelling. That is someone who reacted to their circumstances and grew and changed and made me wonder what was in store for him.
Cena as a character doesn't give me that feeling. Despite what you've articulated, I cannot see Cena in the same compelling fashion as you can after so many years now of seeing the same character over and over and over again. I could not care less if he turns heel or stays face. I just want to see growth and change to compel me to care about the way that the circumstances of the story affect the wrestler in question.
Despite this, a well done piece - I questioned some of my own attitudes while reading it, so kudos to you.
I was also interested in the essay, and found one way to access it :
ReplyDeletehttp://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:H_dZq2dG_68J:www.rspwfaq.com/2011/03/30/introducing-stone-cold-steve-austin/
And it was, as is this article, very well worth the read. Well written sir.
Well, I didn't mean absolutely everyone. Just the majority.
ReplyDeleteI've made this point before but I'm tired of lapsed fans who have watched Cena's career mostly through the prism of YouTube complaining about the fans not getting behind him. I'm sorry Monte, but you weren't watching Raw every week in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 when every week it seemed like the episodes consisted of Cena having the odds stacked against him, followed by the odds being overcome. How many handicap matches did the guy win between 2006-09? It became nauseatingly stale, and if you weren't there watching it week after week you can't have a full appreciation for it.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for everyone, but when I say 'heel turn' I don't mean he has to go back to 2003 John Cena with the rapping, throwback jerseys, and backwards cap. Actually, when he came out recently for the one night revival of that persona it illustrated to me how much he's outgrown that character, and if he turns heel (fuck the splitting of hairs re: crowd reaction, he's a babyface) it needs to be something new. That's the key word: NEW. As in the opposite of stale.
As for why the fans love Brock the way they do: he's a no-bullshit, straight up ass kicker. There's a reason the fans gravitated towards Austin. And why even when Austin got stale (in 02) they didn't turn on him like they did with Rock.
Hey, if Cena continues feuding with guys like Rock, Brock, or Punk (who gave us the first compelling Cena feuds in years) I'm fine with the character as is. But if the dreaded pandering part-timer and the gutless sellout leave and he's back to feuding with the likes of Miz, R Truth, or Lord Tensai, beating them in consecutive ppv matches while making lame jokes, make sure to write us another letter. I'm guessing that letter won't come, cause you won't be interested enough to keep watching.
I think I'm about to lose my smark privileges but I like the superhero, and it's not like it's new - Hogan, Warrior, even Savage, Hart, HBK... Everyone could absorb lots of punishment, not submit or whatever, and then win, usually with a finisher on the back of a Hulk Up. I think Cena should stay how he is, because he makes lots of kids happy, and that's actually worth something. Maybe get him out of the title picture though - he doesn't need a championship to validate him.
ReplyDeleteAre you being sarcastic, Charlie? What a needless thing to say.
ReplyDelete"I'm guessing that letter won't come, cause you won't be interested enough to keep watching."
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right.
Thanks for the reply. You're absolutely right to note that a character who doesn't change cannot be compelling. No doubt Jabber nailed it above when he says I can't appreciate how stale the character is 'cause I've missed so much of his run.
ReplyDeleteTwo things keep me interested:
1. He was more subdued last night, implying that there might be some sort of change on the horizon.
2. When a character doesn't change but everything around him does, that's compelling. Again think of Bret Hart when the crowds cheered Austin.
Monte, you write well and make sound arguments, though I don't agree.
ReplyDeleteStale is exactly the word for Cena, as others have said. His character, in-ring work, and general schtick have not changed in six or seven years. It's gotten a little dull. He may be that two-dimensional as person in real life, who knows, but I doubt it.
Of course, Hogan was much the same, and did the same stuff every night for years, but then there wasn't the saturation of PPVs and TV in his time. Don't get me wrong, Cena is ten times the wrestler Hogan ever was, and I happen to fall on his side of the argument regarding 'part-timers', but that's no excuse for the lack of development.
Seriously, if Cena added even three new moves into his regular routine it would at least feel fresh.
Honesty is "needless" now? I must've missed the memo.
ReplyDeleteThe "Whatta" columns were horrid, this wasn't. My comment was encouraging, not needless.
Another thing with Punk, he has continually altered his look along with his character, so when you see footage of him with long blonde hair, or yellow trunks, or the mask, you've got a good idea of what year that was. You can see the progression and the change.
ReplyDeleteWith Cena, aside from his recent camo-shorts phase, you could be looking at a PPV from 2006 or 2011. Nothing has changed. And I guess that's an accusation you could level at the WWE's look and production in general. There's been so little effort put into making shows unique that you may as well be trying to distinguish shades of beige.
There's a difference between being honest and being rude. 'I thought it stunk' is unnecessary when you could've said something like 'I wasn't a fan of those'. It's the same sentiment without seeming so curt.
ReplyDeletebut that does not explain why guys like Austin could basically do the same kind of stuff for such a long time and still get cheered (or at least not get hated like Cena does). so I guess it has much more to do with the fact that he plays THIS character. if Cena would have been a "edgier" babyface for years, many people that are complaining now would still like him.
ReplyDeleteI think a fair way to put it is despite how Cena pulls back the curtain and speaks from the heart now and then, the rest of the time he's just... so... FAKE! And this is wrestling we're talking about! I don't think it's a coincidence that the fans started booing him when WWE billed him as coming from a "life on the street" during his feud with Angle. That came right after months and months of him joking around about how the thug persona was just him goofing off.
ReplyDeleteI just think the position Cena is in is more complicated than a heel turn would solve. SOMETHING needs to happen, because him trying to stay the same character while the crowd was eating him alive last week was just ridiculous to the point of parody. But I think at this point the odds are so heavily stacked against him and he's been so broken down and torn apart by his loss to Rock, his beatdown by Brock, not being WWE champion, and everything else that he's either going to end up getting underdog sympathy heat or he needs to do a "back to his roots" angle and start with something new. Right now he needs something equivalent to Sting's Crow gimmick: something where he steps out of the spotlight and some mystery builds as to what his intentions really are. The answer just isn't going to be black and white, something in a shade of grey is where Cena will find the right way to go to be fresh again.
ReplyDeleteUnnecessary shot at Zack Ryder aside, I completely and wholeheartedly agree with everything else you've said here.
ReplyDelete"that woo-woo-woo guy has been made to look like a bitch, but guess what? He looks like a frat boy douche. So fuck that guy." Bwahahahahaa, well said!
ReplyDeleteTotal agreement here.
ReplyDeleteThese are the same fans who are booing AJ's character getting dumped, because nothing makes it cool to be a jerk quite like being in a big crowd.
ReplyDeleteBut...but...he did a belly to belly suplex at Mania!
ReplyDeleteTo speak the truth, I wouldn't mind Cena to return to his old-school roots.
ReplyDeleteAnd by old-school roots, I mean when he was wearing different colour tights every time he wrestled, sometimes based on the team's colours of the city he was in.
This
ReplyDeleteTrying to do the hogan turn with Cena won't work. They need to do something far more complicated and subtle.
A better template might be Austin's turn but they'd need to stick with it and give it time, something I'm not entirely confident in them doing
Ah, but Bret most certainly did change, at least in his attitude to America
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of things I've heard about Cena behind the scenes that convinced me I'll never bad mouth him as a person. He seems like a straight up good guy. I mean, he does all sorts of work in hospitals with kids and doesn't even want the cameras around or the acknowledgement. That speaks volumes to me.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, on a personal level, I'll never say anything bad about him. Plus, he is one of WWE's biggest cash cows in terms of merchandise. Every live show that I've attended, I've seen every single kid who's 12 and younger wearing, at minimum, two new pieces of Cena merch. Whether that's still the case, now that we've got CM Punk at the top, I don't know.
The problem I have is that Cena's act on-screen is stale. He hasn't really brought anything new for a long time. Like the crowd says, "Same old shit." Yeah, we had that whole "embrace the hate" thing that lasted maybe two weeks, but it was teasing a heel turn that never happened. You compare his act to guys like Punk, Bryan, Sheamus, even Mark Henry, and you realize that while they've vastly upped their game, Cena has basically done the same thing the whole time.
I stopped reading once the author decided to call anyone with a different opinion than his a "fucking moron".
ReplyDeleteCena sucks!!
I liked Cena in 2003, when he was doing the rapper thing and wore the cool (at the time) throwback jerseys. He had a swagger to him, and he seemed like the rare case of a wrestler being in tune with what was popular at the time, rather than being what was popular two or three years ago. I'm not sure if it was just the changes to his character when he became a face or my growing out of that stuff myself, but he went from raps that allowed the crowd to chant curse words to raps about Michael Cole pooping himself, the throwbacks were replaced by the jersey of whatever city they were in with "Chain Gang" on the back, then replaced all together with lame WWE merchandise from head to toe. And the cool, cocky swagger he had was replaced with him acting like a goofy moron while accusing Michael Cole of being gay or , as mentioned, pooping in his pants.
ReplyDeleteIn 2004 he wasn't as cool as he was in 2003, and by 2005 he was a goofy idiot. I like characters that I either relate to, or would want to be like. At no point in my life would I want to walk into a room wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt down to my knees, slapping hands like I'm the coolest cat in the world and waving my hand in front of my face while yelling "Da champ is here!". It's not hard to tell why certain fans hated him - he was almost a parody of a lame white kid who thinks he's a rapper. That was it for me, I haven't liked him since. I was passionately against him. Heels haven't made me as angry as his continued presence made me. I just couldn't stand him. By now I've just accepted that he's not going away and I'm indifferent to him. I think he's fine in the ring, and I'd probably enjoy watching him if he were the heel - not because he'd be "cooler", but because as the heel he'd be the guy I WANT to see lose, and eventually he would. Having him win over and over and over was about on par with HHH's burial tour 2002 - 2005 for me, it just made me stop watch and unwilling to spend money on the product.
So it's not that I think he sucks, he's just not someone I care for. I can get into angles he's involved in, like Punk or The Rock, but the mean heel stealing Cena's belt and Cena having to over come the odds to regain the title for the 12th time or whatever he's at now doesn't do it for me.
Yes, my thoughts exactly. I've been watching Cena do the same exact thing for 7 years and I'm absolutely tired of it. His character is that he's a nice guy and in real life he's been great for WWE. But guess what? I don't care. I like Cena in the ring. I think he's one of the best main event wrestlers they've ever had. Like you, I've really enjoyed his feuds with Punk and Rock lately. But his schtick is old and for those of us who have watched his entire run, I think we're within our right to want to see something new. I've seen 7 years of boy scout, super Cena and I'm tired of it. I watch with much less regularity than I ever have and it's mainly because I'm tired of Cena.
ReplyDeleteFor someone (Monte) who has watched maybe three hours worth of Cena's work to basically tell those of us who have watched him for seven years to fuck off is pretty immature. Rather than watching a handful of matches and segments, go back and watch every Raw and ppv from 2005 until now and tell me you don't feel the same way we do.
Well, people were pretty down on Austin for a few years. I remember especially during his 2003/2004 Sheriff Austin era a lot of people online were shitting on him, myself included. I was tired of seeing Austin do the exact same thing every week. He would come in, usually offer someone a beer, give them a stunner as they took their first sip and then drink a bunch of beers in the ring. The crowds never reacted like they do to Cena, but the smarks were definitely down on Austin for a while. People tend to forget that since it's been almost ten years now, but I don't think Cena is the only stale character people hate.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, compare a Bret promo in January 97 to a Bret promo in June of 97 and it's totally different.
ReplyDeleteJesus Christ, there is so much wrong with this rant that it would take an even longer one to point it all out. I know, because I started doing just that. I gave up after about 500 words because I don't have the time or inclination to finish it.
ReplyDeleteAMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
ReplyDeleteI was actually planning to write a similar type of e-mail to Scott right before WM, asking exactly how - in kayfabe AND in real life - Cena was the heel and Rock was the face, but, well, other things came up and I didn't have the time to compose said e-mail.
Anyway, I think the best part of this e-mail is noting that Rock has become a "pandering, smiling, repetitive bore", which is, ostensibly, exactly what he (and we) were supposed to hate so much about Cena. Rock had the chance to go out there and rip Cena a new asshole over all the things that the "older" fans didn't like, and what happened? He choked. Rock gave us "kung pao bitch" and "possum piss" and lots of talk about trending and talking about how he's doing it for the people, to the point where after SEVEN STRAIGHT YEARS of Cena getting vitriolic reactions from the crowd, the fans actually began to take Cena's side over Rock's. I'm not saying that the ENTIRE audience turned on Rock, mind you, but it certainly was closer to 50/50 than it should have been in certain cities, including at WM. Fans were chanting "Tooth Fairy". Fans didn't sing along with "We Will Rock You". The reaction at WM, which should have eclipsed Cena/RVD and Cena/Punk, wasn't nearly as energetic.
Forget all that, though. That's the "real life" stuff, the "smarky" perspective. What about the kayfabe stuff? You know, the stuff where Rock wanted to fight Cena so badly that he was willing to wait a YEAR to do it just to maximize his pay-day? Or how Rock insulted children? CHILDREN!!! Or called any guy in the audience that liked Cena gay or a virgin? Yes, the guy with a son is a virgin, brilliant deduction. Or that he thought Justin Beiber (sp?) was a "cool kid", and that he wanted Peewee Herman to join "Team Bring It"? THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE! In what universe is Rock, the rich, suave, egotistical playboy that is also the coolest fucker to ever put on a pair of shades, supposed to like Justin Beiber and Peewee Herman?
I'm ranting. Let me get back to Cena:
As a draw, Cena is closer to Bret and Shawn than he is to Hogan and Austin. His character can be nauseatingly goody-goody, and his booking can be equally as nauseating in its overtness. I do have to question, though, whether it's the "John Cena: Greatest Guy on Earth" character that is the real problem, or the fact that he's the ONLY guy on top of the company. I think if there were other characters around him, presented as being on his level, that people wouldn't care so much. Yes, it's aggravating - even as a big Cena fan - to ALWAYS see him triumph, usually against all odds, for seven straight years, but if, say, he was dropped down a notch now in favor of giving Punk, Sheamus, and Bryan real runs on top, I doubt people would still feel so negatively about him.
In real life, there ARE people like Cena - incredibly honest, hard-working, straight-laced people-pleasers. I fully support the idea of a character that actually sticks by their beliefs no matter what, instead of being the millionth to completely change simply because the fans are booing him. I mean, would it make any sense for this character to say "That's it, I'm sick of being booed, I'm gonna stop visiting sick children"? Not one bit. Isn't that one of the things we, as online fans, always complain about? That when someone switches from face to heel, that their entire personality (beliefs and behaviors, included) magically and nonsensically seems to switch?
I'm rambling, but you get the idea. The problem isn't Cena the person or Cena the character, it's the booking around him and the fact that he's been made into the ONLY real "superstar" of the last seven years. It's like a restaurant only offering one item on the menu.
Have to agree with you on the difference between watching some highlights on Youtube, and actually sitting through it every week for years on end. I'm a big Cena fan, but it was incredibly boring and repetitive.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, even if I was as cool as The Rock, I'd want to hang out with Pee Wee Herman. Cmon man. Pee Wee is a legend.
ReplyDeleteIf something entertains us consistently we eventually cheer, if something doesn't we boo. When push comes to shove it doesn't matter about morales in wrestling. Cena's character interms of crowd response has created a life of its own, but that doesn't stop his core character being utterly stale, lame and played out, that's why people continue to boo him. Eventually one day in the future even if not for a while WWE are going to have to turn him heel legit, like it or not and I can't frigging wait, because he is overdue a complete overhaul. Outside the bizarro world of responses he gets, at its core.. Cena is staler than 3 week old bread and completely predictable and that is why people continue to boo and hate him.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Pee-Wee is the shit. I still watch Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
ReplyDeleteThis comment made me realize how littl I actually care about Zach Ryder. Its almost like I want to see him get pushed because others do and he's clearly gotten himself,over despite the wwe getting in his way at EVERY turn, but a guy based on the douchebags from Jersey Shore is not compelling to me.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah. Fuck that guy.
the crowd was already split at Vengeance and SummerSlam.
ReplyDeleteTry eating the same slice of pizza everyday instead of sporadically and see how much you like it. You'll even start to despise the chef if he refuses to give you different toppings.
ReplyDeleteNah, he'll just call you a fucking moron if you dare to dislike it.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure us that boo Cena are booing the character and how stale he is...I mean, c'mmon, why are we continuing to blur the lines between real live and the TV show character. I think on the blog, we're all old enough to understand the distinction as opposed to kids that live and breathe kayfabe.
ReplyDeleteRight on. I get the feeling that all these smarks just want Cena to turn heel so they can cheer for him.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't that noticeable at Vengeance and as for Summerslam... c'mon, he was wrestling Chris Jericho in Canada.
ReplyDeleteBest post I've ever read on this blog. Scott, give this guy a regular slot. Jettison that Kyle guy to make room.
ReplyDeleteRemember the, "If Cena wins we riot" sign? That finish actually would have incited a riot.
ReplyDeleteHe summed up y feelings about the Rock nicely, actually.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? The crowd was cheering the fuck out of Jericho at Summerlsam.
ReplyDeleteI think all us "smarks" (btw, you're posting on a wrestling blog) just want him to refresh his character in some way. Doesn't mean he has to turn heel, but the dude has been doing the same act for way too long. It's boring at this point.
ReplyDelete"Rock had the chance to go out there and rip Cena a new asshole over all the things that the "older" fans didn't like, and what happened? He choked."
ReplyDeleteNo, he didn't. Rock was put on a leash, because if he said the things he said in this video about John Cena in front of a live crowd, John Cena's career as a face would be over.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MGty5p5d1A&feature=related
Yeah, but Cena would just go over to the ref and tell him to restart the match. He's got too much "loyalty, hustle and respect" to allow such shenanigans.
ReplyDeleteI just finished a run (yes, I'm a geek) of RAW from late 96 through 97 and you are way off on Bret. His promos went from classic good guy stuff to pretty stiff worked shoots. It's pretty palpable the change he went through when you watch those shows in succession.
ReplyDeleteRick, whenever you post, you bring the goods. Awesome stuff.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Punk use a portion of this video in the lead up to Summer Slam? Yeah, Rock def softened his promos and kept the real jabs mostly out of them.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I don't like Cena? He's a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteHow is he a hypocrite? Where do I begin? He bashes the Rock for leaving constantly, yet has never said one bad thing about Brock Lesnar, a guy who decided out of the blue "Well, I don't want to do this anymore, I'm going to play for the Vikings" and went out of his way to bash the company at every turn after he left. Did Cena go out of his way during his interviews to bash Lesnar? Nope. Never. Not even once.
Also, anyone who says that they wouldn't do that the Rock did is a frigging liar. Especially Cena. If he loved being a wrestler so much he wouldn't be doing movies in the first place. But boo on the Rock for actually finding success in films! How dare he leave!
Also, I won't get into the whole Zack Ryder storyline where Cena kisses Eve, but stops not because he's married, which he then tells us about two weeks later.
I could be completely wrong, but I have to believe that Cena calling out the Rock for "leaving", even several years ago, was all a work to try to draw Rock back.
ReplyDeleteRock was NOT on a leash - he just doesn't have any material other than calling people gay, virgins, or losers (or "popcorn farts"). And when he has to stretch thirty seconds of comedy to ten or twenty minutes, he fails. That video was full of awkward pauses and padding, as are most of his promos.
ReplyDeleteConstantly mocking the crowd wasn't the way to be a face, either.
As for Cena's "career as a face being over", what was so damaging in that promo? After Trips called Cena a terrible wrestler, and Punk called him boring, calling him a "phony" - a spurious claim at best - is pretty small potatoes.
Definitely, Jericho was cheered over Cena at "Summerslam".
ReplyDeleteEven the biggest stars in the history of the business - Austin, Rock, Taker, Hogan, Bret, Shawn - had periods of fan backlash.
ReplyDeleteThen Rock changed into Hollywood Rock and it was so entertaining that people cheered him again..
ReplyDeleteAlso in on a Sting-type "nobody believes in me" character shift. I think it would big business.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was, Cena even mentioned it recently that he started this in 2005 as a way to draw Rock into a big match. But he said that looking back, he was not ready for a match of this magnitude.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of an episode of Top Gear (the real one from England, not the bullshit History Channel knockoff) where they were in Croatia or some dirt-poor eastern European country, and some kid wrote "John Cena" into the dust on Clarkson's car. Say what you want about the guy, but there's no doubt he's over on a worldwide scale.
ReplyDeleteSee, I don't hate Cena. I'm indifferent to him, and since he's typically booked as the face of WWE, that often leads to me being indifferent to the product as a whole. Sure, there are parts of the show I enjoy, but more often than not "Cena's mug on the screen" = "channel-switching" for yours truly. If I hated him, then at least I could take some pleasure in seeing him lose, but with indifference I just find it difficult to care one way or another (the inane booking and Cena's refusal to "sell" said losses doesn't help). I'm actually amazed that people can still manage the energy to hate Cena, because he's been a non-entity to me for years. Would a heel turn help? Doubtful, because you would have the same doofuses booking his heel run into oblivion the same as they've done to his face run.
ReplyDeleteI do sometimes wonder how WWE handles it when they invite VIPs and potential business partners to the shows and try to sell them on Cena being "the Man" in WWE and their most popular superstar, only for him to be booed out of the building. How do you explain THAT to some corporate executive without sounding like a lunatic?
I think the fact that he won't change is compelling because there's that tension of "Will THIS be what makes him snap?" The Nexus couldn't do it, Kane couldn't do it... etc. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see masked superstar Juan Cena after he got fired. That could have been fun.
ReplyDeleteRandy Orton doesn't catch nearly the flack Cena does, and I find him stale and one-dimensioal as hell.
Cena needs to be credited for Punk's rise to the top. He was the perfect foil. Calling Cena "the New York Yankees" in front of the Boston crowd was pure genius and wouldn't have worked with any other superstar.
Yeah those are more or less my thoughts only with far, far less profanity.
ReplyDeleteactually, it was pretty much 50:50.
ReplyDeleteFAN
ReplyDeleteDANG
ReplyDeleteOOOOO
ReplyDeleteFAN
ReplyDelete