Oh, brother...
I know there's a snarky response to this, but I don't know what it is. I dare say you and the BoD'ers might, though...
Something something prayers and vitamins, something something DENIAL OF SERVICE, MEAN GENE...I dunno, there's lots of ways to go with this one.
Maybe they didn't know until the day that the Rock would be around for the year after? If it was just a one off thing, then Cena definitely should have won.
ReplyDeleteHaving watched the guy since 2002, I would have to say that Cena's biggest disappointment at this point would be finding out that the Bellas have NOT pulled Twin Magic on him. I'm sure he sleeps with one eye open just to check and make sure that Daniel Bryan doesn't come in and pull Brie from under the bed.
ReplyDeleteHe should have went over in Miami.
ReplyDeleteJake Roberts told a story about how Ali was in Mid-South or GCW and Ali was clearing the ring of heels with his punches.
He hits Jake, he either no-sells it or pops right back up.
Ali hits him again, same thing. This goes on like 2-3 more times.
Jake heads to the back, and either Ole or Watts is ripping him to shreads like "what the fuck are you doing?"
Jake says "He won't be here tomorrow. I will."
While I agree with you, there is still 364 days of business to be conducted.
ReplyDeleteRock is part-time, fuck him. The full time star goes over.
Is that why the rematch sucked so hard?
ReplyDeletePutting Rocky over made zero sense then and gave away the ending to this year's WrestleMania (the ULTIMATE in 50-50 booking). Should've put Cena over twice. Cena wrestles more than once a year.
TGGI
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing they realized how stupid it would be to put Cena over in MIAMI
ReplyDeleteAbout as stupid as putting Cena over at Summerslam, which was apparently the plan before Cena got injured. While I suppose a "fighting spirit" loss could have helped Bryan get a little more over, any good would have been immediately undone by the need for Bryan to fade into the background so the Orton cash-in could happen.
It's just staggering to think without acts of God or happenstance, this company would continue doing everything in its fucking power not to have to plan for the future, as if there won't come a day when they can't hit the giant red "Cena bailout" button. They're positively Stimpy-esque about resisting that button.
If Cena went over we would have had 2 years in a row where the babyface hero wins at Wrestlemania and is greeted with a sea of boos
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree, but really, sometimes you have to just give the people what they want to see. Sometimes what's best for booking isn't really what's best for business. Cena doesn't lose anything by getting beaten by The Rock, especially in the fashion in which Rock beat him. Yet if Cena goes over? Sure, they keep Cena strong, but you end up with a ring filling with garbage as the closing image on your biggest show of the year.
ReplyDeleteForget seas. The boos would have been oceanic had Cena gone over in Miami. While they wouldn't have rioted or anything, I don't think you want your biggest show of the year ending with the crowd chanting for refunds.
ReplyDeleteWho cares?
ReplyDeleteYou already got the marks money, they can do what they want. Most of them are smarks trying to get themselves over and are gonna boo, just because.
I only say Cena should go over because the overall story demanded it in a face vs face battle. If he couldn't get one win over the Rock, then he is a loser...
ReplyDeleteAnd if that happens, you run with it.
ReplyDeleteBut its still the full time guy. Not the guy who works 1-3 dates a year.
Why? It would have been a clean win by Cena. Not a DQ or countout or cheap win.
ReplyDeleteThey would've done a much better buyrate for WM 29 if the story was Rocky going for revenge. Cena going for revenge didn't resonate. At all.
ReplyDeleteBut they wanted to do the rematch the following year, and the rematch was only possible with Rock winning the first one.
ReplyDeleteBecause people want refunds when they don't get what they want, whether or not they actually have a legit cause for deserving a refund.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Rock over Cena was the finish that made 99.9% of their audience, both live and at home, happy. The main event of Wrestlemania should be about the happy ending for the paying customer and that's what Rock over Cena was. (Along with setting up the rematch, which can't happen if Rock loses the first one.)
ReplyDeleteI don't think anything they would have done, short of turning Cena heel (which, yeah, it's never going to happen), would have resonated on a second go-around. That match was good for one go. Anything after would have been diminishing returns, on principle.
ReplyDeleteOr they're booing because they don't enjoy watching John Cena anymore, and booing is how one voices displeasure.
ReplyDeleteI was always a proponent of 1 match.
ReplyDeleteCena goes over... NEXT!
Fuck Rock/Cena 2... makes no sense. Did they make money? Sure, but again, you got Punk red-hot sitting 3-4 from top basically willing a **** out of Taker, who was given NOTHING from a booking standpoint... while Rock is snoozing through the main event?
If Im Punk, Im throwing a shit fit!
They have been booing for 7 years now.
ReplyDeletePeople are still buying his shit.
People are still going to the matches if he is on the card.
I dont like the guy's character, its stale, but squeeze that fucking rock until every bit of blood comes out.
I don't disagree there. But there are ways to continue getting money out of Cena without pissing off the hardcore base. WWE doesn't seem to realize they can have their cake and eat it too. It's not like WWE is going to lose money if Cena isn't in the main event every month. He's still on the card, after all. And if he drops down to feud with someone on the rise, that person can be elevated just by association, while a guy like Bryan also gets elevated simply by being higher on the card than Cena.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just never saw the need for fifteen minute promos with lame jokes and corny "you can cheer me or boo me because you bought a ticket to be here" nonsense when you can still have Cena involved in compelling programs without having him be the focal point to the detriment of others' main event prospects.
Don't forget that they wasted putting someone over to end Punk's long reign on the Rock as well.
ReplyDeleteWE'VE GOT A LIVELY BUNCH TONIGHT HERE IN XXXXXX, XX
ReplyDeleteWho cares if you piss off the hardcore base? They still show up, they still pay, they still watch.
ReplyDeleteBut then they'd never put a heel over in a PPV match ever...
ReplyDeleteHe was probably on crack at the time
ReplyDelete( Jake roberts, not Ali)
I'm sure Punk didn't mind being in two main events against the Rock.
ReplyDeleteHulk Hogan riding a wrecking ball is right up there with Tub Girl on the list of shit I never need to see again.
ReplyDeleteThe booking, from a strict money making perspective, was perfect from their standpoint. They saved WM27 just from him hosting, set the buy record at 28, and did over a million for 29. I have no complaints.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been fucking awesome to see Cena going over at 28, just to see the vile crowd reaction he would have gotten. Would have been one of the most awkward WM moments ever.
True enough.
ReplyDeleteCena beating Rock at Wrestlemania 28 made sense for the story arc: Rock cost him the title to the Miz, of all people, the previous year, made a grandstand challenge to try out the new generation's top guy, and loses to pass the torch.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of course was the location of WM28. Cena beating Rock in Miamia? Turd, meet punchbowl
Yeah, it might have worked as a "can Rock still beat a top guy?" sort of deal
ReplyDeleteOnly if he does the condescending smirk after he gets the belt.
ReplyDeleteCena going over Bryan would have been heartily shat upon, but I think the overall story arc could work if Bryan spends the remainder of the year getting back on track and wins the Rumble before taking the belt off Cena in the Wrestlemania re-match. Still not as valuable as Taker-Cena though
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, I would have had Cena lose at WM 29 and snap at the end of the match.
ReplyDeleteEvery face needs that one guy he really can't beat that makes him wonder if he has to cheat to win or find something deep inside to push him to the next level. WM 29 didn't do that for me, but his matches with Punk did.
Punk pretty much did... it was well known how little he and 'Taker both disliked their angle together.
ReplyDeleteBecause some people hate Cena so much that it doesn't matter how many "mutual respect" angles you do they are never gonna change.
ReplyDeleteWrestlemania could have been turned into Rock-Cena-Punk just to reward Punk with the WM main event
ReplyDelete...b-b-but it's a shiny, "CANDY-like" button.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that the last time they fought, it was The Rock that regretted showing up. Written all over his face at the end of the show when he raises Cena's arm, and the crowd shits all over them.
ReplyDeleteYou want them to squeeze the blood out of the Rock? Isn't that a bit excessive?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Taker?
ReplyDeleteCena-Rock II might have been better served going at SummerSlam 2012 or something. Take the big SS buyrate and move on. Rock-Punk could have been the story heading into Wrestlemania, where Punk HAS to know if he can beat Rock (like Cena did), and he's willing to put his historic title reign on the line to find out. Run Undertaker-Cena a year early (WM29) too. At LEAST as many buys as we got for Rock-Cena II at Wrestlemania 29
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many times I have said Taker needs to lose at Wrestlemania 30.
ReplyDeleteI personally want it to be to John Cena, but Taker needs to lose.
Again, one date. Time is up, move on.
A face needs that dragon to slay and Cena ran through everyone that was available. I'll say this AGAIN. A face needs that insurmountable object that he has to win against. The Rock was Cena's object. It's SHOULD have been Brock. Now if they set this up correctly it will be Taker. (You know, the other part-time guy they occasionally put the World title on.)
ReplyDeleteWon't the lack of titties on one of the Bellas be a giveaway?
ReplyDeleteAnswer these questions or dont whichever.
ReplyDeleteWhen is the last time Taker worked a semi full schedule?
When is the last time Taker held a strap?
Getting carried out last year after a win was the way to go. And fuck Cena, let Lesnar do the killing.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming that Cena doesn't care about boobies. Or...maybe he IS just that shallow and superficial.
ReplyDeleteAround 2010 for both answers.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to call BS on that story.
ReplyDeleteThe story this year was actually more compelling from a character standpoint though with Cena having lost last year.
ReplyDeleteYeah but then WM30's marquee match is gone (assuming Taker/Cena is the plan).
ReplyDeleteYes. It makes perfect sense. They didn't necessarily do the best job with Cena's version of "I HAVE to beat you, Rock" but it was still a coherent and sensible arc.
ReplyDeleteIt doesnt matter if its BS or not.
ReplyDeleteThe story rings true: Ali isnt there to be put over. He is coming in for the shot and he is back to the boxing world, meanwhile all the guys who are bumping and feeding him have to make that next town tomorrow.
Those guys are the ones who have to draw money to feed their families and pay their bills.
Part time is not the way to go.
If its true or not, whatever. The moral is what needs to be taken away from it.
He kinda comes off that way on Total Divas. Either that or he's just really awkward around the camera when he's not kayfabe-ing.
ReplyDeletealso brie has a tattoo on her elvis
ReplyDeleteUm, that part of that "written all over his face" was mostly the Rock basically tearing his abdominals apart and trying to keep it together...
ReplyDeleteSo WM draws 650k buys instead of 1m plus?
ReplyDeleteFrom a long term booking standpoint it made sense. But they didn't adapt well when Punk STILL caught fire despite HHH's interference. Doing a three year arc has some serious advantages, but I think you've highlighted the biggest potential problem with that lining of thinking - no easy way to improvise on the fly. That being said, they knew they had a payday coming with Rock/Cena II. Why fuck with that? I don't necessarily agree, but I see the thinking from a business standpoint.
ReplyDeleteSo for 36 months at least, (cuz I wanna say 2009 is when he last really worked a semi full load) he has been factored into the booking for 6 months tops? Maybe 9? Rumble-WM?
ReplyDeleteAnd you know he is getting a HUGE cut of the Mania payday.
Since 21, I have been saying, its time for him to lose. I thought it would be Orton... then Batista, I was meh on Edge, but definitely HBK/Taker 1 @25... Nope.
Then I just patiently waited until it was either Cena's turn or 30. Now they are both lining up.
I say all this time because while I have been wanting him to lose, I knew he wasn't gonna lose on an "odd" WM, or an "odd" number to the streak.
Business is down on your back in wrestling and just like a poster said yesterday, beating Taker at SS means nothing... its WM that counts and really puts someone over. And you give it to the guys that has been the most loyal. Not the guy who MIGHT break out.
Roman Reigns goes over Taker and flakes out 2 years later... or breaks his neck before they properly push him.
You reward the company guy who has always been the company guy, the draw. The person who has the team on his back. Stale as day old bread, but its Cena.
Plus that match is fucking money.
You put those two on WM and smarts go "hmmm" Marks go ahhh. Vince goes "Cha-Ching." cuz its gonna sell out.
I think the best course would have been to go with Rock/Cena as non-title. The story had enough going for it w/out the title. Ideal would have been Punk/Lesnar for the title or Punk/Taker in title vs. streak. The former we all saw was awesome when they did meet, the latter would have given at least a 2% doubt that Taker was going over instead of the -35% we got.
ReplyDeleteIn the big picture, it didnt matter if Cena went over at 28 or 29. Cenas a made man, hes going to sell the same merch, make the E the same amount of money, give people the same rub whether he lost or beat the Rock at 28. In hindsight he could have gone over at 28, then they plug in Brock vs Cena or whatever at 29 and it still does 1 million IMO. Any way they book it, I think they do the same amount of business in that 3 year run.
ReplyDeleteHe may not 'care' about giant boobies, but i think he'd notice if his girlfriend's boobies kept increasing and decreasing in size.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, once you get to know a pair of twins, you can usually tell them apart. There's a lot of small differences, even in identical twins, that add up. I personally couldn't tell the difference between them (because I don't give a rat's ass about either of them), but anyone dating them or who knows them well could.
Considering how bad Rock was cardio-wise in all his matches this makes sense. You can even have Cena pin Rock to take the title and have Punk flip the fuck out b/c he's never been pinned and should thus still be champ. Leading to a final blow-off between Punk and Cena this year at WM. And that match would be fucking awesome and deserves to headline.
ReplyDeleteHe may just be thinking "How the hell did I get talked into appearing on this piece of crap" the whole time.
ReplyDeleteJoking aside, people often look stiff on reality shows - acting "naturally" with a bunch of cameras on you" probably isn't that easy.
I tend to agree that he's probably just feeling uncomfortable. It was just surprising to me considering how much time he spends on camera.
ReplyDelete"Rock is part-time, fuck him."
ReplyDeleteMania 27's buyrate would have absolutely shit the bed if it wasn't for Rock propping it up. Mania 28 drew their biggest buyrate ever because of Rock wrestling on it. Did Mania 29's buyrate underwhelm? Sure, but I'd argue that a big reason was that the audience knew they would be paying for a result (Cena over Rock) that they didn't want to see.
What I'm saying is, I don't think "Rock is part-time, fuck him" is the greatest business decision.
Why should Cena have beaten and buried Rock in their first match? Where does that get anyone? It just pisses off the majority of your audience (way more people wanted Rock to win than cena) annnd it kills off a legit drawing card in The Rock. All to what, put over John cena, whose drawing power has already long since peaked?
I mean, Cena went over Rock at Mania 29. Did that make John cena into a bigger star? Did crowds suddenly start loving him? Did his series against Ryback draw huge numbers because Cena had the torch passed to him? No. The fans who hated him just hated him more. Buyrates continued to stagnate or go down. Cena remained the same level of star (or less of one) than he'd been in recent years.
I'm not saying that the part-time stars should be going over the regular roster. I'm saying that when the part-timers do job, it should be to the younger guys who actually have an upside. But Face John cena has zero upside, and therefore putting him over Rock at mania 28 would have done zero good for anyone.
I was buying the argument until you went on the Roman Reigns flake out rant. That is the kind of thinking that has made pro wrestling so boring for so long. If you aren't willing to take a gamble and run with a new horse, you mind as well close up shop. Cena doesn't need this win, and it won't do anything for anybody. It might be short term money, but it turns the 20+ year streak into buildup for a one day payoff - in which case, it is more valuable the way it is now, with Taker winning every year. You HAVE the money by the time Cena gets in the ring with Taker; there is no need for him to win. The FUTURE money is in putting someone else in there to end the streak, and then to run with them as a truly unstoppable force. Of course, you have to choose the person carefully, but that involves work and thinking and focusing and...writing stuff, even. It's not their cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason why he'll have regretted showing up then...
ReplyDeleteGetting upset because he has to job to a guy he didn't like at the time and he doesn't believe the world can continue on if he were to turn into a bad guy....it's like if Bret Hart and Goldberg had a baby.
ReplyDeleteAlmost every wrestler on the roster, if he had his way, would prefer to go over in the main event of Wrestlemania. Cena's not unique in this regard.
ReplyDeleteWell I was specifically responding to your "Most of them are smarks trying to get themselves over and are gonna boo, just because." comment, which I disagree with. People are booing John Cena because they don't like John cena.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think we're past the point of "smarks just boo John Cena". Watch any episode of Raw from the last two years in any city. This isn't just "well he gets booed in NYC and Chicago and Philly". This is he gets a solid 60-40 negative reaction in every city they go to. Des Moines sounds like a smark town when Cena's music hits.
At a point, they need to start weighing whether he is still as popular as they want to pretend he is, and how much he's bringing in compared to the consistent Godlike SuperCena push he always gets. I'm not saying "THEY GOTTA TURN HIM HEEL", but at the same time it's not 2006 anymore. He's not as popular as he once was, even with the mainstream audience. Not even close.
Cena has always been the ultimate company man. Until he outright quits and does a tell all shoot I'm going to file this under K for Kayfabe.
ReplyDeleteWhatcha gonna do, brother, when the 24 gigs per second pythons run wild on you!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of them would be content just to get the chance to main event a Wrestlemania, and even more would be thrilled just to get a prominent match at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteFoley was there for it if I'm not mistaken, it was in his book.
ReplyDeleteBooking the end to the streak shouldn't be about rewarding your company man. It should be about A) Giving fans something they want to see, and B) Maximizing how much money that streak-ender will draw in the future.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not the match "rewards" someone for good service should have zero impact on that decision. So anyone with less than 10 years of service and "perfect attendance" should be disqualified from consideration, even if there's way more upside to them than John Cena? That's ridiculous dude. They're a big company, they should be able to do their research and pick someone (even if it's a younger guy like Reigns or Ambrose or Ziggler or Bryan) who they determine is a low risk factor, even if they haven't been Mr. Corporate for 10 years going. They can do their homework and make an informed decision.
Now that said, I agree that Cena-Taker would be money. ANNND I could see the benefit if Cena goes over, as that's the perfect way to kick off an epic heel run.
But Cena going over Taker as a face and doing the "wow, great job Johnny!" respect deal? That would be absolute death, and honestly would tarnish Taker's legacy as well. People don't want to see that, and it would do no business going forward. Cena ending the streak as a face and then, what, facing Damien Sandow at Extreme Rules? They'd absolutely turn fans off the product.
27: Rock was a "host" which set up 28.
ReplyDeleteIm totally cool with this booking.
Im just saying at 28, you have once in a lifetime, Cena goes over and thats that. 29 underwhlemed because they went to the well once too often and it showed. fence-straddlers did not want to see Rock/Cena 2.
In my world there is no Rock/Cena 2, Cena goes over, Rock gets his payday and rides off. If there has to be a 2, run it at SS to pop that buyrate, dont make everybody else ineffective by saying, this match is set in stone a year out cuz, not only does it not give the chance for someone to catch on, it makes the writers lazy to the point where they dont have to be creative because Rock/Cena 2 is already penciled in.
Thats how u get Punk finally hitting his heel stride jobbing at Rumble... just to justify Rock/Cena 2 (which didnt need the title to begin with)
You don't think WM29 having Rock-Punk and Taker-Cena would have outdrawn a Rock-Cena rematch?
ReplyDeleteIt would have happened at WM29. Something else can headline WM30. Maybe the definitive Cena-Punk match?
ReplyDeleteI can agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteIm all for taking chances and using new people, but that slot you only get one shot to mess up. That specific slot... you cant get that back.
If Im Vince, you go with your prize horse. Not some stud that has potential.
Was Wrestlemania booked for Miami before or after they knew Rock-Cena was going to headline?
ReplyDeleteThey have already paid.
ReplyDeleteThey can boo all they want.
They can cheer if they want.
If Cena comes out to silence... thats the problem.
They are still buying his shit. People are getting refunds if he is not on the card. It doesn't matter if he isnt as popular as 06. No one will be.
The fact remains, he is still the number one guy in the company so you run with that. When his returns diminish to the point where he becomes a liability and detriment to the company, then you go with something else.
They are still making money with him on top.
and that HHH-Brock match too, I guess
ReplyDelete"In my world there is no Rock/Cena 2, Cena goes over, Rock gets his payday and rides off." Well in your world I'm guessing someone would have changed the booking decision that has the biggest draw in wrestling "ride off" when he's down to wrestle more matches.
ReplyDeleteIf Rock goes into Mania 28 saying that there is absolutely no chance he's ever wrestling again, and this is his one match...well sure, then in that situation I guess you put Cena over rock. Fuck it, honestly I STILL would be opposed to doing that because A) The vast majority of your fanbase would be let down by that result, and B) Cena himself has no upside as a face, so that win doesn't increase business at all.
But still, in that situation I could understand Cena going over.
But as things played out, with Rock being down to wrestle more matches, there is no way Cena should have gone over at Mania 28. Rock losing his first match back completely kills him off as a draw. Why would they want to do that?
I agree with you that the booking in the following year (Rock ending Punk's reign; Cena-Rock having their foregone conclusion rematch) left me cold as well. There's a lot of cooler things they could have done with Rock in 2013 than what they ended up doing. But that said, they still would have needed Rock to go over at Mania 28 in order to do that.
Cena - Rock was what it was because there was no heel. There has to be a heel.
ReplyDeleteBefore. They booked Miami at least a few weeks before Mania 27 even took place.
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES.
ReplyDeleteI think Rock-Cena 1 was booked and promoted absolutely fine. For that first time you can run face-face and go with the whole "Once in a Lifetime" aspect as a draw. Trash the build to Mania 28 all we want, you can't deny that when it came to match time that shit felt like a fucking MAIN EVENT, and the crowd response and buyrate backs that up.
But the rematch sucked because it was face-face AGAIN, and that shit didn't fly. Nobody was drawing heat, there was no action in the build because nobody could attack eachother or do anything dastardly, and there just wasn't a real feeling of violence in anything they were doing.
That said, I'd 100% be down with a Rock-Cena 3 someday, so long as one of them is a heel. I'd prefer it to be Cena, as that would logically make sense since the audience wants to boo Cena anyway... but really I don't care. Rock/Cena with one of them as a heel would be interesting as hell. Let them finally trash eachother verbally, have some super violent backstage brawls, and then the match could actually involve some hatred rather than just exchanging finishers and handshakes.
"When his returns diminish to the point where he becomes a liability and
ReplyDeletedetriment to the company, then you go with something else."
We agree on that. And listen, neither of us have any idea of all the WWE financials— how much merch IS Cena moving compared to years past? But there are things we can see.
Buyrates are decreasing save for when Rock props things up. Ratings have fallen or stagnated for the past few years. And audibly, it's obvious that Cena's fanbase is decreasing because more and more fans (in ALL CITIES) are booing him.
They're making money AND Cena is on top. Doesn't mean that they're making money because of him anymore.
Are Cena's returns diminishing? I think there's certainly evidence to suggest that's true. And in that case, I don't see the benefit of doing "pass the torch" wins for Cena when he's already in a decline in popularity.
Rock is one of the biggest action movie stars on the planet. Not so easy to put a nobody like John Cena over that kind of individual, especially in his hometown. Not when the special celebrity attraction always goes over.
ReplyDeleteThis is not Hulk vs. Andre passing the torch, either. Hulk was already eclipsing Andre in terms of star power in the U.S. when they faced off, and the match made him a cultural figure. Wasn't going to happen for Cena.
If there was ever a time to run Austin/Punk...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhcx8f_muhammad-ali-s-appearance-in-mid-south_sport
ReplyDeleteTowards the end, of course.
I feel the same way about the Hulk porn tape. I still don't know why I clicked the link but I did and I regret it. I always thought it was so icky that it starts off with Bubba the love sponge telling Hulk and his wife he was going into his office to go on the computer or something. I know Bubba is a fan of Hulks but to let him nail your wife is just creepy. And I hope he wasn't taping it for his "personal use" later. That whole situation was so fucked up.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Hogan riding a wrecking ball in a thong?
ReplyDeleteExactly. CM Punk has stated that one of his goals has been to close out a WM, and even though his body is aching, I don't think he's going to hang it up until he feels like closing a WM is no longer a realistic possibility for him.
ReplyDeleteI'd say this is pretty ridiculous, and that there's no way in hell anyone should be ending the streak this year. Cena certainly shouldn't do it, as there's absolutely no payoff in that and nothing to be gained unless you're going to turn Cena heel. For that you're going to sacrifice the possibility for more big days and to potentially actually make a new star down the road? C'mon.
ReplyDeleteThe important variable for ending the streak is timing, plain and simple. If you're going give someone that distinction, it's got to be a red-hot fringey main eventer type who you're going to *immediately* move to putting the title on and giving him a solid run as the baddest motherfucker in the whole company. In short: someone you're looking to make a new bona fide superstar out of in quick order. Otherwise there's no benefit to ending it. It still draws, guys who are already made men like Cena, Triple H, or HBK don't need the rub, and if you aren't going to follow up a WM win over Taker by pushing the guy to the moon (which obviously wasn't going to happen with Orton at 21 with the Cena/Batista era beginning), you're getting nothing of benefit for it.
I'm sure the fat check helped him get over it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Hogan should have gone over Sting at Starrcade because Stinger was flabby and pale, amirite?
ReplyDelete'Tub Girl on the list of shit I never need to see again.'
ReplyDeleteliterally
After the last match they did, they won't have to worry about another face/face match because it'll be Brock/Goldberg all over again.
ReplyDeleteI would have an easier time bagging on The Rock for not putting Cena over if
ReplyDeletea) Rocky had never come back and returned the pin.
or
b) Cena wasn't the ONLY guy The Rock had ever beaten in a Mania main event.
Cena has had a very dominant and lengthy run as the top man, losing to Rocky in no way diminished that run. Didn't he lose to Kevin Federline at one point? Kayfabe or not surely that's more disappointing then losing one match against one of the biggest names of all time?
I think it would, simply for the fact most Rock fans knew Cena was going over so therefore had less interest in the rematch.
ReplyDeleteRight, I was just pointing out that it probably was not "the crowd shitting over them" that was causing the grimace as much as your original statement was implying =)
ReplyDeletewell, it wasn't the technical main event, but Rock went over Hogan in the main event that people actually cared about.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, watching Bossman swinging from a noose is a hard moment to top for that feeling.
ReplyDeleteNot in the PG era.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Very true
ReplyDeleteI think considering the reaction that crappy band made up of crack addict looking psychobillies got just for rooting for Cena, a riot wouldn't be completely out :-D
ReplyDeleteWow. One of those stories that sounds too crazy to exist on film but actually does. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what came first --- Rock hinting about wanting to wrestle again, or WWE booking Miami for Mania? As in, was Miami booked and made Rock think, "Hmmm.....," or did Rock mention possibly coming back so WWE went with Miami's bid just to help sway his mind?
ReplyDeleteWhere did you see Cena going over Bryan at Summerslam? It really made zero sense, injury or not. Orton cashing in on Cena doesn't work nearly as well, and after months of building up Bryan, having him just lose to Cena and then go away to the mid card (with Cena/Orton being the feud probably) doesn't make sense either.
ReplyDeletePretty sure I've seen that story told by another wrestler too (about Jake).
ReplyDeleteWhy does he have to? That's the equivalent of a one-month program with Damien Sandow, where he screws Cena somehow and Cena immediately gets his revenge. Seeya Damien, on to the next one. Him LOSING is the more interesting story arc, but they just decided to blow it off and not develop that arc, and invent a "tough year" because he had a draw against Punk or something.
ReplyDeleteProblem is no one would believe Rock would get said revenge. People had enough of a hard time believing he would win the first time. They just booked them into a corner a bit where Rock endorsing Cena was going to be absolute death. Long-term he might have be better off spazzing out and storming off in a huff. At least make him a heel for the future because he BECAME one, not because the crowd decided he was one.
ReplyDeleteThen again, the problem is you're having a feud with a walking toy store and a B+ Hollywood movie star. So neither probably wants to look TOO evil. Costs them money.
Blurred lines, brother!
ReplyDeleteHighly Questionable is the the shit. Lets watch the best of Papi! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfFZJWcj-F4
ReplyDeleteMore Papi funniness. I think this is from the first episode, judging by the quick camera switch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk01PKxNeJA
I'm inclined to agree with Cena on this one, Miami or not Cena should have won at WM28 and that should have been it, the rematch was a sham and not a speck on the freshness and atmosphere of the 2nd, and the build up was pretty great as well.
ReplyDeleteThen again Cena got two mega paychecks instead of one...so i guess he can't be all that miffed about it.
Kind of makes me wish Cena/Bryan headlines WM, and as everyone in the world predicts Cena getting his win back...Bryan gets another win...at wm nontheless. That would be a true passing the torch moment.
ReplyDeleteRead it on the Observer, and Meltzer repeatedly made allusions to the original plan, as told to him by separate sources within the company, on Observer Radio. Of course, grain of salt and all that. But I guess it's just that it's a pretty easy story to believe.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe it's because Cena was kayfabing then the interviewer called him out and Cena tried to fake a response.
ReplyDeleteConsidering that Rock was announced as WM27 host well before they picked Miami for WM28, I'm pretty sure they specifically chose Miami because they already knew Rock would wrestle Cena and Miami would enhance it. They had just run Orlando a few years prior and Atlanta the previous year, so putting it in Miami DEFINITELY risked criticism for oversaturating the Southeast part of the country if Rock hadn't been around.
ReplyDeleteIf Cena doesn't face Rock at 29, he probably still gets to win the wwe belt back from CM Punk, ending a 18 month title reign... So he'd still get 2 mega checks.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think if Punk were wicked over as a heel, he'd have no problem putting over a big babyface in a Wrestlemania main event.
ReplyDeleteI almost didn't buy Wrestlemania this because I felt like I knew every result.
ReplyDeleteCult of Personality live is why I bought the show. Seriously.
The new version of the Wrestlemania 15 DVD has that hanging edited off....
ReplyDeleteIf Cena doesn't face Rock at 29 and CM Punk has the belt, it probably means Ryback wins the title in October and since the programs don't change much, Punk gets hurt and might not get the belt back unless it's some quick Elimination Chamber contrivance to set up a WM match
ReplyDeleteGood thing I have the Silver Vision Tagged Classic so I can feel even more awkward now Bossmans had actually passed on.
ReplyDeleteIts the only WrestlemaniaI haven't watched, no nostalgia, only one match I was interested in (Punk/Take) so it wasn't worth paying for then staying up till 4 am,only one match that lived up to the hype (again Punk/Taker) that I just watched on YouTube.
ReplyDelete