Should John Cena Turn Heel?

[jaedmc]

I don't think I'd give a shit about John Cena if he turned heel, just because of how little I care about him now. I've never really been a fan. 

 

I will say that if Daniel Bryan getting injured hadn't happened, John Cena turning heel to take the title off of him would have been a nuclear storyline.

[The Nature Boy]

I don't think I'd give a shit about John Cena if he turned heel, just because of how little I care about him now. I've never really been a fan. 

 

I will say that if Daniel Bryan getting injured hadn't happened, John Cena turning heel to take the title off of him would have been a nuclear storyline.

 

It's too bad JR's gone because him calling a Cena heel turn on Bryan would easily catapult it into one of the best moments in wrestling history. 

 

I agree with goodhelmet, turning Cena won't necessarily turn him face to the people booing him now. If I were to turn Cena heel, I would have him join The Authority and just become an over the top corporate shill. Have him cut a Hogan at BATB 1996 style promo about how he gave it all the fans, got nothing in return so now he's all about making money and making the shareholders happy. 

 

Later on, you could even have someone cut a "WE WANT THE OLD JOHN CENA" promo and then listen to the nuclear reaction when "The Time is Now" hits and face Cena returns.

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

Why should he?

 

The Authority are capable of getting negative reactions on their own, and with Cena as the number one face, the number two guy has always been able to grow organically, whether its been Punk, Bryan or Reigns because they're the top guy getting unanimous positive reactions. That's because of Cena and his mixed reactions, not in spite of them. Without Cena, Reigns becomes him instead.

 

Besides the shock value, he's third heel behind HHH and Lesnar anyway. What's there for him, assuming Bryan's out for ages? A program against Reigns he's not ready for? Jericho? Ambrose? 

[The Nature Boy]

Why should he?

 

The Authority are capable of getting negative reactions on their own, and with Cena as the number one face, the number two guy has always been able to grow organically, whether its been Punk, Bryan or Reigns because they're the top guy getting unanimous positive reactions. That's because of Cena and his mixed reactions, not in spite of them. Without Cena, Reigns becomes him instead.

 

Besides the shock value, he's third heel behind HHH and Lesnar anyway. What's there for him, assuming Bryan's out for ages? A program against Reigns he's not ready for? Jericho? Ambrose? 

 

From a storytelling standpoint, there's nothing left for Cena to do and the formula has become predictable. Of course, I'd only turn Cena if Bryan were around, there's no one else who can assume the mantle. 

 

And really, #3 heel? Lesnar is part time on TV and HHH is definitely part time in the ring. Heel Cena would be the biggest wrestling turn since Austin at WrestleMania 17, he'd be the #1 heel EASILY. Turn Cena heel and you could even run a Two Man Power Trip style team with Cena and Orton. It might actually make Orton interesting again too.

[Niners Fan in CT]

I didn't view the Hogan heel turn as a huge success simply because it was Hogan turning heel after all the years of prayers, vitamins and training. That was part of it but you also had Nash/Hall debuting on Nitro and joining forces with him, etc. It was a perfectly booked chain of events during a time when there was more buzz around wrestling. The shows were must-watch television because there was no DVR and because the internet hadn't taken off... you really felt like ANYTHING could happen.

 

A Cena heel turn by itself would get a nice reaction and make for some interesting television but I don't see it as being the catalyst to a new boom period. Wrestling isn't hot right now, there's nothing else going on..  I feel like it might spike interest for a couple months and then fizzle out. I also wouldn't trust WWE to handle it well. I wouldn't trust creative to make a cup of coffee right now.

[ebbie]

I've always said the idea of Cena turning heel was stupid because it becomes a 'then what?' Thing. The WWE has never really adopted the idea of booking around a heel in the main event. They don't throw good guys at the bad guy; the good guy throws himself at the bad guys.

So Cena turns heel, from a TV stand point, then what? They have never ending matches with him and Sheamus?

[Josh Mann]

Cena still had crowd support until 3 things happened:

1.) He was stripped of any edge he had to him and he became a shallow, pandering bitch.

2.) He was put into that contrived feud with Bischoff, and was overcoming odds that even present day Cena would think are ridiculous.

3.) He got spectacularly lazy in the ring, and was matched with guys who were clearly working circles around him.

The first two would be accurate, but starting with his feud with Edge he REALLY kicked it into gear and started working his match into what other people could do, as opposed to forcing guys to work his match.

And forget about guys like Edge, Trip and Shawn. Dude coaxed watchable matches out of Khali and Lashley in that timeframe.

But by that point, the damage was already done to his character and it didn't matter to a certain portion of the audience. But no one has a 10 year run on top strictly by accident or stubborness unless they have the pencil or own the territory.

[JCM]

 

Right now, wrestling isn't cool. Cena ISN'T cool. Without a Cena heel turn and the hope somebody else catches fire as THE guy, the WWE has no chance of ever rekindling the casual interest. Anyway, I am not advocating that Cena turn heel on RAW Monday Night but it would be wise if they started looking for the next action figure in their violent soap opera. Turning him heel and opening up that coveted #1 Face spot would be a right step in that direction. 

Bryan blew past Cena as the #1 face last year. I don't think you have to turn him to open up the #1 face spot. 50-60% of the crowd booing him on a nightly basis opened up the spot already.

 

I don't see wrestling being "cool" as long as Vince and his minions are in charge answering to shareholders, and trying to stay PG. In an era where shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead are all the rage Vince is still booking like it's 1985.

[Spritenaut 32]

3.) He got spectacularly lazy in the ring, and was matched with guys who were clearly working circles around him.

 

When did this happen?  I've never thought Cena was overly lazy and I'm not sure there's anyone in the company I'd agree "can work circles around him".

[Hagan]

He shouldn't. Realistically, we're entering the latter phase of his career. He's 37 with a history of injuries and has more money than God right now. You have to assume he'd like to branch out into other media too. With the workload he's carried you gotta figure we're slowly shifting into him working the Shawn Michaels-type schedule. 

 

Of course, he needs to be replaced as top face but, like Shawn was, Cena is in the enviable position of being able to be booked in programs with both faces and heels that get over with the crowd. 

 

If Cena is the only real draw in the company, why does he need to be rebooted? Let's fix the character's that the fans don't want to see. And honestly, the idea that he's over-exposed on TV is interesting. I would imagine if you look in the last year and a half that Cena hasn't been featured heavily on the television programs nearly as much as guys like Bryan and The Shield guys were, or even Orton. Shit, Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella have gotten more TV time the past four weeks than Cena has. 

 

Cena has really been the only thing in WWE that consistently works over the years. There have been a few program misfires (Kane and the Bray Wyatt being the best examples) but the majority of his angles are usually pretty good. So, he's still an effective babyface. 

 

Now, if someone rolls in and catches fire like Austin did in '96 that was another thing. I mean, Austin being an ass-kicker basically killed Shawn and Bret as babyfaces because they were coming off as petulant in comparison. 

[Joe Fixit]

I don't think he was lazy but in 2005 they basically gave him the "he's not a good wrestler but he's a tough kid" gimmick. There's this triple threat wih Angle and Michaels from 2005 where Cena gets taken out early and most of the match is Michaels vs Angle. Finally Cena pops up, hits the FU on Michaels and it's over. That whole year was filled with this kind of absurd booking that gave Cena a reputation with smarks that he's only recently recovered from.

[Go2Sleep]

 

3.) He got spectacularly lazy in the ring, and was matched with guys who were clearly working circles around him.

 

When did this happen?  I've never thought Cena was overly lazy and I'm not sure there's anyone in the company I'd agree "can work circles around him".

 

 

I think he might be referring to pre-2006 Cena. I don't think Cena was lazy at all, but he certainly didn't have it all together in the ring and you'd be hard-pressed to find too many quality Cena performances before Mania 22, which I would say is part of the reason people got tired of him at the top. Guys like Rey, Finlay, Eddie, and Benoit were working circles around him in 2004-5, and don't think even Cena himself would argue that.

 

Now if this is referring to after 2006, I have no idea. Since then Cena has mastered his character and has consistently been an elite worker, including a few WWE MOTDC level matches.

[Jenalysis]

All Cena needs to do to be a massive heel is to fight faces and be a bit more arrogant on the mic about folks being not at his level.  He doesn't need to change his act much.

[Newb82]

3.) He got spectacularly lazy in the ring, and was matched with guys who were clearly working circles around him.

 

When did this happen?  I've never thought Cena was overly lazy and I'm not sure there's anyone in the company I'd agree "can work circles around him".

 

I think he might be referring to pre-2006 Cena. I don't think Cena was lazy at all, but he certainly didn't have it all together in the ring and you'd be hard-pressed to find too many quality Cena performances before Mania 22, which I would say is part of the reason people got tired of him at the top. Guys like Rey, Finlay, Eddie, and Benoit were working circles around him in 2004-5, and don't think even Cena himself would argue that.

 

Now if this is referring to after 2006, I have no idea. Since then Cena has mastered his character and has consistently been an elite worker, including a few WWE MOTDC level matches.

I'd say from the Booker T feud until the beginning of 2006, he was lazy in the ring, or at least the match formula he was working (eat offense for 10 minutes, hit the FU, win) made it appear that he was.

The example that sticks out furthest in my mind is his #1 contenders match against Kurt at No Way Out 2005. Kurt carried him like a brown bag lunch.

[jstout]

First off, I by no means am suggesting this as a serious idea.

 

Cena should become a Heyman guy, and Cena and Heyman could lead an ECW invasion with Cena as top dog. Cena should dress exactly the same, but with ECW gear on.

[Newb82]

Too bad Vince already has the title of "Doctor of Hardcore".

[Goodear]

No one in their right mind is holding John accountable for 'lazy' matches from 2 double aught 6 when they are booing the guy.  "Boo!  You sucked 8 years ago!  Boo!"

 

There aren't any really good reasons to turn Cena heel since he can just be cast as defacto heel whenever they want to elevate a guy like they did with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.  It's not really John's fault he's the number one baby face when no one else has been able to hold the torch for more than a few months before something derails them.  Meanwhile he could be elevating a bunch of heels like Cesaro, Rollins or Wyatt but they would have no where to go after winning the feud right now.   Right now Ambrose and Reigns are possible replacements but they sure aren't proven right now to be on top of the card.

 

As an aside, Cena's style doesn't really translate to heel work in my opinion unless he slows things way down and I don't think that really fits his strengths.  

[Newb82]

I was trying to say that it was part of why crowds initially turned against him. Now I'd say it's because there's lots of fatigue from him being overexposed, and his character not really offering any reason why we should rally behind him. The "Cena can't work" stuff that's still around now is mostly people being so stuck in how they view him that it's easier to stick with that instead of reevaluate.

[SirSmUgly]

That is the argument that bugs me the most... that the people booing Cena will automatically cheer him. The fans hated him because of the perception he couldn't wrestle and they didn't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. If he turned heel, he would still be booed by that crowd and they will still think he is a corporate hack who can't wrestle. He isn't authentic. He is a fake plastic machine who sticks up for the machine. It doesn't matter if that is who he really is. That is the perception.

 

I politely disagree with this. 

 

I think Cena gets booed because a) he wins a whole lot, B) the fans want to see other guys win sometimes, so the perception is that Cena is holding that back from happening (whether directly or indirectly), and c), those fans really do want to see him as a heel and speak positively of him in that role; how many times do you go on YouTube to watch Cena and read the comments - mistake, I know - only to see people bitching about wanting to see Cena as a heel or wishing for his Doctor of Thuganomics days?

 

I think what we all believe about why Cena gets booed by that part of the crowd probably colors our responses quite a bit.

 

 

 Have him cut a Hogan at BATB 1996 style promo about how he gave it all the fans, got nothing in return so now he's all about making money and making the shareholders happy. 

 

See, I think this could work in 1996, but in 2014, I bet a large portion of the adult male crowd would cheer for that out of irony or because they finally got the heel turn they wanted and thus are going to show how happy they are about it. Wrestling crowds at this point are really, really weird, particularly the adults that aren't bringing their kids to the show and that are mostly just going for their own entertainment.  

[The Comedian]

Do we really want the Cena heel turn to come under the auspices of Al Davis-level out-of-touch Vince, or do we wait for Trips to have true booking control?

[Andrew POE!]

I voted yes on a Cena heel turn, but on several conditions:

 

1) Get freakin' rid of Michael Cole as the 'voice of the WWE.' Cole doesn't know how to put over the wrestling in the ring and would definitely ruin the moment with stunned silence. J.R. made you believe that this was an important moment. Cole can't/won't do that. The closest was (unfortunate to say this) when Jerry Lawler had a heart attack.

2) The WWE gets better writers that know wrestling backwards and forwards and build up the rest of the roster. Daniel Bryan happened despite the writers not knowing what to do with him.

3) The storyline for Cena heel turn needs to be really good and not be 'well, just because.' For the WWE, this needs to be their 'death of Superman' moment or certainly better than the Invasion angle. It needs to almost go back to the Attitude/early 2000s era.

[Charlie M.]

No, I think they missed their window.  It'd flop like the Sting heel turn at this point. 

 

Hogan's heel turn worked because all fans, even Hulkamaniacs, knew Hogan could be an egomaniac.  I don't think the people who don't like Cena feel that way.  They just think he's lame.

[bink_winkleman]

Damn, Bryan is turning into the new Magnum T.A. 

 

A really heated build-up to a heel turn on Bryan could have worked after a long, slow build, but you'd need Punk as the solid #2 good guy feuding with The Authority and Bryan as the lovable babyface champ running through the jabronis.  There'd need to be no other place for Cena, and that's what would piss him off. 

 

It's also silly to think that "turning on the kids and becoming the Doctor of Thuganomics" would be Cena's heel turn.  The only way a Cena heel turn works is if he completely embraces the absolute most cheesy aspects of John Cena.  He'd have to be out there cutting promos on why you should buy his merch, talking about how he beats everybody and doesn't care if he loses, how much more he does for the kids then you ever will, etc. 

 

I didn't view the Hogan heel turn as a huge success simply because it was Hogan turning heel after all the years of prayers, vitamins and training. That was part of it but you also had Nash/Hall debuting on Nitro and joining forces with him, etc. It was a perfectly booked chain of events during a time when there was more buzz around wrestling.

 

The buzz came around wrestling because of the NWO.  The larger product was nearly as marginalized from the mainstream as it is now in 1996.  But you're absolutely right that it was the whole gimmick and not just the "shock" of Hogan.

 

But yeah, at the end of the day, a Cena heel turn shouldn't happen until he's ready to wind down.  But he's only 37 and that's a good five years from now. 

[Newb82]

I feel like Bryan's injuries really but the kibosh on this happening any time soon.

If Bryan can come back and claim the top spot, I could see he & Cena being the new Mega Powers. Then, when they know Cena's getting ready to hang up his boots, he can turn on Bryan, cement him as the new ace, then have some redemption before riding off into the sunset.

[odessasteps]

I think Cena's best heel turn would just finally embracing being the corporate champion, which is really already is anyway.

That way, he could do all the stuff he does now (make a wish, media) and really never change to those outside the wrestling bubble (kids, mainstream media, stockholders,...)