WWE have managed to do the opposite of killing two birds
with one stone, the old adage of eliminating problems, and reintroduced a bunch
of old ones and lost the tools to fix them. Dolph Ziggler’s stand-out,
coming-of-age, Survivor Series performance, the debut of the legendary Sting,
and the removal of The Authority was all for nothing. The stipulation that only
John Cena could bring them back had numerous angles that could have been played
over time. Instead we didn’t get anything fresh. This is ironic because Cena
himself has been stale for a long time. WWE should have killed two birds with
one stone – they should have turned Cena heel.
The Superman Cena gimmick has run its course. Sure, kids
still chant “Let’s go Cena!” and this shifts enough merchandise for WWE
decision makers to ignore the “Cena sucks!” retorts. Undoubtedly there was good
reason to squeeze every last bit of life from this set-up. But it’s done now.
Not even the staunchest of Cena fans can really be looking forward to his next
bout with Lesnar. Cena keeps getting these gigs because they clearly don’t
trust any other stars to play the main babyface of the company. It’s time they
took a leap of faith on one.
They can’t take a full leap while Cena is still the super
powered hero that kids love to cheer. The Daniel Bryan Yes Movement had the potential
to offer a healthy alternative, and may do again now he’s back from injury.
Even a successful emergence from another star doesn’t address the main problem:
Cena’s act is tired. Hulkamania had run its course after a pioneering period in
the 80s. Our wrestling heroes eventually become the ones we’ve seen enough of.
Hulk Hogan realised this and requested he became the third member of the nWo.
The rest is history.
Hogan protected the Hulkamania gimmick by donning black and
becoming Hollywood Hulk Hogan. The same could have been done with Cena. He
could have stepped away from “Loyalty, Hustle, Respect” and freshened up his
act. The best heels are the ones that are mighty and powerful, without the need
for cheating. The nWo walked over everyone. They were dominant. Cena could have
played that type of heel. Super Cena would be exciting again. Those booing
adults would start to cheer.
The story to turn him would have been simple and believable
enough. We know from Total Divas that
he’s dating Nikki Bella, the heel female wrestler. He could have said he’d had
enough of the woman he loves taking the brunt of hatred from the WWE Universe.
That the place had become lawless since The Authority had been removed, that it
was time to bring back some order. As a bonus you’d have a Shield 2.0 with
Rollins and Cena, add another of your choice. You could even throw in a turned
Hogan to endorse the new Cena’s mindset. It’d generate heat like we’ve never
seen before. Cena would be relevant again.
Overtime the new Cena could slowly edge back toward face by
way of the anti-hero angle. Those booing adults that were now cheering would
see him as this generation’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. His eventual turn against
The Authority would rehabilitate his character, one that’d never have to be so
worn out ever again.
There’s some sense of perfect symmetry to this. Cena is
often cited as the PG generation’s Hulk Hogan, it’d be good to see his gimmick
give a nod to the man that replaced Hogan at the top of the mountain, Steve
Austin. Instead we get more of the same. WWE retreading the same old paths,
John Cena becoming more antiquated with every moment of TV time. A great opportunity
lost.
