Can Cena's gimmick keep him over?

[Guest Deadbolt]

I personally am not crazy about John Cena. However, he is in fact the most over wrestler in the WWE and seems to be the next biggest star.

 

I think Cena is corny as hell, though. Throwback jerseys were cool two years ago, and no real thug wears a big chain like that anymore. For him to be the leader of the WWE, we will have to be able to take him seriously. Maybe 12 year olds think hes cool, but will that last forever? When this guy is in his 30's, can he still get over by acting like this?

 

I think his gimmick will need to change. What do you think?

[Guest LooneyTune]

I used to like him, but by October 2003 his gimmick got stale when his "rap" was just the same old garbage, and the fact he's turned to shit in the ring. By now (18 months later), he's as stale as a 139 year old loaf of bread.

[Guest Shadow]

you lost your credibility in your arguement when you uttered that stupid ass phrase "acting black".

[Guest Duncan Eternia]

I personally think Cena needs to be a Heel to have a shot at being "perma-over". The thug gimmick should be a little more cutting edge rather than the same old stuff he has been doing lately. WWE creative is more to blame for that than Cena, I believe.

 

Being a heel might help Cena's in ring work as well. Some decent heelish maneuvers may help hide some of his problems. He can be a little more "brutal" to his opponents, and cheat, as a thug should.

 

But above all....he needs a different finisher. The FU worked for his mini program with Lesnar a while back, but Heat jobbers get in more devastating moves than that. I always thought a flatliner type finish would be good for him.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Once Cena turned face the rapping gimmick went stale, I could deal with it before that. The gimmick is boring, he has the weakest finish in the company, and I'm not impressed with his in ring work. At least as a heel he was amusing.

[Ravenbomb 0]

*shrug* I still like him, but I barely ever watch Smackdown, so I've had little exposure to him

[Vern Gagne 0]

I don't think Cena could ever be a full fledged heel with anything resembling his current character. No matter how much he disses the audience, like with the Rock the audience will start cheering for him.

[justcoz 0]

I don't think Cena could ever be a full fledged heel with anything resembling his current character. No matter how much he disses the audience, like with the Rock the audience will start cheering for him.

 

Which is all the more reason why they don't need to tweak his character to sell merchandise and get people to cheer for him. He doesn't have to play to the crowd and his raps don't have to be "cute" and funny so people laugh and smile. He was cheered when he was a heel, just like Rock was, yet they neutered his character after the face switch, just like they did to the Rock. If he's going to play the hip hop angle at all, just let him do what he did to get the character over initially. I kind of see them moving away from the hip hop shtick as Cena's been playing a more serious role on the mic the past few weeks. I guess he can mature and still be from the streets of Boston without acting like Marky Mark, just like Mark Wohlberg did.

[Gary Floyd 0]

Relatively, his gimmick was fun at first, but that was when he was a midcarder. Now, that he's a face, and a main eventer, it has become stale and uninteresting

[Guest Laka]

Maybe 12 year olds think hes cool, but will that last forever?

 

Most likely.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

He's over & he sells merchandise, so there's no need to change it up now. Obviously, the gimmick won't work if he keeps it up for 5 years, but you cross that bridge when you come to it. Wait until the fans start cooling off on him before you change it up and/or turn him heel.

 

Promo-wise, he seems to have dropped the poop/gay jokes, which is a big plus. His last few promos have been about bringing the fight as opposed to making lame jokes about his opponents. Whether that was Cena's choice, or creative's, it was a much needed modification to his character that should help him as he moves into the ME's.

[Guest BDC]

The simple step of changing the man's finish could, I think, go a long way to helping him out. I'm a big proponent of good finishes... his isn't one of them.

[Brett Favre 0]

He should just convert it back into a DVD, or just go down with the opponent as he slams him down. Also, the Killswitch (the back suplex into a powerbomb) is a pretty good trademark move that he has going, along with the five knuckle shuffle (sorta like the People's Elbow of his moves), and the throwback.

 

I do see the rapping John Cena evolving into an angry, always wanting to fight type of personality. The throwbacks are still in fashion today so they stay. It's also one of the more unique apparel in the WWE today. It would be like taking away Flair's robe.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I really think Cena is way too gimmicky. I said this in another thread a while ago...it's just too much with the blurred out merchandise, the rapping, the chain, the "chain gang" references, the Word Life straps on his arms, and until recently, the spinning US Title. It all seems like a big crutch to conceal the fact that he doesn't do much in the ring. I wish he would wrestle like when he first debuted. Now he is basically like a boring version of Steve Austin in the ring. His finisher is just a glorified bodyslam from a fireman's carry, too.

[Da Maintenance Man 0]

The simple step of changing the man's finish could, I think, go a long way to helping him out.  I'm a big proponent of good finishes... his isn't one of them.

Disagree. I tend to realize that the bigger Cena's opponents are, the weaker the FU looks. Take last week's Smackdown for example. When Cena FUed Teddy Long it looked pretty sick, at least to me it did. It's like he picked him up and slammed him onto the mat like a sack of potatoes. When Cena hits the move against bigger guys like Big Show & Luther Reigns he doesn't throw them down into the mat with that..."sack of potatoes" like impact he usually executes it with.

 

I don't think the move is weak though. It's over though. The fans pop for it when he goes for it so why change it? I think it's more or less Cena's execution of the move that makes it look weak at times. As you can tell from my avatar, I'm a Cena mark and my roof will explode when he wins the title at WM so take this reply for what it's worth.

[Guest Coffey]

In my eyes, the F-U is worse than Hogan's Legdrop. At least Hogan was a big guy and got a running start. The F-U is, basically, a Fireman's Carry. It doesn't do anything that a normal body slam couldn't do. I'd rather he win with that shitty falling punch...or switch to a full fledged DVD. Hell, do O'Haire's old finisher. It's a lot like the F-U, only more flush and less suck.

[Guest Laka]

But, he needs a finisher where he can do the "you can't see me thing". That good ol' Anglesault loved.

[Guest BDC]

He has been winning with the Shuffle as of late, at least from the few times I've seen. FU, Shuffle, pin in a manner remniscient of the Rock.

 

MaintienceMan, you're really making the best of a bad situation here. The FU as a move really needs to be redone. Rotate it from a fireman's carry to a Bulldog style powerslam, at least. In reality, he needs a move that looks NASTY and is safe enough to qualify for the WWE standards. His Killswitch spinning powerbomb is nice, the Shuffle is a good way to pop the crowd, but the FU? Not a good finish at all. Your argument is about it being "weak", I say it's just bad.

[Cheex Incarnate 0]

I think that whenever Cena eventually (I'm not calling for it now) goes heel, he should kind of take a P. Diddy-rapper route. Knock it off with the 'gangsta' garb he has and start wearing suede track suits and all cream tuxes. Have him wear lots of diamonds and big obnoxious shades. I feel that'd work for the initial heel turn, then have him act to-cool-for-school until he eventually gets over with the fans as a face again (ala Rocky).

 

 

-Cheex

[Vern Gagne 0]

I don't think Cena could ever be a full fledged heel with anything resembling his current character. No matter how much he disses the audience, like with the Rock the audience will start cheering for him.

 

Which is all the more reason why they don't need to tweak his character to sell merchandise and get people to cheer for him. He doesn't have to play to the crowd and his raps don't have to be "cute" and funny so people laugh and smile. He was cheered when he was a heel, just like Rock was, yet they neutered his character after the face switch, just like they did to the Rock. If he's going to play the hip hop angle at all, just let him do what he did to get the character over initially. I kind of see them moving away from the hip hop shtick as Cena's been playing a more serious role on the mic the past few weeks. I guess he can mature and still be from the streets of Boston without acting like Marky Mark, just like Mark Wohlberg did.

I agree the WWE did turn him face, but like Loss has said before, would he really be a heel if people are cheering for him? You're point about Cena's character evolving is correct. One thing not essential by any means, I'd like to see his Cena start wearing regular wrestling tights. It won't make him Chris Benoit, but it just gives the character a more serious look, than baggy jean shorts.

[Guest jumpingbombangel]

Jesus, I wish Cena would stop with the hip-hop, urban, wigger, whatever-you-call-it bullshit. The guy is ten times more likeable without it, even though he's a sick bastard with a really sick sense of humor (something tells me it wasn't his idea to cut the doodie and homo jokes). Cena should not be a silly doof of a rapper because that's not what I want in a champ. He has charisma out the ass and good acting ability and the WWE is putting a damn tiger in a pet taxi by keeping him catering to the pre-teen crowd.

 

But, yes, his gimmick will stay over as long as the white guy with a black attitude is over with the world...and hell, it worked for Elvis...

[Cheex Incarnate 0]

If he performed the switch I suggested, then the transition to tights would work, he could wear them under his track suit.

 

-Cheex

[Vern Gagne 0]

He also needs to improve on his in-ring skills. A program with someone like Eddie Guerrero, where they really emphasis the in-ring portion of the feud would really help Cena.

[reign 0]

I tend to agree that the biggest thing will be his transition from the jean shorts to trunks...I like the idea of track suits and he's got to get into trunks or something...he needs to go Rock or Stone Cold tights too...nothing even close to what he wore when he first showed up on SD!...he needs to keep the attitude he's got right now...I think that he needs to not win the title...not lose the match...then get traded to Raw with a HUGE desire to win the title...that kind of character upgrade and a switch in brands could allow for such a change in his ring attire and character...I'd rather see John Cena try and get over as a face though as he can be funny and cool BUT he needs to lay off the homo raps and get back to his heel style work 'cause that'll get over better as the Rock and SCSA never pulled any puches...

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

His gimmick isn't the problem, its his stale moveset. If he put forth a better effort in the ring and started having better matches, like he did in 2003, his gimmick would be fine. His gimmick is partly what is carrying him right now.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Agreed. The key imo is not winning at WM. Otherwise what would the point of such a drastic change be?

[Mole 0]

no real thug wears a big chain like that anymore.

Fity wears one.

 

 

He is a thug. He got shot, so he must be a thug.

[Vern Gagne 0]

His gimmick isn't the problem, its his stale moveset. If he put forth a better effort in the ring and started having better matches, like he did in 2003, his gimmick would be fine. His gimmick is partly what is carrying him right now.

That's kind of the point of the thread, is whether his gimmick can allow Cena to be a main event wrestler in the long haul.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

His gimmick isn't the problem, its his stale moveset.  If he put forth a better effort in the ring and started having better matches, like he did in 2003, his gimmick would be fine.  His gimmick is partly what is carrying him right now.

That's kind of the point of the thread, is whether his gimmick can allow Cena to be a main event wrestler in the long haul.

If he can perform in the ring, absolutely.

[Guest Laka]

His extremely over gimmick is what allows him to do the same matches with the same moves constantly.

 

Even if/when this gimmick stops being over as a face... it would be a very easy transition to turn him heel.