Let's talk about John Cena.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

The argument has been all over many different types of wrestling boards, but I really haven't seen much talk about it here. We know the deal with John Cena. He overcomes the odds, we get his gimmick, yada yada yada. But right now, could he really be the best wrestler there is in the WWE? And if he isn't it, where is he ranked on your list?

 

Personally, I enjoy watching Finlay and Umaga more than any other wrestler on the roster, and those two are at the top of my list. Randy Orton in the past month has been really climbing up for me with his sadistic character really getting my eye. After that, it's John Cena for being the most consistent go-to guy on the entire roster. His match with Khali was not that bad, and his triple threat with Umaga and Khali was a pretty damn good TV WWE title match. And I gotta say I loved his match with Johnny Nitro on ECW recently. My only flaw with him right now is the STFU, but I think we've walked over that bridge enough.

 

So what do you think?

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

You can only overcome the odds so much. John Cena is an unreal superhero wo doesn't have any flaws. Everyone that was supposed to beat him: Umaga, Khali, the 4 wrestlers at Vengeance couldn't. At least he doesn't have 60 minute promos that go no where. The problem is, where does he go from here? He's a young guy, whose on his second reign as champ. I assume he is going to wrestle another 10 years at least. How many World Championships is going to win? There is no where to go except down.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Unless if he held the belt for 8 years like Bruno did.

[DangerousDamon 0]

You know I really don't mind his in ring work. He is one of the best brawlers in the company, whic makes the STFU such an akward move for him to use because of him being a brawler. I thought he was just gonna use it that one time to beat Masters in the submission match, but he kept using it. His character needs to be changed up a little bit.

[The Niggardly King 0]

I don't get this unreal superhero push that a lot of people try to bring up as one of the reasons they don't like Cena. He's booked as a regular guy who comes out on top in spite of being a regular guy. He sells, there's no hulk up no sell spot in his matches that you know is the beginning of the end. His Last Standing match with Umaga is the perfect example of this. Anyone one of those huge spots were put over as being match enders if they would have hit him.

[claydude14 0]

Bring the character back from Marine to entertaining rapper, but a more matured wrestling character to go along with the raps, and you have another extended period. You release a follow up Cena/Trademarc CD (mainly because I want more Trademarc) and then Cena's 2nd movie and you have the top face run covered for another 2-3 years. So when he finally does turn, it's huge and you milk a couple years out of that. Bam there's your 8 years like Bruno.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

He's just so boring now. He's like the WWE version of President Bush: he's still on top and everybody is sick to death of him seeing him there. The overcoming the odds thing really needs to stop because its just beating a dead horse now. He's basically the new Goldberg because he's gone through almost the whole roster.

 

His face run as the champion has been a failure mainly due to the fact that he changed his character. There was no reason to do it. Stone Cold and The Rock didn't change when they finally made it to the big time.

 

At least when he didn't have the title for 3 months last year, I felt it brought back some edge to his character, but now I'm just waiting for somebody (most likely HHH at this point) to kick his ass and take the title.

[Maztinho 0]

Wha? Did you just call Cena, like President Bush?

 

WHA!

 

Anywho.

 

I actually dig Cena's wrestling skills, he's a solid brawler and the STFU works even within his brawling since it's a neck submission (when done properly) and he puts on good matches (as have been mentioned). He did have that major bout of "Oh I totally forgot to sell the leg after 15 minutes of work on it" at WM, but since then he seems to be working on his part selling more.

 

The inherent flaw, which most people I talk to who are smarkish fans, like me, is that he's burned through everyone. Umaga, beat, Khali, beat, HBK, beat, so there is nobody left as a major threat to him to dominate him and allow his Balboa act to continue. What he needs is a Ric Flair to his Sting. A major heel that can out think him, instead of trying to outpower him. The WWE lacks a big time heel that can get that done that he hasn't already faced.

 

A returning HHH could be that guy, but that only opens the flood gates of HHHaters.

 

So in conclusion, Cena solid wrestler whose been booked into a corner by creative.

[DangerousDamon 0]

Wha? Did you just call Cena, like President Bush?

 

WHA!

 

Anywho.

 

I actually dig Cena's wrestling skills, he's a solid brawler and the STFU works even within his brawling since it's a neck submission (when done properly) and he puts on good matches (as have been mentioned). He did have that major bout of "Oh I totally forgot to sell the leg after 15 minutes of work on it" at WM, but since then he seems to be working on his part selling more.

 

The inherent flaw, which most people I talk to who are smarkish fans, like me, is that he's burned through everyone. Umaga, beat, Khali, beat, HBK, beat, so there is nobody left as a major threat to him to dominate him and allow his Balboa act to continue. What he needs is a Ric Flair to his Sting. A major heel that can out think him, instead of trying to outpower him. The WWE lacks a big time heel that can get that done that he hasn't already faced.

 

A returning HHH could be that guy, but that only opens the flood gates of HHHaters.

 

So in conclusion, Cena solid wrestler whose been booked into a corner by creative.

 

I suppose that could work since his finisher is really more of an STS(stepover toe hold sleeper) than an STF. But then again, that's just being picky.

[mysterious_w 0]

Cena only entertains me only when he's getting booed. He loses the belt now and I'll become completely disinterested in him. If he keeps the belt for a few more months to the point where the crowd had completely turned on him in every arena, then it'll be fun to watch.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

I find the whole "over coming the odd" deal is what seems to be killing him. Since he ALWAYS over comes the odds, no one buys him losing no matter how stacked the deck is against him. Also, aside from Khali who else has pinned Cena clean lately? Last time I can remember Cena losing at all was when Edge pinned him at Summerslam last year. Even if he were to get blindsided by a finisher in a tag match and do a job, just to make him look human, it would help into people buying the over coming the odds scenario

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

In all honesty, I've just stopped caring.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

I haven't cared about the RAW Main event scene since Cena beat Edge at Unforgiven

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Yeah pretty much, when Edge won and they didn't change the belt design, that's when I knew it was going to be Cena for the long haul and should just save my breath (read 'internet whine') about Cena as he's not going anywhere. So, I'll watch Raw since its on and won't expect anything, but I'll always have the enjoyment of Smackdown to fall back on now.

 

In a strange way, the only thing that's got me a little excited about Cena is HHH, surely that's one odd he can't over come?

[AntiLeaf33 0]

I would shit myself if Triple H beat Cena in a quick squash like how the Warrior beat the Honkey Tonk Man for the IC title.

 

Though the odds of me having a live mongoose crawling out of my ass are better then that happening.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

haha, actually, yeah, that'd probably get the biggest pop for a while.

[yankovic fan 0]

haha, actually, yeah, that'd probably get the biggest pop for a while.

 

A mongoose crawling out of antileaf's ass would get the biggest pop?

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

I left it open for that interpretation lol

 

What's Cena's next WWE Movie? Will that signal a gimmick change for him again?

[AntiLeaf33 0]

haha, actually, yeah, that'd probably get the biggest pop for a while.

 

A mongoose crawling out of antileaf's ass would get the biggest pop?

 

I'd pop for the mongoose if I didn't have a fucking mongoose coming out of my ass!!

[hyperchord24 0]

In a strange way, the only thing that's got me a little excited about Cena is HHH, surely that's one odd he can't over come?

They had a short cluster fuck of a feud, in which HHH would heel it up and the crowd would have none of it. Then HHH decided he wanted to get face pops from being in DX.

[Mad Scientist 0]

Honestly Cena would be okay if they dropped this new painful goody-good face gimmick and stop having him use that screwed-up STFU. I honestly enjoyed the hell out of his promos from his rapping gimmick, and I would actually look forward to those freestyle rants, especially during his feud with Angle. They don't have to turn him heel, just turn him loose with the rapping again. You can tell that the promos he has to do now are stifling him.

 

The STFU annoys the crap out of me just because it's the one move he has that is completely inconsistent with both his character and his in-ring style. He's a brawler/powerhouse. Every other move he does plays to those strengths. Having him constantly employ the STFU flies in the face of his entire style. It shocks you out of enjoying the match whenever he does it. I would suffer a similar break if I suddenly saw Umaga bust out a crossface chickenwing as a finisher. I'm nitpicking, I know, but that kind of stuff drives me nuts. I'd be equally flabbergasted if I suddenly saw Chavo Guerrero use a damn chokelsam. It doesn't make any kind of sense for the character or the wrestler's style.

 

Other than that Cena works his BUTT off every match, which is more than can be said for a lot of the roster, and he can always put on a good show. I'd be a fan if I could get past the above two flaws I find in his current incarnation.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Seems the general opinion is drop the superman/over the odds shit and change his gimmick.

[cabbageboy 0]

I think honestly he really needs to just job the belt to someone and take some time off. It's amazing that since he's been in WWE I don't recall him ever having an injury or nursing a sore knee or anything really. Cena is so unbelievably stale at this point that I'm starting to understand what fans must have been thinking during the Backlund era.

 

The problem is though....who can you put in the spot? HHH only opens up the anti HHH sentiment again, Michaels is past his prime and currently injured, I don't even want to think about Orton getting the belt. I'd go with Lashley or Kennedy. There had to be some reason these guys moved to Raw, other than to get buried.

[Quasar 0]

I think honestly he really needs to just job the belt to someone and take some time off. It's amazing that since he's been in WWE I don't recall him ever having an injury or nursing a sore knee or anything really. Cena is so unbelievably stale at this point that I'm starting to understand what fans must have been thinking during the Backlund era.

 

The problem is though....who can you put in the spot? HHH only opens up the anti HHH sentiment again, Michaels is past his prime and currently injured, I don't even want to think about Orton getting the belt. I'd go with Lashley or Kennedy. There had to be some reason these guys moved to Raw, other than to get buried.

 

 

Given recent developments, I'd say that Bobby Lashley is the LAST guy who needs to be in a prominent position in WWE.

[sluggo 0]

ol rapping Cena was awesome.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Have Cena drop the belt to Orton and have an Orton/Kennedy fued. Would be refreshing and I think they would gel pretty nicely together

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

The people who like him tend to wildly overrate him (i.e. "best worker in the world!" arguments - although that's mainly a DVDVR thing).

 

The people who hate him tend to wildly underrate him.

 

I like the dude. He busts his ass, and seems like a genuinely nice & likable guy (maybe a bit of a dork, but that adds to his likability). We never hear of him pulling any political crap. We never hear about him ego-tripping - there was that great video of him hanging out in the bar w/ a bunch of the low card guys (the one w/ Umaga chopping the 1 dude). He can cut a damn good promo when he's not trying to be all "LOL, u r teh gay". I wish he'd drop all the gay/juvenile jokes from his repetoire, but other than that I have no problem w/ him. Maybe could use more of the harder edge he had when he was a heel over on SD.

 

After a quick perusal of the Raw roster, I'd say he's 1 of my favorite guys on the show (pre-draft, he was my #1, but now he has to compete w/ Booker, London, Kendrick).

 

His face run as the champion has been a failure

Hahaha, no.

[luke-o 0]

I can see why people like Cena. I really can. He is a very hard worker, if not the hardest working man on the roster. Not only in-ring but out of the ring too. He's truly dedicated to his work and his very deserved of his place in the main event scene.

 

That being said, I am SICK to death of him winning all the time. I was really pushing for Randy to win the belt at Vengance, much like I am with every match Randy is in. (I don't know why, but I mark out for the guy.)

 

I at times have come off as the "OMGZ CENA IS TEH SUX!!!1111onetwothree". But I'm really not, I'm just sick of his character.

 

That's all I have to say, I'm not a fan of his in-ring work, but I can see he busts his ass. I'm not a fan of his title reign, but I can see why he's champion.

[David Blazenwing 0]

I agree with the sentiment of "I like Cena, but I'm sick of him being Champion." Cena's fine, he just needs to share the spotlight title-wise. A story where he's chasing the champ and not "overcoming the odds YET again" would be a fresh turn of events IMO.

[MFer 0]

Wasn't Orton/Cena supposed to be a dream match of sorts? Both came in around the same time (2002). Both started out with somewhat generic characters (Cena with "ruthless aggression" and Orton as the new young hotshot feuding with the veteran Hardcore Holly). Both eventually became heels (Cena with his rapping and Orton with his RNN skits followed by Evolution). Both won mid-card titles then the big ones (Orton I.C. then World, Cena U.S. then WWE) Plus both are young and are two of the better looking superstars today. Would a Cena/Orton long-term feud feel fresh to you guys and would it go over well with the fans?