When should John Cena Drop the Belt?

[The Tino Standard 0]

If they give Orton the belt, they might as well go and take a dump on the rest of the locker room while they're at it. What kind of a message does it send to make Orton the No. 1 man in the company? Think about how many times he's supposed to have been in title programs and possible Mania main events but has blown it by doing stupid, reckless shit outside of the arena. He finally doesn't do anything stupid for a few months, and now all is forgiven? Fuck that.

[mysterious_w 0]

Actually, I think on-screen punitive measures are stupid. A guy fucks up, then sure fine him, give him extra unpaid promotional spots, etc. But don't job him out just because of that. You're just harming the product then if you are burying a guy for a reason that's not due to his ability.

[Mike wanna be 0]

On the bright side, let's hope Orton wins the gold and then starts fucking up. They'll have to keep the belt on him because there'd be no heels left for the Ultimate Helmsley to beat for the gold on his return. It'll be great.

[haVoc 0]

I don't care what the gossip of the week is, I don't think Triple H will want to win the title until WM and that's a good 8 months away. He'll probably have a few title programs, but I don't see him burying the whole Raw roster. Triple H will have to put some over if they're going to hold out until April '08. The big win at 'Mania will be more meaningful if he gets screwed over a few times and have to fight his way back.

 

If he wants to bury Lashley along the way I'm fine with that, though.

[Jingus 0]

Actually, I think on-screen punitive measures are stupid. A guy fucks up, then sure fine him, give him extra unpaid promotional spots, etc. But don't job him out just because of that. You're just harming the product then if you are burying a guy for a reason that's not due to his ability.

To an extent you're right. But, guys who are pushed tend to make more money, period. The higher you are on the card, the more PPV main events you work, the more merchandise you sell, the more you get paid. Why reward bad behaviour?

 

BTW, I'm pretty sure the WWE's current policy of forcing the test failers to work without pay is technically illegal as hell. But they get away with it because 1.the WWE forces the wrestlers to claim to be "independent contractors" instead of actual employees, which gives the company more leeway to screw with them, and 2.it's Vince, he seems to get away with every dirty trick he ever pulled.

[RedJed 0]

If its a given that HHH HAS to win back the title at Mania, I hate to say it, but you might as well just keep it on Cena until then, BUT turn the guy heel later in the year here, at least. If they think it out right, the guy can still sell tons of merchandise as a heel, if that is their only concern.

 

This would be the perfect scenario to me - Cena loses it to HHH soon after SummerSlam but wins the belt back sooner or later after Cena, out of frustration of losing the belt, finally kind of snaps and turns heel (this title change back to Cena could be at the Rumble), and then goes to Mania to lose to babyface Kennedy (who wins the Rumble).

[RedJed 0]

A thought on Orton and the chance of him beating Cena, presumably at SummerSlam.....

 

I think it would send a HORRIBLE sign to the roster if he got the belt anytime soon for one thing (given all of the troubles he's had this year), and then just to put over HHH then in the process is equally ridiculous. Plus it is very mundane booking in the first place since Orton lost the belt to HHH last time as well.

 

Regardling Lashley.....

 

Even if they turn him heel, no way should he be getting the belt, the ECW run didnt do shit for him and he needs alot more development in the upper card before he gets taken that seriously.

 

Regarding Booker....

 

I know alot of people have a hard-on for him around here, but can you actually dignify him in yet ANOTHER match with Cena in the first place? He certainly should not be the whipping boy for HHH either (as he will be at SS) but because of being put in roles like that now and before, his point of being taken seriously as a main champion again is lost, to me. He had his nice run on Smackdown, and that was his peak.

[cabbageboy 0]

Oh god, another absurd notion that Kennedy is going to do jack shit on Raw. The guy is already an afterthought on Raw, what with jobbing to Super Crazy and Lashley already made him a bitch. Kennedy isn't winning the Rumble, he isn't going to challenge Edge for the title (obviously not now), he isn't going to do shit but get buried.

 

Orton, should get the belt, would end up being Jericho 2002 Part II. I seriously doubt that Orton could hold the title till WM and remain entertaining, so HHH needs to win it at Survivor Series or roughly near then.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Cena's a fun worker who has awesome PPV matches, brings out the best in opponents, has great facial expressions, is a company guy, and sells tons of merchandise.

 

Thus, I say work on building the challengers up before you drop it.

 

Triple H, Lashley, Kennedy, Booker, and Orton would all suck as champion.

 

Triple H mega-reigns are played out.

Lashley isn't a proven commodity.

Kennedy isn't a very good wrestler and has no credibility.

Booker's thing is played out.

Orton just bores me.

[Jingus 0]

Are you kidding? Cena is an "awesome" worker, I disagree enough with that, but to actually say that Kennedy sucks? Wow.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Kennedy does suck in many ways... and I even like the guy.

 

Orton seems like money due to the added edge they gave him of a guy who just wants to give people concussions. Plus, Orton is one of the most over guys no matter where they go. He has the teen girl demographic, which is very important since they give the best reactions, and will usually buy any merchandise you put out. A lot of guys around my age and in their mid 20s also like him, since he's "cool". The older crowd is give or take. I don't know what he brings to the table as far as ratings go.

 

He's been consistently good since that match with Edge where his spot was supposedly threatened due to one of his many fuck ups.

 

Honestly, it wouldn't be bad for him to have a run with the belt...

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Randy Orton at SummerSlam or Unforgiven.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Heel Lashley >>>>>>>> Blandy Boreton.

 

Actually a heel Lashley is something fresh.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Hey Jingus, you quoted me as saying Cena was an "awesome" worker. Despite never saying that. I love when people quote other people with words they never said. Nimrods. He's a fun worker. He has had awesome PPV matches all year. Argue that.

 

What's Kennedy done this year? Besides get hurt AGAIN and then cut retarded promos. Kennedy was an average wrestler on the Smackdown roster that was filled with mid-card talents working 15 minute matches. There's nothing wrong with that, I like wrestling, but when you're lumped in with Matt Hardy, Finley, the not-yet-super-pushed Lashley, and the rest of the "not ready for Live TV" roster, it's easy to stand out. Now he's on the crowded Raw roster and is exposed for what he is: an average wrestler with some charisma.

[Jingus 0]

This year? What about that carry job at the Rumble? Unlike Cena, Kennedy didn't have an incredibly strong and agile Samoan who seems to feel no pain as his opponent; instead, he was stuck with the giant crash test dummy known as Batista. And STILL put on a performance so strong, he actually had the crowd cheering for him.

 

Kennedy is an infinitely better bumper than Cena, uses a lot more moves and executes them crisper, and I'd even argue that he's a better talker (I always thought Cena was overrated on the mike, and Kennedy's whole gimmick just makes me crack up).

 

And you used the word "awesome" describing Cena's wrestling, you DID say it, don't accuse me of putting words in your mouth that're already there.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Kennedy's whole gimmick is repeating his name. Good talker that does not make.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Kennedy did have a decent match with Batista at the Rumble, especially during a particular bad string of Batista matches, so I'll give him credit there. However, and I think this says a lot about Kennedy, the match was set up with a random "Beat the Clock" gimmick, and unlike the same set-up they gave to Bobby Lashley just this month, no one gave Kennedy a snowball's chance in hell of winning. Kennedy fell into "throwaway title defense" category, not unlike say Hulk Hogan facing Arn Anderson on Nitro.

 

Kennedy's bumping I don't question, that's fine. It's his rather bland offense that I question. The "Lambeau Leap", while rather exciting, was A) something the WWE was obviously going to try to eliminate and B)only effective on guys that were either Kennedy's size or smaller. The Reverse Superplex he used on Crazy last week is equally as dangerous, and even harder to execute on large opponents. Add in the same basic offense (clotheslines, chinlocks, and neckbreakers) that seem to boggle down every guy Kennedy's size, and IMO, he's just generic, aside from being the only guy who gets to announce his own intro. The whole "...Kennedy!" speal, while unique, isn't exactly something that's interesting, just odd.

 

But to put Kennedy, a guy who has done nothing in this business and came off like a complete and total asshole doing his pro-WWE website rants following Benoit's deaths and has had a cup of coffee in the big leagues, against a injury-free mega-draw like John Cena, who's delivered 3 promoted WM Main Event wins, has been the face of not only the WWE but also their title belt, and has gotten the best out of crowd-apathetic monsters like Umaga (at the time) and Khali is silly.

 

Kennedy has reminded me of Chris Candido, and just because of the hair. He's good enough on the mat, a tad humorous on the stick, but I've just never found him terribly exciting in the ring aside from a killer top-rope finish.

 

And there is a difference between being an "awesome" worker and having "awesome matches. John Cena is a solid worker that has awesome matches. That doesn't mean he's Chris Benoit or Shawn Michaels and can carry any sap to a great match. It means when he sticks to his positives, that being his selling, facial expressions, good-enough offense and occassional "holy shit" move, you're probably not going to be disappointed. Look at Jeff/Umaga from last night, that worked so well, as did Cena/Umaga, because Cena is an A+ seller who has amazing timing on his comebacks, much like Jeff was last night. Wrestling's a simple formula, and Cena understands the steak over the sizzle so well, that after taking a lot of critical shit from the IWC, a pretty large portion, while not buying Cena hats and cheering for him, still know, just like last night with Lashley, they're gonna get a good match.

[Mad Scientist 0]

This year? What about that carry job at the Rumble? Unlike Cena, Kennedy didn't have an incredibly strong and agile Samoan who seems to feel no pain as his opponent; instead, he was stuck with the giant crash test dummy known as Batista. And STILL put on a performance so strong, he actually had the crowd cheering for him.

 

Kennedy is an infinitely better bumper than Cena, uses a lot more moves and executes them crisper, and I'd even argue that he's a better talker (I always thought Cena was overrated on the mike, and Kennedy's whole gimmick just makes me crack up).

 

And you used the word "awesome" describing Cena's wrestling, you DID say it, don't accuse me of putting words in your mouth that're already there.

 

In Sledgehammer's defense, he did only use the word "awesome" to describe Cena's PPV matches, not his wrestling in general. I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment, but let's get his context right.

[mfn 0]

I think Cena's matches have been nothing but boring. I just can't get into them. The only time I find myself semi-interested in any Cena match is when there seems like there might be the slightest chance in hell that Cena is going to do the job. Other than that, it's just wash, rense, repeat.. much like everyone else's matches in this promotion.

 

My strong dislike for Cena isn't his fault. It's the way he's booked. It's so... not fun for me. Now, I know, there are thousands upon thousands of others out there who absolutely adore John Cena. I am not one of them. I can't stand him. On the mic, in the ring, or on my television. He's stale. He needs to have a character revamp.

 

This 'over coming the odds yet again' deal is rather old.

[Black Lushus 0]

holy fucking shit...I actually AGREE with UTSU on something! Fucking kill me!

[mysterious_w 0]

Kennedy did have a decent match with Batista at the Rumble, especially during a particular bad string of Batista matches, so I'll give him credit there.

 

No he didn't, that match sucked, I'd put it on a par with Batista's match with Edge at Judgement Day. It was so slow paced that any heat that was built up just got killed in the long periods of no action.

 

[Lil' Bitch 0]

WTF? That match with Kennedy was probably one of the best matches Batista ever had! What the hell are you guys smoking? Seriously, whatever it is, let me try some.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

The Kennedy/ Batista matches were watchable thanks to Kennedy. He pretty much carried big Dave to the finish

[haVoc 0]

This is why he's no longer with the company.

 

Pete Doyle talks about WWE current booking

 

 

 

Matter Of Opinion – WWE title, make me care

 

Is it me or has the WWE title become a non important issue? Obviously this is not something new, but it’s getting worse.

 

If you’re old enough, think back to the days when the main event storyline involved a heel, a face and the want for the championship. The title wouldn’t be defended every week against the same guy. Storylines would last longer than one month, which is now eight hours of TV, which translates into roughly ten minutes per show, max.

 

The whole point of a promotion is to be number one and to be the top dog. The WWE’s storylines are so all over the place, that the WWE title does not get pushed to the forefront. Instead, the person holding the title has become more important than the title itself and when the person holding the title is not fully accepted by the fans (on either side of the fence), that’s not good at all.

 

I love John Cena, as a person. I have known John since he first came to California and trained at Ultimate University. Great guy who always had respect for everyone around him. But, I’ll be honest, he is definitely not the right guy to be carrying the WWE title right now. There is no reason to care about him or the title.

 

Option 1) The WWE needs to have the likes of Lashley turn heel and destroy Cena, take his title and make Cena battle to get it back for the next 9 months. This will make people care about Cena, it will make people care about the WWE title again and it will hopefully make the title look like a title again instead of some cheesy grab machine toy.

 

I’m all for moving forward in this and any other industry, but you have to go back to what got you to the dance. Storylines that revolve around the title. I wouldn’t buy a WWE PPV for two reasons. 1) The face already has the title, he’s not chasing anything. I have nothing to root for. 2) The guy who does have the title does not appeal to me. He has nothing on the table that gives me the want to see him keep the title.

 

Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock. Three guys who seemed to get screwed and were always chasing title.

 

Hogan was always getting screwed by his partners or would run into a situation where he was out numbered. It sucked, I wanted to see him prevail and get that title back. And when he did and then got screwed again, then I was really pissed and I’d want to see him get the title back again.

 

Same with the Austin and Rock, always getting screwed by the McMahon’s. They had something that we all liked and they were clawing and scratching for the WWE title.

 

Today, it’s basically a guy who has the look. The buck stops there. Cena’s wrestling ability is nowhere near that of Austin, Hart, Michaels or Rock. Now you don’t need to be an outstanding technician to be over, just look at Hogan, but you do need something. Cena’s promos are so bad that he is doing more damage to himself when he takes the mic.

 

I also strongly believe that the WWE should and can go back to less PPV’s per year. It makes no sense to have a storyline blown off in 4 weeks. Or to have the same match on two PPV’s in a row. It’s repetitive and it dilutes everything else around it.

 

Option 2) This is how I would prefer to see things go. I really feel that Cena is better suited as a heel. Cena needs to go out there and heel Lashley and taunt him with the WWE title. Put Lashley on the shelf for a month or two, giving Cena time to get as much heat as possible. Lashley comes back and then chases the title, getting screwed at a title shot every week. Save the one on one match for The Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania. To give it away so soon and for free would be a huge mistake. Build the emotion and let this thing breath and gain steam.

 

Now I’m interested, now I want to see Lashley get that title from Cena so bad. Now I care!

 

 

Credit: WrestlingObserver

 

He's trying way too hard to be a Smark.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

He's got some good ideas there, but it's also filled with a lot "smark" fluff.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

He sounds like he just skims through the results of Raw every week w/o watching the show.

[Guest Floridian Cool]

Blandy Boreton.

 

This from a guy with fucking MVP in his sig...

[RedJed 0]

Ok so this former writer likes Lashley, that much we know. That's a whole other issue for another time. I do agree with him, though, that either Lashley or Cena or maybe even BOTH turning heel is the way to go. He's right - Cena as the happy-go-lucky, (not so funny) jokeman, ma and pa babyface is STALE AS FUCK. I'm sick of seeing every ppv end with "OMG Cena overcomes the odds again, good god almighty!" even though his in-ring work is acceptable enough in the process. But it just gets SO repetitive.

 

One thing is certainly clear, someone other than Batista, HHH or CM Punk needs to start a serious compelling chase to one of the world titles. And I could and would even accept Cena in that role, especially if they changed up his personality a bit to not be so freakin cheesy or something. Its just really hard to take the guy seriously on top, especially with that spinner belt, when thats not even anywhere close to his gimmick anymore.

 

Shit, even at the bare minimum, I would accept Cena as a heel against HHH going into next year's Mania.

 

But it seems almost a virtual lock that, barring any controversy in the next month, Orton will be the guy to take it here. I'm really indifferent on that to the max, as I've seen him stepping up his game (Orton) but as I said before, it's a huge issue to give the guy who has been a problem child in the biggest sense of the word the win over the guy they have been overtly pushing like crazy as champ for almost a year now. All in all, the dynamic with the WWE title and its champion/contenders is really not cohesive as it should be. Blame injuries for that a bit if you want, but overall, having Shawn Michaels around or not isnt really going to make things anymore interesting.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Unless he's talking about Hogan in the AWA. He never had to chase the title in the WWE or WCW.

 

 

[RepoMan 0]

They're not going to turn Cena heel anytime soon. He still sells a buttload of merchandise. I'd still like to Lashley get turned heel with a good mouthpiece like Estrada