WWE: Why John Cena vs. Kane Is Great With or Without a Heel Turn

Now, this is what I’m talking about.

Finally, there is an honest-to-God storyline involving John Cena, and for a change, it’s actually being done the right way.

From the moment that Kane returned and set his sights on Cena, fans’ interest was piqued, mostly due to the fact that it was so surprising.  Very surprising, especially considering how the Big Red Monster left in the first place.

A victim of a vicious attack from Mark Henry, Kane was put on the shelf alongside Big Show, who had suffered the same fate.  Show returned the way most fans expected, with Henry No. 1 on his agenda. But, a newly masked Kane had other ideas in mind.

Cena became the focus of Kane’s redirected rage.  Rage, that is not purely just physical in nature, but rage that is extremely psychological, on a very intense level.

The best aspect of Kane’s character has always been this cerebral approach, one that is somewhat contradictory to his imposing 7-foot, 323-pound frame.  After all, when you have that kind of size, why would there be a need to play mind games?

But, that is just what we have always seen before from Kane, and that is exactly what we’re seeing right now.  It’s tried, it’s true, it works, and it’s working every week on Monday Night Raw.

With his intellectual assassination of Cena’s character, Kane has cut to the very core of what the problem with John has been for the past couple of years.

This storyline has continued the notion that perhaps Cena is growing tired of constantly being hated, constantly being second guessed, and consistently being criticized for just being himself.  

By bringing the online chatter, and the fans outcry for change when it comes to John to the forefront, WWE has embraced the drama instead of running from it.

By allowing Kane to take the stage and be the one who assesses the situation, is nothing short of brilliant.

The biggest issue with John possibly turning heel has been the point that WWE simply cannot do it.

John has been pushed as the top babyface for so long, and has been marketed accordingly, that the fear of the company actually losing ground if he turned on the crowd, has been a very real concern.

But, the fans do not care.  All the majority of them want is to see John stop smiling, and start accepting the fact that they hate him.  For those fans, Captain America’s run is over, and the time for change is now.

But, putting all of that hate into the hands of Kane, a true heel who historically has not been cheered despite who he works, has taken the decision making and placed it squarely back on WWE.

Now, the fans who were so impatient over John’s potential character change are being suddenly disarmed by Kane who is doing what a great heel does.

He’s making you wait.  Why?

Because, the real drama is in the ride itself.  The question of what will be done with John, and how Zack Ryder, who has been dragged into this due to his friendship with John, will be affected, is the real attraction of this storyline.  Getting there is all the fun.

This evolving rivalry is classic WWE at its finest.  A big, scary, merciless heel facing off against the comic book archetype who is good, brave and has a big heart.  The odds look impossible for John, and that is just the way it’s supposed to be

And, can I just say that I’m so happy that for once John Cena is on the defensive.  He is not the overwhelming favorite facing a challenger that he is just destined to pin in the end.  

He is outmatched physically, and offset mentally, by one of the biggest monsters that WWE has ever produced.

We are seeing for the first time something that we have never seen from John before.  We are seeing a trace of self-doubt.

It may just be a glimpse at this point, but I believe it’s there, nonetheless.  The seeds are being sewn for his character to make a change.  Whether it will lead to a heel turn is not yet known. 

But if all that happens is just the admission by John that yes, it bothers him that he has worked so hard for the same fans who continue to hate him, then that may be just enough for him to grow.  

His character’s claim that it doesn’t phase him, that he doesn’t care, has worn extremely thin.  The time for playing polite has to end eventually.

John Cena has been portrayed as superhuman for far too long.  It’s time for him to be seen as a man with faults who has the same fears and imperfections that we all have.  It’s time for John to become human once again.

And, it could very well be Kane who makes that change happen.