John Cena Finally Ready to Conquer His Demons, Give in to Hate

Finally, John Cena actually gave in to the hate for the first time in a long time. By the look on his face, it must have felt pretty darn good.

Monday night on Raw, Cena showed the pent-up emotions we've been waiting for—and honestly, it made for an interesting segment. This is exactly what has been missing from the Cena character—the anger he has managed to repress whenever someone has done him wrong.

There were no smiles, no letting stuff roll off of his back and pretending it's okay. It was a realistic reaction to all the crap he has had to put up with.

Too bad it has taken a culmination of events to push Cena over the edge. Between Kane's attack on both Cena and Zack Ryder—to a clearly unfit Ryder having to compete against Jack Swagger with the U.S. title on the line, and subsequently losing the belt—Cena had enough. Something had to give. The hate he has been trying to rise above finally kicked in.

What we saw was all of Cena's frustrations finally come to the surface—beating the hell out of Swagger. He owned Swagger. He gave him a taste of the hate and pain that exists deep down in his heart. For the first time Cena came across as real as a man caught up in the heat of the moment and looking for revenge. You know, the way we all feel at times.

Guess what? Cena is human after all.

That has been just one of the complaints about Cena—the lack of emotion that is so important in the world of sports entertainment. Emotion drives the business just like passion. They go hand-in-hand.

Without emotion and passion you have, well, what Cena has become—stale. Cena, at times, has come across as a robot programmed to run on automatic. That is about to change, hopefully for the better. Cena's character needs a slight attitude adjustment to fit in with the times.

Forget about being a heel; just let him handle his business. Isn't that what being a hero is about? 

What happened Monday is a sign of change in the direction the Cena character is going. We will see a more aggressive Cena, especially as we get closer to WrestleMania. That's fine. Get angry brother. Show us a little something. This doesn't mean he has to become a heel, as I stated earlier.

How about just dipping into the old ruthless aggression bag and show us what brought you to the dance in the first place?

Remind us why you've been at the forefront of the WWE Universe as long as you have. If they keep exploring the different range of emotions that make Cena who he is, we might find ourselves actually liking and rooting for him again.

By the time Cena arrives at WrestleMania, he should go in strong. Kane will be history, but will have played an instrumental part in Cena's resurgence. No more giving a damn about Rock's legacy and place in the business. No more being Rock's whipping boy. Cena's no slouch himself. He has a legacy that holds up pretty well on its own.

He needs to look Rock in the eye and remember that he's John Cena.

Win lose or draw, he needs to keep his head up like the hero he his. 

Embracing the hate may be a good thing after all.  

You can follow me on Twitter @tonydolemite.