WWE: 5 Reasons John Cena Has Peaked as a Face in WWE

“Let’s go, Cena!”

“Cena sucks!”

We all know this infamous exchange. We hear it nearly every time John Cena takes the ring. It is perhaps the most interesting thing about John Cena’s current role in wrestling.

It’s hard to say that drawing the most mixed reaction in wrestling history takes ability, but whatever it takes, no one does it better than John Cena. 

A lot of people say it is time for John Cena to turn heel. Some would even argue he is already a heel. Either way, if there was ever a more opportune time for Cena to fully commit to the dark side, it is now.

5. The Crowd Reaction

In the world of sports entertainment, the crowd cheers you or boos you; both are good reactions. Both mean you are doing a good job.

In Chicago at Money in the Bank, the crowd berated John Cena and he played into it perfectly. At Money in the Bank, John Cena earned his heat.

However, he does not earn the phony pops that go off when his entrance music strikes in other cities. Many fans in attendance report that WWE's production team adds fake crowd reaction to the television broadcasts to help hype up “The Franchise.”

It’s actually getting a little too obvious. The screen shows motionless crowds sitting on their hands while the speakers blast a crowd reaction that sounds like Stone Cold just drove a beer truck through the entranceway. It’s borderline insulting.

If you were John Cena, wouldn’t you rather draw real boos than fake cheers?

4. It Is Time for a Change

John Cena has headlined 15 of the last 20 PPVs (the five he didn’t headline? two Royal Rumbles that he participated in, two matches when he was in the Nexus and had to accompany/referee for the main event for Wade Barret and Wrestlemania XXVI when Undertaker defeated HBK).

Maybe it’s time to mix things up a bit. How long will John Cena headlining continue to work?

We are approaching two years, and a lot of fans are hoping it doesn’t go three. He doesn’t have to never headline again, but giving someone else a taste of the spotlight and giving the fans something new and original is always a good thing.

3. Cena Is Facing the Rock at Wrestlemania

Everything John Cena does between now and April 1, 2012, is just leading up to his match against the Rock at Wrestlemania. Everything Cena does between now and April 1 is leading up to him being a heel, even if just for one match.

Based on past crowd responses to The Rock and Cena’s interactions, it will not be a divided crowd. There will be Cena fans in attendance, but surrounded by a Miami crowd, their voices will not be heard.

2. It Is Time for a New Face

Before now, it was hard to make the argument that John Cena should turn heel because there was no one available to be the WWE's top face without him.

If he turned heel then The Miz, Sheamus or R Truth would be the main event face. They are all really talented, but they're not ready for that roll.

Now we have options. CM Punk wouldn’t even have to turn face, he is pretty much already there. He is getting huge pops, he is attracting casual fans back to wrestling and he has more than enough presence in the ring and on the microphone to be the top face in the company.

Plus, the Rock is coming back, even if it is just temporary.

1. John Cena Plays a Good Heel

John Cena doesn’t have to go back to his thug-a-nomics days to play the villain again. His hustle-loyalty-respect persona is already evolving into a new roll.

The way Cena responded to pro-Punk crowd in Chicago was brilliant. He canned the smiles and came to the ring with a chip on his shoulder and a scowl on his face. And it worked.

He reluctantly made the “you can’t see me” hand gesture before the five-knuckle shuffle and the audience loved to hate it. In some roughly shot footage of untelevised shows, Cena has been seen responding the crowd’s negative reaction and it is a lot more interesting than his usual gimmick.

Thanks for Reading!

What do you think? Are you tired of Cena's face run? Do you want Cena to turn heel, or do you prefer him as the babyface for guys like CM Punk, The Miz and R Truth to play off of?

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