"The Champ" Is Over...But Not In a Good Way

After another two week hiatus which I used to make some money freelancing in my hometown (getting paid tomorrow!) I’m back with an article I wanted to write ever since I heard Cena would be returning at Survivor Series.

I read in the spoilers long before it was announced on TV…oh, and I bought the WWE Magazine with that strange Cena poster for the PPV where he’s covered in dirt and surrounded by vines and appears to be emerging from the earth itself. Say it with me: Weird. Thanks to a friend for that line.

I’m one of the few over 13 (I’m 23) who enjoyed John Cena when many others had already turned on him. I found him refreshing, and not a horrible wrestler, but one pigeon-holed into a gimmick that made him use the same moves over and over to win.

But after his injury, I realized that WWE could survive on television without him. As a matter of fact, with Cena out and the writers scrambling, the decisions they made actually made RAW’s more surprising, and more watchable as a result. Which is why when he returned a full eight months early at Rumble, I expressed my anger for the whole theatre to hear.

I knew he was going to win, and then he'd win the title back. Thank God we got a surprise with Orton retaining which just made him more legitimate as a champion, but how often does that work, right?

Anyhow, as a fan for almost two decades, I have to say I understand why people my age hate him, and I think I know where some started feeling strange cheering for him or even watching matches involving the former Dr. of Thuganomics. He’s a "Marine" now. Moving on to the reason.

The moment that Cena’s star climaxed, in my honest opinion was the night of WrestleMania 21 in LA. True, he won the title, and true, we knew he would be winning it that night. The problem wasn’t expectations prior to the match. The problem was what every Cena fan felt after the match.

Personally, I felt some shock, and some confusion. Forget Shock and Awe in combating the evils of the Middle East. This brand of shock and awe (or lack thereof) definitely did a better job destroying John Cena.

At WrestleMania, not every match is booked to be the big match. But when a match is hyped the way Cena-JBL was, when it’s for a major title (the WWE Championship, the one WWE has had since the 60’s when it was just a regional promotion)…you give it the time it deserves and needs to tell that story and to make the winner a major star.

In some cases, matches where no title is on the line makes two stars out of nowhere. But this match was rushed, ending in 12 minutes without the drama of a JBL kick-out or a Cena kick-out of his opponent’s signature move. Had JBL hit his clothesline at 15 minutes, and Cena kicked out, that would’ve built story for WWE to go to when Cena started to fall in the eyes of the fans.

But instead, JBL was beaten quickly, never hit his big move, and all that work to build him up as the heel to beat was a waste. Cena was champion, and people DID celebrate the end of the JBL era, but they didn’t get the chance to be drawn in, they were just waiting for the end and the title. What I’m saying is, they were happy, but we weren’t as happy as we could have been.

On the other side of the double main event, Batista and Triple H went hard for over 20 minutes, blood was spilled and Batista was made a hero-and his Animal nickname gained a whole lot of luster with the way he beat “The Game,” who had been his mentor. Batista held the title for nine months, fought and defeated all comers, and never lost steam.

Randy Orton came within a hair of ending Taker’s winning streak and showed some balls by attempting a Tombstone on The Phenom. Even in defeat, the buildup and the excitement and unpredictability in the match put him on everyone’s to watch list.

Now, in 2008, as we approach a new year, WWE is starting to go forward with plans for the 25th WrestleMania. Batista has not been the same since his injury and the fans are starting to tire of his simple power game winning each match. Chris Jericho, a man who people absolutely hate in the ring right now, got cheers when he cheated his way out of the cage on Monday. That’s because the fans hate him, but they’d rather he be champion than the one-dimensional Batista.

Let’s talk about Randy Orton as well. His star was made brighter at that WM in Los Angeles, and now, he’s back in the ring and has a whole new villainous persona. He's not only over, but respected and when he comes out to fight, everyone stays to watch, whether they boo him or cheer him.

 John Cena’s title reign started fine, but the shortness of his expected breakthrough match blew the wind out of a lot of people’s sales. We felt cheated. WWE did an ok job covering it up with a bloodbath I Quit match a couple months later, but there were already negative chants beginning to crowd “The Champ.”

 Some say any publicity is good publicity, and despite his limited moveset, he sells big. The kids are back, and buying anything with his name on it, and that means until that becomes a negative, WWE won’t change Cena.

John Cena is to 2008 what Hulk Hogan was to 1988. He’s the superhero that always finds a way to win and never backs down. Truth is, Vince, you need to wake up and realize we’ve seen this before, and we don’t need to see it again. John Cena turning heel with all those fans behind him could be just the shot in the arm he needs.

Like Hogan himself said, “Why go against the grain?” They want to boo Cena, or they want him to add a few kinks to his repetoire we haven’t already seen.

 But then, that would mean the fans would get a surprise, and why would the organized Vince-appointed yes men of WWE ever agree to that?