WWE Survivor Series: Will the Rock Bring About the Change That John Cena Needs?

This is it, the moment that fans have been waiting for since 2004.  On Sunday, The Rock will make his in ring return, teaming with John Cena to take on R-Truth and The Miz, otherwise known as Awesome Truth.

For Rocky’s fans, this is the most anticipated return of any WWE superstar in recent memory.  

The Rock was one of the men responsible for helping WWE pull ahead during The Monday Night War.

His gimmick, his look, his ability on the mic, everything he brought to the table, helped revitalize the company, putting a fresh face on the WWE product.  

His career is legendary, and he is one of the most popular superstars of all time.  To see him once again perform in the ring is a big moment for his fans, and for WWE.

It’s also a big moment for John Cena.

Let’s face it, John needs this, almost as much as the company does.  Why?

Because, WWE's constant efforts at pushing John as a face despite the fact that well over half the crowd in virtually every city they go to every week absolutely hate his guts, are failing miserably.

But, John just smiles, gives an “aww, shucks Pa,” type of response, like Opie Taylor, then he’s right back to playing Superman in a match that we all know he’s going to win.

Old school Andy Griffith reference, followed by The Man of Steel.  Beat that.

John needs this match on Sunday, because his character is dying the slowest death that we have ever seen, and he has to have a change.

The immediate change is pretty straightforward, namely the heat between he and Rock coming to a head on Sunday.  Not only is Rock back in the ring again, but he is teaming with the guy he’s been ripping on for months now.

Something tells me they’re not going to be the second coming of The Megapowers.

The truth is, WWE is simply following the formula they have employed for years now, because in their minds, it works.

You take a big time baby face, give him some heat with another big time baby face, then just when it looks as though things may get physical, you pair them together in a tag team.

It’s a great idea, mostly because it is so clever, that we as fans are completely unaware that there will be a problem between the two partners.  When an altercation happens, either during, or after the match, we are all genuinely shocked, marveling at WWE’s sheer brilliance.

That’s sarcasm, by the way, just to let you know.

But the fact is, Cena needs this thing between he and Rocky to start escalating, if only to somehow make his character interesting again.  So, if a tag match is the way it has to happen, then so be it.  At least it’s a start.

The only potential problem, however, is that this storyline is so unconventional in nature.  

After all, Rock is there on minute, then gone the next.  It’s hard to maintain the drama when there is not consistent contact that is built upon every week.

That’s not to say that the contact should be physical, of course, that needs to be saved until next year.  It’s no good for business if they start brawling every week on Raw up until WrestleMania, that’s like giving away the match for free.

But I feel that they both need to be in the same building at the same time, as often as possible, if only for a tense face off in the middle of the ring.  Again, it’s all about maintaining their heat and taking it one step further every week.

No matter what happens on Sunday, or what angle plays out between these two, if Rock is not there except for once a month again, then any momentum that is created could likely be dead by the next Raw.  

The reason?  Cena is not strong enough, or capable enough, to keep the interest going by himself.  It may be a hard pill to swallow for his fans, but the truth is if he were that interesting, then there would be no criticisms of him in that regard at all.

Basically, fans want to tune into Raw and see Cena versus Rock, not to see Cena continuously trying to sell a match against an opponent who is not there.

He’s just not entertaining enough to make it work.

The other change that could come from Sunday, or eventually next year, is the one that we as fans have been debating, and expecting, for years.

John Cena’s heel turn.  

Four words that only see the light of day thanks to fans online.  Why?

Because at the end of the day, we’re just trying to make sense of it all.  Trying to understand why WWE would keep putting Cena over as a face, only to hear the venom that is spewed forth by fans every time he hits the ramp.  He has to turn heel sometime, and what better way for him to make the change, than at the hands of such a popular legend like The Rock?

Survivor Series could be a night of high drama, with new steps being taken to advance this feud beyond the talking stage, whetting fan’s appetites for WrestleMania 28.  Or, it could fall flat on its face the second the pay-per-view goes off the air.

We have cared about this rivalry up to this point, but for the intensity to increase and keep our attention, the volume has to be turned up.   It’s good for business, it’s good for WWE.

And, it’s good for John Cena.