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| Less of this, please Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Now, here we are, eight and a half years after Cena's first title win, and the shoe is definitely on the other foot. For the better part of that span, Cena has been booked nearly unstoppable, so much so that he has earned the moniker of Super Cena. The biggest problem lies in the WWE's formulaic approach to booking matches. I would guesstimate that possibly nine out of ten matches I watch on WWE television are predictable. Now, while I'll say that the majority of matches do not matter who wins or who loses, with Cena, that is the end all be all that WWE has created with his character. He is meant to the be the hero, the alpha and the omega for their brand. And while I agree that every company needs that one guy to put all their chips on, WWE's handling of Cena has led him to be the polarizing figure that he is right now with every building they enter.
WWE and WCW changed the ideas behind booking during the Attitude era when everything was really unpredictable and they focused more on the story than the wins and losses. Now, with the post-Attitude slump and slow rebuild for the industry, the WWE has (for whatever reason) reverted to their booking habits during the Hulkamania run when Hogan was only pinned clean, I believe, by the Ultimate Warrior during a 10-year run. You can now rest assured that guys like Cena, Sheamus, and Randy Orton are horribly unlikely to even lose a match by disqualification, let alone pinfall or submission. Perhaps the greatest example of this happened in the past half-year when Cena was feuding with Dolph Ziggler. The feud could have been great and very deep in story had they indulged themselves with a bit of spontaneity. Yet, the only win that Ziggler was able to claim over Cena was in a ladder match, which involved no pins. Even then, the match still didn't end clean on a Zig Zag or anything like that. AJ had to "save the day" for Ziggler just so that he could triumph.
This formulaic approach is where I believe the WWE is taking the biggest of wrong turns. People resent John Cena because they know what they're getting before the bell even rings. John Cena needs to be beatable. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was beatable, and that's what made fans buy into him all the more. Stone Cold came off as the toughest S.O.B. in the company, and even though he lost, the fans were still in love with him because they felt he HAD the chance to win. John Cena leaves no doubt in the fans minds as to what they should expect out of him. He's the number one face in the company, so he's going to go over, especially when the count needs to be clean. This is one of the reasons that so many had been excited about the prospect of Cena turning heel at WrestleMania, because as a heel, Cena could finally be made human and we could see him do something besides cut an awful PG promo before inevitably winning in the squeakiest of clean fashions.
Personally, I'm tired of the same old stuff from this company. The unfortunate thing is that they're really the best thing to watch due to their production values and legacy. The even more unfortunate thing is that we're not going to see anything different until someone makes them change it. They've proven that much. So, while I'm feeling like I'm banging my head against the wall, I have brought forth a plan that would not only help Cena with his stale character, but even keep him as the top face in the company as well.
Quite honestly, the time to strike was Money in the Bank. Mark Henry is the perfect person to make this angle get underway. Personally, I would have had Cena lose to Henry at Money in the Bank, but not completely in a clean fashion. Cena can't hit the Attitude Adjustment. He backs Henry into the corner, but Henry knocks him down. Cena gets back up in time for Henry to climb to the second rope and pulls him over onto his shoulders for the AA. Henry holds onto the top rope, and Cena can't hold him. Henry falls on top for the pin, and the ref counts the three with Cena's foot on the ropes. This goes unnoticed by the ref and Henry still walks away with the title.
The two have a rematch at SummerSlam. Again, Cena can't hit the Attitude Adjustment and ends up backing Henry into the corner. Henry is woozy, but gives Cena a big push into a ref bump. Cena charges back in, but Henry hits him with a right hand, sending Cena to the mat. Henry eyes an opportunity and climbs to the second rope. Cena (in full Super Cena mode) rushes up and places himself under Henry, using the ropes as leverage to finally hit the AA. Due to the ref bump, Cena doesn't get the pin, but clearly has Henry out. Cena looks for another ref to come out, but nothing happens, so he begins working at reviving the fallen ref. This allows Henry time to get back into the match, spin Cena into a World's Strongest Slam, and see that the ref is still down. Henry then makes his way outside, grabs a steel chair, and gives Cena ANOTHER WSS onto the chair. He shoves the chair to the outside as the ref finally shakes the cobwebs loose and makes the count. It is then announced the following night on RAW that the chair spot injured Cena and he is out indefinitely.
Cena repeats his past spot of returning as a surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble. He manages to make it to the final three, but after tossing the would-be winner over the top but only to the apron, he is Pearl Harbored by Ryback, who quickly throws him over the top rope for the elimination. Cena and Ryback jaw at each other just long enough for the winner to eliminate Ryback. Cena and Ryback then brawl on the outside to close the show as the winner celebrates.
The Royal Rumble winner opts for the World Heavyweight Title, leaving the Elimination Chamber for RAW to determine the number one contender for the WWE Title at WrestleMania. In the lead up to Elimination Chamber, Josh Matthews tries to cut an interview with Cena, but Cena informs him that he's come back with one goal, and that's the WWE Title at WrestleMania. He's not going to be slowed by talking, and going to put his energy into action. Cena doesn't go completely mute like Crow Sting in 1997, but he does way less talking than he normally does. He almost completely abandons his standard in-ring promo, and backstage interviews are fleeting at best. Cena goes over at EC, pinning Ryback to take the victory. This still allows WWE to take their cash cow into the main event at their biggest show of the year.
Let's say that CM Punk manages to re-gain the WWE Title in time for WM 30. It would only make sense with a big anniversary WM like 30 for them to take their two biggest stars and pit them against each other. Much like they have at the last two Manias, both competitors enter the main event as good guys. Cena manages to hit Punk with the AA, but gets dragged out of the pin at two by... Ryback. This distracts Cena enough to allow Punk to hit the Go To Sleep and get the (somewhat) clean victory.
Cena then goes on to feud with Ryback post-WrestleMania (again) and probably into May, maybe even June. I think that Ryback should come out as the winner of the feud, thus putting over Punk as the Best in the World at WrestleMania and also making Ryback post-WM, so that's two good benchmarks for the company. After that, let's have him feud with Henry again for taking him out a year ago. Cena could get his revenge here, winning this feud, thus still making him strong and keeping his heat. But please, God, no tap out victory.
Cena could then feud with someone, say Daniel Bryan for number one contendership at Royal Rumble. The two go to a no-decision at Survivor Series with Cena finally claiming the victory at TLC. This takes Cena out of the Royal Rumble match and effectively takes him out of the WWE Title match at WrestleMania. Cena then loses to either Miz or Alberto Del Rio (whomever you want to take the belt from Punk) at Royal Rumble, and again, I'd go clean to make the champ look that much stronger. Cena asks for a rematch in one of the few short promos that we've gotten from him since his return and gets it at Elimination Chamber. The champ goes over again, this time due to shenanigans with the lights going out as Cena is about to win.
Cena comes out the next night on RAW and says that maybe his run has ended. He's had a longer run than Hogan, Austin, or The Rock, but all things must come to an end. He's had a better run than anyone, and maybe it's his time and he's cool with that because he feels his run was better and longer than anyone's. The lights go out again, and we realize we're finally going to get Cena-Taker at WrestleMania XXXI. Sure, it misses the milestone of WM XXX, but deal with it. The match should happen, and Cena needed to lose to Punk last year.
I'm going to end it there because there are pros and cons to Cena winning or losing at that match. I'm sure that with Taker's health and all that the company put Cena through over the past year and a half that they'd probably give him the win to end the streak, but I think someone else on the roster needs that victory. But I've laid out an 18-month plan with Cena still getting title shots to remain relevant, but he's also made the rest of the roster that much better. He has put over Henry, Punk, Ryback, and ADR/Miz while at the same time still looking like the top dog and not have a "terrible year" as he called his 2012. It may have also been a bit long-winded, but that's just how frustrated I am with the John Cena formula in today's WWE. I'd like to see something like this take shape, but we can all rest assured that Cena isn't putting anyone over too much in the near future.