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John Cena v The Rock


Devon Malcolm

John Cena v The Rock  

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Are men in their twenties and thirties who whinge about wrestling being too immature now really going to have an almighty strop

and boycott WWE like Vito just because their favourite loses a match? If so, then upsetting the mardy Kevin The Teenager cunts with a Cena victory is the only way to go.

 

Besides, WWE reaching out to an attitude era audience can't depend exclusively on wrestlers from twelve years ago winning. Dwayne's never going to wrestle more than a few times a year at most, so there's no way to sustain a fanbase who are only interested in wrestling if Rock's winning matches.

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Besides, WWE reaching out to an attitude era audience can't depend exclusively on wrestlers from twelve years ago winning. Dwayne's never going to wrestle more than a few times a year at most, so there's no way to sustain a fanbase who are only interested in wrestling if Rock's winning matches.

 

It can't, and I think that's why the CM Punk angle has been going the way it has. However, for a lot of fans who've stopped watching in the last 10 years, John Cena (and in particular the familiar 'same old shit' image of him mugging for the kids as he triumphantly holds the spinner belt aloft at Wrestlemania) is iconic of the reasons they've stopped watching wrestling. A bit like the casual fans who bought Wrestlemania 14 to see Mike Tyson, the WWE have hypothetically got a whole new (or, in this case, old) fanbase's attention for this one night - it's up to them to give them a reason to stick around longer than that one night. What's not going to do that is sending them home with the same image that's kept them away from wrestling for the last 7 or 8 years.

 

I honestly don't think it's a case of those fans throwing a strop, it's just that they're going to be looking for evidence that the company is turning a corner in order for them to stick around. The Rock cleanly 'passing the torch' to Cena isn't going to do that; seeing evidence of something edgy, controversial or somewhat risky just might, though.

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It can't, and I think that's why the CM Punk angle has been going the way it has.

That's been built around a wrestler from years ago as well, and no fucker's been watching it that doesn't watch anyway. I've been enjoying it but Punk's the Emperor's New Clothes and Nash looks like Doc Hendrix, and while they're pretending to be sick over the ropes and mocking each other's grooming, the only one looking good from it all is Triple H in a suit.

 

The Mike Tyson analogy doesn't really hold up either, because there's no Steve Austin in the scenario to keep people tuning in every week. It was fine for WWF to fuck off Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels back then when fans were sick of them, because there was a new crop overtaking them anyway. But there's nobody like that for WWE now, it's just Cena. That could change by WrestleMania if John Morrison has a personality transplant or Kofi Kingston catches fire, but I can't see that happening. That's why Cena took the piss out of people moaning he should increase his workrate and embrace his heel persona. There's no viable alternative to Cena as the top man, and until there is, they're never really going to appeal to fans who have a chip on their shoulder about him.

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That's been built around a wrestler from years ago as well, and no fucker's been watching it that doesn't watch anyway. I've been enjoying it but Punk's the Emperor's New Clothes and Nash looks like Doc Hendrix, and while they're pretending to be sick over the ropes and mocking each other's grooming, the only one looking good from it all is Triple H in a suit.

 

Exactly. Whether it's working or not is for somebody who follows ratings to say, but the emphasis on both an edgy, Attitude-esque character in Punk and an old favourite like Nash in a major angle clearly suggests they're reaching out to that lapsed audience.

 

The Mike Tyson analogy doesn't really hold up either, because there's no Steve Austin in the scenario to keep people tuning in every week. It was fine for WWF to fuck off Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels back then when fans were sick of them, because there was a new crop overtaking them anyway. But there's nobody like that for WWE now, it's just Cena. That could change by WrestleMania if John Morrison has a personality transplant or Kofi Kingston catches fire, but I can't see that happening. That's why Cena took the piss out of people moaning he should increase his workrate and embrace his heel persona. There's no viable alternative to Cena as the top man, and until there is, they're never really going to appeal to fans who have a chip on their shoulder about him.

 

By the same token, there was nobody as divisive as Cena around in those days - you're right about Hart and Michaels, but they were never overpushed to the extent that their presence actively drove away fans over a number of years. And for me, the argument about a successor to Cena is a chicken and egg situation - they're so over-reliant on him that nobody will ever be allowed to get to that level because the company won't take risks. When Austin was getting really hot as a tweener, he was heavily protected (even against top babyfaces like Bret) to allow that momentum to grow - that hasn't happened with others who've threatened to get over in that way like Orton, and it remains to be seen whether it will happen with someone like Punk.

 

We're largely in agreement on the last sentence (although I don't really agree that refusing to pay to watch an act you don't find entertaining constitutes a chip on the shoulder). The direction of the company just depends on whether you think that other audience is out there - if you don't, then they're right to keep going with the status quo. If they do, they have to start taking real risks with Cena, because they'll never properly hook that new audience with him in his current role, and his young fans are going to grow up at some point.

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I think that WWE will be thinking about the press coverage that they will get from The Rock winning their title and will go down that route. It will attract massive coverage across the entire media world. Not sure how they will have it happen or how they will follow it up, but I reckon that's the way they will go.

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I'm with Magnum on this one.

 

If you'll excuse the over-analysis, the WWE has had terrible trouble building faces these last few years, and that's because of Cena to a large part. Making a new face requires some good heels for him to overcome, and Cena ploughs through their heels with ease. They do really well building a heel, sell a PPV with him against Cena, Cena beats him and moves on. That leaves few pickings for other aspiring faces. Even when they DO get some momentum going, they are STILL only ever going to be the number 2 face.

 

Right now they might be willing to take a gamble. Turn Cena heel and see who steps up to take him on. As Ian has said, the numbers are slowly deflating, so they have to try something. They could always turn him back after a year or two, but at that point have another proper top line star.

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The answer to WWE's babyface woes is easy:

 

SHAEMUS

 

I want them to slowly build him up, have him with the Royal Rumble and then just push full force untill he gets into that top bracket. I see no reason why he can't do it.

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I think John Cena's gonna win. The Rock hasn't wrestled in years, he's gonna be rusty. He's not used to getting knocked about anymore. If Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment it will knock the wind out of The Rock so much more than it does Cena's other opponents.

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I think John Cena's gonna win. The Rock hasn't wrestled in years, he's gonna be rusty. He's not used to getting knocked about anymore. If Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment it will knock the wind out of The Rock so much more than it does Cena's other opponents.

I don't think he's rusty at all, in many interviews he talks about getting in the ring monthly or fornightly as part of his training regime and do you really think planning a year in advance he'd not be in ring shape? He needs to cut down on his current size though, looks ridiculously big.

 

It's just going to be a Hogan Rock match again isn't it? Few Rock bottoms, few Attitude Adjustments, then Cena wins. The whole point of this set up is to put Cena over Rock surely?

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If WWE are to have the Best of 3 matches.

 

Id see the Rock going over at Wrestlemania, then Super Cena to defeat the Rock at the following PPV's.

 

Id prefer the rock to go over, but its 2011 (2012 at WM) and its the ERA of Cena of course Cenas gunna win

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Hogan is going to run in and take them both. It'll be great.

 

Seriously though, it is an interesting one. Deep down i imagine, knowing how Rock has been in the past i'd imagine it's Cena going over for reasons others have mentioned but, being in Miami, the publicity factor and other points again others have mentioned does add a whole different dimension to it and the possible outcome. Which is all good of course because it actually make the result and aftermath all the more intriguing and anticipated.

 

What i wouldn't mind seeing and what i've thought would be an interesting scenario (but will not happen for very obvious reasons) is for Rock to win and then Cena, pissed off at the situation and somewhat bitter that Rock has waltzed in, been welcomed by McMahon, jumped straight into the 'Mania main event after being away for so long and thinking he can share or take his spotlight when Cena busts his ass, day in, day out, gives his absolute all to the company and has to put up with this does a bit of a Sting in '96 or Bret in '96 and says 'fuck this' and disapears for a while (6 months, maybe a year) questioning whether his sacrifices are really worth it. For the first time questioning his beliefs, his morals, his choices. Then in his absence Rock takes up a full time schedule leading the company, having all sort of talent and fresh scenarios and dream matches in the meantime. Then 6 months/10 months/12 months whatever down the line Cena returns, reinvigorated with his attitude adjusted (maybe even a makeover) to confront Rock again, take him out and to return to and reclaim his kingdom leading to the rematch at Summerslam/ Survivor Series/ Wrestlemania. I'd love for that to be able to happen and give Cenas character some growth/evolution, a new lease of life and create a neat long term story arc (this forums word of the month) and give logical motives for Cena to take some much deserved time off considering his current feelings on Rocks presence back in WWE, while supplying a ready made replacement for his position then creating a whole scope of fresh matches and scenarios, possibly attracting some new audience. I'd like to see how Cenas promos would fair playing such a role.

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