Who needs to turn?

[ShortOrderCook]

The Goldberg comparison was purely based on doing the turn out of desperation and lack of creativity. Ive thought many times before there was points where it would be logical and work wonders and hoped it was coming but I don't see it now and I think they've handled him well in the long run. I think the time has passed personally.

 

I don't think the Hogan or Austin comparisons mean anything either. Times are very different now and the audience isn't like it was and doesn't react in the same ways. Heel Cena vs Baby Sheamus? Sounds like it would result in many cheering Cena and booing Sheamus. The turn for Cena and reasoning behind it and execution needs to be so perfect I think. The best possible scenario to achieve it that I can think of currently would have to be something involving Undertakers steak, um Streak. Carbizzzle mentioned Cena not being a Sting. Couldn't disagree more, Cena is totally a Sting in my eyes. People booed Sting too and he didn't need to turn heel to revitalise his career and character and give it longevity.

[Dirty Eddie]

Cena is totally a Sting in my eyes. People booed Sting too and he didn't need to turn heel to revitalise his career and character and give it longevity.

 

Sting didn't turn, but he did need something to help revitalise his career, hence turning into a weird Crow character and lurking in the rafters for about a year. He drastically altered his character after being betrayed by all those close to him. If I remember rightly, he was attacking heels and faces at first, when he started doing his baseball-bat attacks,

[Carbomb]

Carbizzzle mentioned Cena not being a Sting. Couldn't disagree more, Cena is totally a Sting in my eyes. People booed Sting too and he didn't need to turn heel to revitalise his career and character and give it longevity.

 

I wasn't aware of any time when Sting was as booed as regularly, as persistently and as audibly as Cena was. And like I said, Sting's a rare type of face who can stay permanently blue-eye, and Steamboat even more. Cena's better than both, so it's not a denigration of his abilities. Only other permanent faces I can think of would be Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes and Wahyah (and I think in Warrior's case it's because he wasn't around long enough).

 

And yes, times are different now, but that doesn't mean the business has changed wholesale. Throughout every single era, barring the rarest of exceptions, faces who have outstayed their welcome end up getting turned on to the point where the only place they can go is heeldom. Even if you don't think it's happening with Cena now, it will happen - of this, I'm pretty certain.

 

To be absolutely frank, I believe the only reason WWE have refused to turn him is because they didn't have anyone else to fall back on in terms of money generation. He's unquestionably great, but he's not invincibly great, and anyone getting the number of boos he did would have been turned years ago. In previous eras, they had Macho and Warrior when they didn't have Hogan, they had Shawn when they didn't have Bret, they had Rock when they didn't have Austin.

 

For me, another important factor as to why I think he should turn is: what is there realistically left for him to do? Just how many times do you think he can keep doing the same things before even die-hard fans start getting bored of him?

[CleetusVanDamme]

It's not like turning Goldberg heel, because Goldberg demonstrated he couldn't do it.

 

Ever see Goldberg vs Jim Duggan? For at least one night, Goldberg was the most evil motherfucker to ever step foot in a ring. The heel turn didn't work out, but I'd put it more down to him being a victim of bad writing than any failiure on his part to be good in the role. Within a couple of weeks he wasn't even the main focus of the show.

[The Invisible Boy]

I find that when looking though I think heels are a lot cooler than the faces, CM Punk for example is a brilliant heel but as a face he gets lost in the mix (unless he is playing a kind of antihero, such as he did at Money in the Bank last year). Randy Orton, when in Evolution and Legacy, in Evolution he was the cool, stylish, cocky heel and in Legacy he was the madman heel who'd be a danger to anyone around him.

 

Many people say they want Cena as a heel, why? Because Cena was an amazing heel back in the day but now many fans feel his face character is getting a bit stale.

 

With big guys such as Big Show, Brodus, Khali, they all can play the unstoppable heel who is using his height and weight to his advantage and just destroy everyone, whereas when faces they all act goofy and dance around or crack jokes.

 

I think the only guys I can't imagine as heels really would be small guys like Rey Mysterio who play their underdog character so well or Santino and Zack Ryder who are light relief and a good bit of fun for the crowd.

 

Somone like Alberto Del Rio, I can't even imagine him as a face, his whole character is that of a rich pretentious snob who feels as though he is better than everyone else. If he was to become a face I think his whole character would need a reboot as he couldn't get out of his big car, have his butler, Ricardo and be all suave and debonaire without coming across as cocky or arrogant, if he did pull it off it wouldn't ba a patch on his heel version of the character as it is just the standard bad guy role, even in Bond films and so on.

[Carbomb]

It's not like turning Goldberg heel, because Goldberg demonstrated he couldn't do it.

 

Ever see Goldberg vs Jim Duggan? For at least one night, Goldberg was the most evil motherfucker to ever step foot in a ring. The heel turn didn't work out, but I'd put it more down to him being a victim of bad writing than any failiure on his part to be good in the role. Within a couple of weeks he wasn't even the main focus of the show.

 

Good stuff. But it doesn't really change my point, though - if anything, it probably strengthens it. If even a guy with Goldberg's limitations could do it, a guy with Cena's near-lack of them could make it essential TV.

[ShortOrderCook]

He didn't turn heel though did he? And Cena wouldn't need to either. If he was stale. Which he's not. As Pitcos says a heel turn I think would be too contrived as this stage. Sting and Hogans reactions for thier change had plenty of logic behind them and they were almost demanded by the times. Times had suddenly moved and changed very rapidly and both of them could have been left behind and left every dated. I don't think Cenas in that same position. Austin was similar too actually. WWE changed a lot when he was away. He struggled to fit back in for some time. Maybe if Cena takes an extensive leave and WWE really do go about making new stars and the WWE landscape really changes by the time Cens comes back his character might need a bit of an overhaul.

 

I wouldn't say Cena is a face who has outstayed his welcome, he's outlasted not being welcomed in the first place and gradually won more and more over. If he was to take a bit of a new direction I'd rather it was of The Sting style with his character evolving but remaining face overall.

[Carbomb]

I wouldn't say Cena is a face who has outstayed his welcome, he's outlasted not being welcomed in the first place and gradually won more and more over. If he was to take a bit of a new direction I'd rather it was of The Sting style with his character evolving but remaining face overall.

 

To be fair, I don't believe it to be absolutely essential that he turns heel right now - but he really does need to change it up. And I certainly don't think he can go a whole career without turning heel ever again, he's just not that type. However many he's won over, there are still people who don't like him or who have come to not like him, and despite what some on here might say, it's not just the smarkiest smarky-smark smarks.

 

Can't speak for anyone here, but I actually liked him at first, went off him when he went all Poopy Gayness, was won back by his work in a big way when he finally took on just a bit of an edge, and went off him again because he went stale and one-pattern. Never found him all that likable in the way one might like Steamboat, who always had that sort of humble, earnest, yet tough and brave persona. I just got fed up and bored of seeing him on top or being positioned to be on top all the time, and that's without all the "points" made by Punk, who I'm not even that much a fan of. The last little bit for me was when they had him beat an exhausted Mysterio for the new belt right after that tournament they held after Punk "left" - just felt like WWE was so determined to place him up top in a face position, they even booked him to do something that an ultimate-face character just wouldn't do.

 

Ultimately, I guess my own lack of interest in Cena is just the fact that, writing and booking-wise, WWE push him in big ways that they wouldn't have done for Hogan, Austin or Rock, such as keeping him face long after he's been booed by an audible portion of the audience, giving him a personal belt which stays the belt of the promotion long after he's lost it several times, among others.

 

Cena turning heel would be one of the few things to win me back to watching WWE regularly for a long period of time. I want to see him make me despise him, rather than just switch over.

[Sheffbag]

Randy Orton is another that many feel needs to turn. I'm not sure he needs to turn but he definitely needs to do something a bit different.

 

Orton isnt capable of doing anything different, playing face or heel he still is essentially the same character with the same mannerisms, same moves, same monotone promo's, just different opponents.

 

Ziggler is the obvious one, he hears cheers and dumping Vickie (let her cost him the MITB) would be the catalyst.

 

Either turn Ziggler or use him to turn Swagger but really get behind him with a push as an "All american" if Ziggler wins the belt as a heel.

 

In TNA its too hard to keep track of who is one which side of the fence to change anyone

[Duke]

I bet the Cena turn comes in the next 12 months. Bold yes and hopefully this post will be long forgotten if it doesn't happen to spare my blushes, but if Cena is hurting as bad as is being touted (both emotionally from his divorce and physically from all those surgeries he said no to), I wonder if they will roll the dice on it. I think the chances are better now than ever. Especially with all the special attraction draws they have for the big shows like SummerSlam and WrestleMania. His role in those shows aren't on his shoulders much.

 

If they are really going with Sheamus, a heel Cena vs babyface Sheamus would be different.

Nope.

[Carbomb]

In TNA its too hard to keep track of who is one which side of the fence to change anyone

 

That's not really been true for a long time. The only grey areas I can think of would've been Magnus and Samoa Joe recently, but they both seem to have "settled in" now.

[WWFChilli]

I agree with Short Order Cook here, I think actually that everyone would like to see this turn (from the point of a viewer and not some business savvy fan). But at this stage it is too contrived. You can't just go the Hogan route and say 'I'm bored, brother' because, quality wise that's going to suck. I'd personally, if they ever tried it to at least tease the idea heavily, then cool it, then just hit us with the heel turn when we think we have forgotten it. Who or why he turns on is equally important, it must be someone he hasn't interacted with for a while or has been built up enough for it to matter. For that I'd say Sheamus... though they still need to give Cena/Taker a bash somewhere down the line, while both can still function.

[Loki]

Turning Cena requires the right match, the right opponent.

 

It could have worked against The Rock. Essentially a really big, popular face that makes him jealous, he feels the reaction of the crowd is unfair.

 

There's only a couple of others really - Austin, Hogan or Taker. Austin would be the main one. Austin's coolness will make John look geeky. Everyone's going to get behind Austin.

 

 

[Duke]

Randy Orton is another that many feel needs to turn. I'm not sure he needs to turn but he definitely needs to do something a bit different.

 

Orton isnt capable of doing anything different, playing face or heel he still is essentially the same character with the same mannerisms, same moves, same monotone promo's, just different opponents.

That's not true though is it. Aside from the fact that his legend killer persona is different to his apex predator persona, as a babyface he's far more of a silent assassin than as a heel, where he's a cowardly sniper who throws dangerous tantrums and then hides. His expressions, ring work and promo work all have differences between heel and face. His character is mostly consistent from his heel days, but so it should be as he started getting cheered as a heel.

 

Ziggler is the obvious one, he hears cheers and dumping Vickie (let her cost him the MITB) would be the catalyst.

Turning Ziggler babyface would be the kiss of death for him right now. He's a very good worker, but aside from being an obnoxious jock he hasn't got a character.

 

Swagger but really get behind him with a push as an "All american"

I'd really love to see babyface swagger, but I think going all american american with him as a face is a mistake. It worked with him as a heel because it's SO obnoxious, and I think it'd come off just as corny if he went babyface.

 

In TNA its too hard to keep track of who is one which side of the fence to change anyone

No, it isn't.

 

 

It could have worked against The Rock. Essentially a really big, popular face that makes him jealous, he feels the reaction of the crowd is unfair.

They still could, to be fair, seeing as Rock Cena 2 is looking likely and something will have to happen to freshen that match up.

[LaGoosh]

Swagger but really get behind him with a push as an "All american"

I'd really love to see babyface swagger, but I think going all american american with him as a face is a mistake. It worked with him as a heel because it's SO obnoxious, and I think it'd come off just as corny if he went babyface.

 

Agreed. An all-American babyface doesn't work in this day and age, especially not if it's a big lisping goof like Swagger.