Who needs to turn?

[Forrest]

I'll throw my two cents in on Cena turning. If it was ever destined to happen, it would've happened a year or two ago during the Nexus angle. After everything that Cena has been through, I don't think there's a single scenario that would work with now. People think that because Hogan turned and Austin turned, it immediately means Cena can be turned too. People were fucking sick of Hogan and Austin by the time they turned. Hogan always had the backstage reputation of holding down young talent and just having a massive ego. By 1996, Hogan was old news. He was a relic, and wouldn't budge from the main event.

 

Cena isn't an old relic, Cena isn't always in the title picture anymore, people aren't sick of Cena outside of forums and after all the trials and tribuations Cena has went through where he has had the options of jacking in his principles and growing the bad guy goatee, there is absolutely nothing that I can see as a credible reason for Cena turning heel. All the merchandise nonsense aside, turning heel woud be fucking disastrous for his character as it would effectively rub out the last 8/9 years of his career.

[PowerButchi]

The only long term wrestlers who jump out off the top of my head as never switching are Ricky Steamboat and Tito Santana. Don't think either ever went heel. Also did any of the Von Erichs ever go heel?

 

I'm guessing there's a few who switched who I'm leaving out.

 

I don't think Mike Von Erich ever worked heel. David certainly did though.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

People were fucking sick of Hogan and Austin by the time they turned. Hogan always had the backstage reputation of holding down young talent and just having a massive ego. By 1996, Hogan was old news. He was a relic, and wouldn't budge from the main event.

Both completely wrong. Hogan was still their biggest PPV draw and most recognisable star. And their highest paid star, therefor the person who they had to justify pushing in high profile programs. They'd just signed Hall and Nash, but they weren't half as big a star Hogan was. Also, he was one of the only WCW stars who was being requested for personal appearances and charity events. Turning Hogan was a huge gamble for them. Another thing, do you think the cure for Hogan's reputation for holding down talent would have been turning him heel and making him the sole focus of the show? Hogan was a relic, but its better to be a relic everyone knows than Sting, Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart.

 

And Austin was their only babyface when they turned him. They turned him heel and had no babyfaces for him to go against. They had the Undertaker and Kane, who he'd wrestled a million times. Austin's heel turned failed because there was nobody for him to wrestle.

[fye]

I always think those wanting Cena to turn, those booing Cena, would cheer for him as a heel so any turn would be counterproductive.

[GalaxyV.2]

Not if done correctly. Cena could bash those who booed him as much as the kids that were behind him.

[King Pitcos]

Not if done correctly. Cena could bash those who booed him as much as the kids that were behind him.

 

Why would he do either of those things? And if he would, why didn't he do them when Nexus, CM Punk, Kane and The Rock were goading him into it?

[Bus Surfer]

Not if done correctly. Cena could bash those who booed him as much as the kids that were behind him.

 

Why would he do either of those things? And if he would, why didn't he do them when Nexus, CM Punk, Kane and The Rock were goading him into it?

 

Surely that wouldn't be such a problem. When have the WWE cared so much for storyline logic and consistency? If they wanted to turn him, I doubt any of the things you've mentioned would been seen as a hindrance to it.

[Killjoy_Gee]

Honestly, I would suggest Brodus. He needs to be a monster, because there is no long term in his 'Funkasaurus' gimmick. And it falls flat whenever he picks up a microphone. He's suppossed to be this 'cool' kinda of figure, but he doesn't quite manage it.

 

And clearly the WWE are souring on him considering he lost to Antonio quite quickly. I realise they didn't 'squash' him, but after how protected he has been, it came as a shock.

 

I just think it's a shame that he had a superstars stint last year before debuting on Raw. If he hadn't, they could play off his injury at Extreme Rules 2011, and suggest he developed split personality syndrome as a result of the ladder shot, hence the Funkasaurus gimmick.

[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.

Disagree - heels and faces but combine as faces when facing Aces and Eights? so you have the situation where Bully Ray is a heel wanting to hammer Jeff hardy yet 20 minutes later he's tending to him after they are having a run in with Aces and Eights?. Casual fan looks on and goes "wtf, shoudlnt they be fighting each other?"

 

Personally, I don't see the problem. There've always been allowances made for third parties and alliances made to fight "the greater enemy", etc. Alright, the Invasion was a bit cack, but a good example was X-Pac - stayed heel all the way throughout.

 

Have I misread this thread, or on the previous pages were people saying that Sting's permanently been a goodie?

That seems to be what they were saying.

 

Hey, if I'm wrong, please say so. I don't mind being corrected on this sort of thing. The only times I can think of were his initial heel run at the beginning of his career, and his "pseudo-heel" run in TNA just before they unveiled the Immortal stable.

 

 

 

As to what angle they could use to turn Cena, two things: firstly, Silky Kisser is right - WWE have never been big on continuity anyway. Secondly, there's always an angle, and there are still a few angles left that Cena hasn't gone through yet - there's always something, and with WWE's ability to sell almost any story they really commit to, it's perfectly possible. Case in point: the past four Undertaker WM matches - it's difficult to sell re-matches even on different PPVs, especially when you consider HHH had already faced Taker before at WM, but they knocked it right out of the park with him and HBK. Only other time I can think of is Rock/Austin III. But really, with the best talent, WWE can do anything they want to, when they really want to.

[PowerButchi]

He was also heel in late 99 along with Lex Luger feuding with Hulk Hogan, and was a heel as part of the MEM in TNA.

[Carbomb]

He was also heel in late 99 along with Lex Luger feuding with Hulk Hogan, and was a heel as part of the MEM in TNA.

 

The MEM thing, he always played as a face, though - never really committed to it, and it was clear from the start he was being set up to be eventually kicked out of it.

 

I didn't know about the '99 Luger thing though, so fair enough. Thanks.

[PowerButchi]

He was a heel during the MEM thing when he was giving people baseball bats to beat the fuck out of Joe and AJ Styles until it was counteracted by Jarrett giving them guitars. When he was Godfather and for the genesis of the angle he was clearly a heel.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

The MEM thing, he always played as a face, though - never really committed to it, and it was clear from the start he was being set up to be eventually kicked out of it.

It was Sting that started the group. He was a heel for a few months before the Main Event Mafia started. Its not his fault fans cheered him when he said the young guys were shit compared to him. Him winning the TNA World title with help from a baseball bat assisted Nash isn't the work of the Lord.

[Carbomb]

The MEM thing, he always played as a face, though - never really committed to it, and it was clear from the start he was being set up to be eventually kicked out of it.

It was Sting that started the group. He was a heel for a few months before the Main Event Mafia started. Its not his fault fans cheered him when he said the young guys were shit compared to him. Him winning the TNA World title with help from a baseball bat assisted Nash isn't the work of the Lord.

 

No, but cutting face promos, or at least promos that make you look like you're not all bad and even a little bit justified, doesn't exactly scream "out-and-out heel" either. Not to mention he must have lasted all of three months as a heel at best. Maybe it was because the fans refused to boo him, maybe it's because he just doesn't capture the imagination as a heel due to being too "facey".

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Carbomb, he was a heel in TNA for months, man. Why are you battering this horse to death. You thought Sting played a heel his whole career until a few minutes ago. If you go back and watch the TVs at the time, Sting was positioned as a clear low blow giving, baseball bat using bitter heel. Coming out and crying about young wrestlers not giving him respect, all the while telling AJ Styles his Dad was right to beat him as a child and then hammering the fuck out of them with wooden objects is obviously the work of a bad guy. The fact the babyfaces couldn't get over as faces doesn't change that fact.