The Smackers Thread

[Supremo]

I don’t begrudge them turning Cena back babyface. It made sense for him to end his run as a goodie, the heel run had objectively been a cursed disaster, and there’s clearly a huge appetite for it considering the babyface reactions he’s now getting.

That bit in his entrance video where the black and white JOHN CENA turns into a huge splash of colour is really cool, getting the big pop every time. It just baffles me that they didn’t work for it in any way whatsoever. He just woke up one morning as a babyface, pretending nothing ever happened. There was no arc. Nothing mattered. You wasted your time watching and caring. We’ll just make a joke about the whole thing with R-Truth. Feels so unsatisfying. He’s like the anti-Hangman Adam Page.

As horrible and disgusting it is bringing Lesnar back, I assumed that was a last minute decision and they switched Cena back babyface to rush to the Lesnar match. Imagine my shock when they aren’t even going to the Lesnar match any time soon and he’s wasting another of his final dates on fucking Logan Paul instead! There was no rush. It’s just shit, unsatisfying, audience-insulting writing, either by Vince McMahon ghost-writing or Triple H morphing into Vince McMahon in record time.

Remember when Sami Zayn turned babyface, cracking Roman with the chair at the Royal Rumble in one of the greatest angles of all time? In their current form, he’d have just randomly announced on the Smackdown two days earlier that he didn’t like Roman anymore and we’d all collectively pretend that entire run of him as the Honorary Uce was a dream.

[RedTwoster]

I’ve not watched the show and don’t plan to, but based on online recaps it sounds like Cena is either getting paid by the fourth wall break, or possessed by the ghost of Vince Russo’s career as a booker or something. It’s a shame that his retirement run has been…this.

[Sphinx]

36 minutes ago, Supremo said:

Imagine my shock when they aren’t even going to the Lesnar match any time soon and he’s wasting another of his final dates on fucking Logan Paul instead!

I've not been watching but on paper it doesn't sound like a waste. Sounds like the sort of match that would get a load of views on YouTube when they post it there.

[FUM]

Unless they’re planning a match every date there is going to be so much left on the table if Cena only has 10 dates left and half of them are used up on a Lesnar feud.

Obviously you had to get the Punk, Orton and Cody matches in but this year should have seen him face guys like Gunther, Sami Zayn, Bron Breakker, Dominik, Penta, Gable. Guys he could have lifted a bit in his final year. He might still face the odd one of those but they’ve really wasted this last year.

[air_raid]

[Snitsky's back acne]

8 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

I've not watched Smackdown, but Cena's entrance just popped up on Instagram and it's so bizarre and jarring how they're just pretending it never happened. Besides the black and white screens bit, which clearly they've decided they quite like.

It's Austin 2001 'we are sorry we ever turned this guy heel, let's just forget it ever happened' Bobby Ewing in the shower levels but, hey, it is what it is.

[air_raid]

At least Cena blaming two (mysterious) blokes forcing him to be someone he isn’t, is a plausible explanation for why he was so bad at it.

[TheScarlettChad]

1 hour ago, air_raid said:

At least Cena blaming two (mysterious) blokes forcing him to be someone he isn’t, is a plausible explanation for why he was so bad at it.

Is it now retconned that Travis Scott was behind the heel turn?

[air_raid]

Upon reflection on the latest tarnishing of a championship’s value, I’ve decided to retire Garth in favour of the new and true symbol of this infuriating booking trope.

OH, YOU DIDN’T KNOW WWE beat one of their “champions” non title on TV?

Your ass better call somebody.

[Snitsky's back acne]

On 8/9/2025 at 9:32 PM, TheScarlettChad said:

Is it now retconned that Travis Scott was behind the heel turn?

I'd go the whole way and blame Travis Scott for the last 6 months if I were them. "Cena's heel turn would have been great but Travis Scott ruined it'

Unreal Season 2 right there. I'm sure Triple H, Bruce and Michael Hayes can spin a convincing bullshit tale between the three of them. Shit, get Heyman involved. He'll have us believing the entire Cena heel turn never happened and we all imagined it. 

[The King of Old School]

Cena is rapidly running out of dates to build to anything meaningful for his retirement match.

Am I correct in saying he has 11 dates left?

If so it seems like 9 have already been booked.

22/08 - Smackdown

29/08 - Smackdown

31/08 - Clash In Paris

05/09 - Smackdown

15/09 - Raw

20/09 - Unnamed PPV vs Brock Lesnar?

11/10 - Crown Jewell

29/11 - Survivor Series

??/12 - Retirement Match

Just wondering if now he's back as a good guy he might announce that he's doing "more dates" as a thank you to the WWE universe or something equally as cringe.

 

Edited August 15, 2025 by The King of Old School

[RedTwoster]

3 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

Just wondering if now he's back as a good guy he might announce that he's doing "more dates" as a thank you to the WWE universe or something equally as cringe.

You’d have to imagine he’d make a few extra appearances in the run-up to his final match. 

[The King of Old School]

Also if they are throwing in a PPV in September I find it incredible that they wouldn't do the same in December for Cena's last match instead of having it on SNME where it will be cut to ribbons by a hundred ad breaks.

[tiger_rick]

4 minutes ago, The King of Old School said:

Also if they are throwing in a PPV in September I find it incredible that they wouldn't do the same in December for Cena's last match instead of having it on SNME where it will be cut to ribbons by a hundred ad breaks.

The reports yesterday said they're considering that to counter AEW World's End.

[TheScarlettChad]

Doing Cena's last match not on ppv is diabolical. Cena deserves so much better. Love him or hate him. He was the last face of the company before Cody anyway. Roman thet tried but failed. Cena was it and to waste it on a random TV special. John should fuck them over, use his WBD contacts and show up on Dynamite in 2026.