If you think Cena's shtick is stale, take action

[waluigi]

He's been in a rut for the past year or so. Nothing interesting happening in his career, basically safe and cruising. So you and me are gonna make suggestions as to how we can fix him and make him more entertaining

Now to keep those naysayers quiet, let's do this without hypothetically turning him heel. What would you add or take away from his face dynamic to make him more interesting?

[Alex Shelley]

Have him call more people poopy.

[Deleted]

Put him in a feud where the opponent looks like a legit challenege to him, kinda like a Rocky III sort of thing. Cena's been hanging around, getting by as he beats people who aren't up to his level. Until someone more talented, more energetic, and driven to the point where they're willing to sacrifice everything to take the title away from him shows up. Unlike Clubber, don't have them win out of the gate and then peter out when Cena finally steps up. Keep them competitive against Cena and even versus him in most situations. Attitude Adjustment is too hard to hit him with. Slippery as an eel and can get out of the STF, not to mention he's pain resistent enough to fight through it without tapping out.

Ironically, an opponent who finally looks like he could definitely beat Cena decisively would be the best thing to redefine Cena, not to mention give him the opportunity to shine through as a wrestler and actually show what he's capable of on a regular basis.

[Shaun2k5]

Have Miz go clean over him on Raw in non-title match.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Have someone, could be someone already established just someone he's never faced before, or someone new who comes off as intimidating..

Absolutely. Squash. Him.

Like attack him, over and over again. And then win a match against him.

Then beat him again in a gimmick match. And then let Cena win the third.

Basically I'm saying Superman needs his Doomsday. And it's like they flirted with this with both Batista and Sheamus..but No.

Cena's not going to stop being over with any losses these days. And he can use those losses to progress his character and make him more intense or something again. Intense is the wrong word. Determined.

[hajimenoippo]

Eh he didn't really beat Batista in lms that was an even battle. I think the Batista feud has been great for both guys

[Tiger Maskooo]

First off. To clarify While hes not one of my favorite guys. Ive liked alot of cenas work over the past year or so(His feud with batista,his promo against mcmahon on raw ,the continuation of his feud against edge,the sheamus title win,and yes i enjoyed the orton-cena series sue me)

But ok a few things

1.change up his promos abit. John Cena is not just a good talker,Hes a great talker,hell even if you go back and watch some prototype promos from ovw hes got something. The reason why he got over initially with his rap gimmick was his ability to talk,before that he was in velocity matches. The guys versatile,So I dont see a reason why he has to be all RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE THIS IS ABOUT RESPECT RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE I PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE TO SAY THE CHAMP IS HERE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE. Its random unneccessary screaming. Its not passion. Screaming is fine in promos,But build to it,have it fit the situation. Hes got so much more versatility than that,Watch his mcmahon promo,watch his response to carlito in carlitos promo a few months ago. He doesnt need to rely on it. Oh. and another thing,He should stop complimenting his opponents so much. Not only does it make him look weak,but it makes very little sense. If I had been engaged in a three year long blood feud with randy orton where he beat up my own dad and did everything he could to make my life a living breathing hell I wouldnt exactly say"You're a great wrestler randy.". I'd kick his head in. Even If I was an apple pie all american good guy. You dont have to scream at the guy and try to insult every aspect of who he is but you dont have to compliment him. Every action needs to have a reaction that makes sense.

2.Give the guy an actual CHALLENGE. The guys supposed to overcome the odds right? Give him some odds to overcome. Then let cena beat him at the end. No matter how great a hero is,he always needs a villain,and sometimes its a new villain. Take a guy,make him into a monster,have him beat cena,then finally eventually have cena beat the monster.

3.He needs fresher matchups. I like cena vs orton but how many times have we seen that? But we havent seen cena vs punk that much(Only what..twice?)Cena vs swagger is relatively new. Cena vs taker at mania could work. Cena vs a heel mvp could be good. If you want him to be a long term champion,fine but remember one of the greatest champions of all time ric flair gave pretty much everyone on the roster at one time or another a title shot. Im not saying give curt hawkins a title shot but...get as much as you can out of him. Hes long term. Why just feud him with hunter and batista and orton? You need to get as much as you can out of him as a babyface. Once again a hero always needs a villain or a challenge to overcome.

4.If all that fails,Just bring back snitsky and have him take cenas place with no explanation.

[Tiger Millionaire]

Hey, Wrestlecrap! Are you suffering from the heartbreak
of...Cena-itis? Then take a tip from Mr. Paul Anka!
[Paul waves, begins playing a small synthesizer and singing]
To stop those pushes, one-two-three,
Here's a fresh new way that's trouble-free.
It's got Paul Anka's guarantee...[winks]
Vince McMahon: [singing] Guarantee void in WWE.
Together: [singing] Just don't look. Just don't look.
Just don't look. Just don't look.
Just don't look. Just don't look.

[Arturo Classico]

May 15, 2010 14:31:06 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

Put him in a feud where the opponent looks like a legit challenege to him, kinda like a Rocky III sort of thing. Cena's been hanging around, getting by as he beats people who aren't up to his level. Until someone more talented, more energetic, and driven to the point where they're willing to sacrifice everything to take the title away from him shows up. Unlike Clubber, don't have them win out of the gate and then peter out when Cena finally steps up. Keep them competitive against Cena and even versus him in most situations. Attitude Adjustment is too hard to hit him with. Slippery as an eel and can get out of the STF, not to mention he's pain resistent enough to fight through it without tapping out.

Ironically, an opponent who finally looks like he could definitely beat Cena decisively would be the best thing to redefine Cena, not to mention give him the opportunity to shine through as a wrestler and actually show what he's capable of on a regular basis.

I like this idea. Also it needs to be someone that has never been in WWE and someone the majority of the fans do not know and just comes off as a complete beast and someone that looks like could kill John Cena. The best name I could come up with is Takeshi Morishima, he's a big dude who could destroy people and he fast and so stiff just imagine a Cena-Morishima big PPV match where Morishima beats the living crap of John Cena like no one ever has and makes Cena look like an amateur and gets put on the shelf for awhile. Than Morishima goes on a tear and holds the belt for months till Cena wins the Rumble and challenges Morishima at Wrestlemania. Cena levels up and is able to conquer his foe and gets the fans behind him. This would be awesome and memorable unlike anything Cena has done post 2006.

[Matt Dunn]

Have him wear cool short green tights. Oh wait...

[jamielowndes {N}]

It's the same old s*** with Cena. Thats what bores me, random screamy promo, multiple title wins. His title feuds dont have a shred of suspense to them. Umaga shouldve won the belt 3 years ago, and then they couldve had the awesome Rope-aided STFU at the next PPV. Actually give him some odds to overcome, make him look weak once in a while. We just want him to look slightly realistic.

[texaswhopper]

RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE THIS IS ABOUT RESPECT RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE I PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE TO SAY THE CHAMP IS HERE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE. Its random unneccessary screaming. Its not passion

Of course its not passion. This is WWE in the year 2010. If someone is back there writing what Cena has to say then they probably figure its much easier to please the masses with the same old same old then write anything intellectual. He probably motivates some little Cenamaniac to bug mom or dad for a shirt everytime he says that same damn line.

[aress]

I might Cena a little more if the guy wasn't so damn corny.

I still remember during that promo battle between Batista and Cena earlier this year. Batista comes out with all this great stuff and Cena's comeback is; "You do this for the money! I do this... for the MOMENT!"

I mean come on, that's just stupid. But that's just one thing that would have to change to win me over completely.

[mrjl]

May 15, 2010 18:05:55 GMT -5 jamielowndes {N} said:

It's the same old s*** with Cena. Thats what bores me, random screamy promo, multiple title wins. His title feuds dont have a shred of suspense to them. Umaga shouldve won the belt 3 years ago, and then they couldve had the awesome Rope-aided STFU at the next PPV. Actually give him some odds to overcome, make him look weak once in a while. We just want him to look slightly realistic.

Umaga helped K-Fed beat him and put his ass through a table.

Stuff that happens outside of matches is supposed to count too. THat's why it happens, you know.

[Jason]

Here's an idea. How about for once, Cena faces his biggest challenge yet and DOESN'T overcome the odds? How about, say he enters a feud with Sheamus. Somebody he has yet to beat, instead of beating him in the first match on PPV, how about Sheamus wins clean, batters the crap out of Cena, and Cena literally cannot beat him? He faces him about 3 times on PPV, and each time you're thinking "Cena's going to do it...", but instead he doesn't. He turns all emo on us, talking about how he's let us down, and then goes talking about how he's not the superman we all thought he was. He says he's only human, and sometimes humans cannot always keep their promises. So Sheamus goes over Cena multiple times, CLEAN. Meaning, no excuses. No "his foot slipped off the rope", no DQ's, no countouts. CLEAN VICTORIES. So instead of making Cena out to be some sort of underdog everytime he gets beat down before a PPV match, only for him to win. We do the opposite. He loses everytime, and that right there makes us want to see him win. It won't make us sick of it.

I use Sheamus as an example because it would be believable. Cena has yet to beat him. But that'll change this monday when he gets his unneccessary win back.

[Krimzon]

Problem: Cena's current character/booking.

Solution:

[mrjl]

May 15, 2010 20:47:58 GMT -5 Jason said:

Here's an idea. How about for once, Cena faces his biggest challenge yet and DOESN'T overcome the odds? How about, say he enters a feud with Sheamus. Somebody he has yet to beat, instead of beating him in the first match on PPV, how about Sheamus wins clean, batters the crap out of Cena, and Cena literally cannot beat him? He faces him about 3 times on PPV, and each time you're thinking "Cena's going to do it...", but instead he doesn't. He turns all emo on us, talking about how he's let us down, and then goes talking about how he's not the superman we all thought he was. He says he's only human, and sometimes humans cannot always keep their promises. So Sheamus goes over Cena multiple times, CLEAN. Meaning, no excuses. No "his foot slipped off the rope", no DQ's, no countouts. CLEAN VICTORIES. So instead of making Cena out to be some sort of underdog everytime he gets beat down before a PPV match, only for him to win. We do the opposite. He loses everytime, and that right there makes us want to see him win. It won't make us sick of it.

I use Sheamus as an example because it would be believable. Cena has yet to beat him. But that'll change this monday when he gets his unneccessary win back.

why would the average fan want to see bad people beat good people?

[Matt Dunn]

May 15, 2010 20:48:22 GMT -5 Krimzon said:

Problem: Cena's current character/booking.

Solution:

I always loved "I'm Untouchable but I'm forcin' you to feel me."

[Jason]

May 15, 2010 21:10:33 GMT -5 mrjl said:

May 15, 2010 20:47:58 GMT -5 Jason said:

Here's an idea. How about for once, Cena faces his biggest challenge yet and DOESN'T overcome the odds? How about, say he enters a feud with Sheamus. Somebody he has yet to beat, instead of beating him in the first match on PPV, how about Sheamus wins clean, batters the crap out of Cena, and Cena literally cannot beat him? He faces him about 3 times on PPV, and each time you're thinking "Cena's going to do it...", but instead he doesn't. He turns all emo on us, talking about how he's let us down, and then goes talking about how he's not the superman we all thought he was. He says he's only human, and sometimes humans cannot always keep their promises. So Sheamus goes over Cena multiple times, CLEAN. Meaning, no excuses. No "his foot slipped off the rope", no DQ's, no countouts. CLEAN VICTORIES. So instead of making Cena out to be some sort of underdog everytime he gets beat down before a PPV match, only for him to win. We do the opposite. He loses everytime, and that right there makes us want to see him win. It won't make us sick of it.

I use Sheamus as an example because it would be believable. Cena has yet to beat him. But that'll change this monday when he gets his unneccessary win back.

why would the average fan want to see bad people beat good people?

They wouldn't. That's the purpose. Sheamus gets heat, but still looks good by beating Cena clean. Cena for once, cannot overcome the odds. Not right away, anyways. Basically, not beating Sheamus gets to Cena. He realizes he's not the person the kids think he is. Let's say Sheamus goes over him three PPV's in a row. Then Cena can get a title shot sometime further down the line, then he can face Sheamus again for the belt. And once again, it will be built around "Can Cena finally get him?"

[xxshoyuweeniexx]

May 15, 2010 21:10:33 GMT -5 mrjl said:

May 15, 2010 20:47:58 GMT -5 Jason said:

Here's an idea. How about for once, Cena faces his biggest challenge yet and DOESN'T overcome the odds? How about, say he enters a feud with Sheamus. Somebody he has yet to beat, instead of beating him in the first match on PPV, how about Sheamus wins clean, batters the crap out of Cena, and Cena literally cannot beat him? He faces him about 3 times on PPV, and each time you're thinking "Cena's going to do it...", but instead he doesn't. He turns all emo on us, talking about how he's let us down, and then goes talking about how he's not the superman we all thought he was. He says he's only human, and sometimes humans cannot always keep their promises. So Sheamus goes over Cena multiple times, CLEAN. Meaning, no excuses. No "his foot slipped off the rope", no DQ's, no countouts. CLEAN VICTORIES. So instead of making Cena out to be some sort of underdog everytime he gets beat down before a PPV match, only for him to win. We do the opposite. He loses everytime, and that right there makes us want to see him win. It won't make us sick of it.

I use Sheamus as an example because it would be believable. Cena has yet to beat him. But that'll change this monday when he gets his unneccessary win back.

why would the average fan want to see bad people beat good people?

You're not supposed to want to. You're supposed to want the good guy to win.

But how the hell is John Cena supposed to overcome the odds when he's already overcome everything? How the hell, in 2010, are we supposed to actually believe a man that's done everything that John Cena's done, is supposedly still some Rudy like underdog? I mean did kids in the 80's actually think Hulk Hogan was some underdog after slamming Andre and beating all of his foes for 6 years straight?

This is what annoys the hell out of me with Cena. Stop with the bullshit overcoming the odds crap, and just flat out say it's 2 guys beating the hell out of each other. There are no odds to overcome for anyone, everyone's on an even field.