The Heel Everyone Wants to See

[We Are Legion]

Lately this has become one of the most reoccurring topics in all of pro-wrestling and it's going to stay that way until it finally happens. It's not a subject of discussion that will just "go away" simply because it's not something WWE wants to do right now. And it's not as if the idea of it is impossible either. It probably will happen eventually, but when? What will it take for WWE to finally give the fans what they want to see?

Here I will discuss specific issues surrounding this subject and explain why WWE probably missed out on the best possible opportunity they will ever have to turn Cena heel and why it is perfectly feasible to let it happen in the modern era.

I have broken this article down into common concerns fans and possibly WWE officials have with the idea of turning Cena heel and addressed each concern directly in order to demonstrate that it's definitely not the crazy idea some make it seem like.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this in-depth analysis of the topic, hopefully take a few things from it, and definitely post your opinions below whether you agree or disagree with me.


Drawing the young viewers

This is usually one of the first excuses detractors pitch forward when shooting down the notion of Cena turning heel. For some odd reason, there is a myth, some type of fairy tale, that suggests children depend on John Cena to be a good guy in order to find entertainment value in the WWE, as if they would all just magically stop watching in the event he suddenly became a bad guy.

Let me be the first to say this is not the case. In fact, it couldn't be further from the truth. There's a very good reason that the weekly television ratings in the WWE rarely fluctuate more than 1/2 of a point from week-to-week regardless of who the WWE Champion is. Cena himself hasn't been champion in a very, very long time. He still headlines the pay per views usually (for whatever reason), but aside from his feuds with outside draws such as Brock Lensar and The Rock, he has not been the focal point of WWE programming in quite some time. Even the closing segment of the "go-home edition" of Raw on the eve of Wrestlemania XXIX was a CM Punk/Undertaker segment, not one of Cena's.

The reason I mentioned is that the current WWE viewers, aside from the mainstream viewers that Lesnar and Rock bring in, are all unconditional wrestling fans contained within the "WWE bubble". They aren't going anywhere no matter what happens on the program. Occasionally we notice spikes in the ratings when something big happens, particularly Lesnar and Rock showing up, but the core fans within that "WWE bubble" are mostly unaffected and will watch the program regardless. I mean sure... they might spring up on the internet and bitch about what they don't like about it from time to time like most of us because really, what's a better way to use the internet aside from bitching about crap you can't change? I'm pretty sure if you conducted a study among every single wrestling fan who has joined any wrestling message board on planet EARTH that you would find 99.9% of those fans post something negative within their first 5-10 posts. Call their bluff. They aren't going anywhere. Especially those kids who have already spent countless amounts of their parents' cash on WWE toys, video games, etc and fashioned their entire after-school ritual around being a wrestling fan. John Cena being a heel would not change that for them.

The TRUTH is, we all remember a time when one of our favorite wrestlers eventually became a bad guy. And sure enough, we're still here. And we're still here because we share something in common with those kids I'm speaking of. We're in "WWE's bubble". We are unconditional wrestling fans and we will likely stay that way regardless of how disappointed we may get from time to time. Wrestling has not been mainstream for quite some time. We are all that's left.


Cena can only draw as a babyface

This is another myth that I'm seriously fed up of hearing about, especially when I hear it from people who claim to be "hardcore wrestling fans" who've been watching since they were an infant and want to believe they understand the business end of it more than just the common fan. Uhhhh.... yeah, okay.

I can think of 3 different wrestling companies immediately right off the top of my head that did very well with a heel as their front man. The first and most notable was the NWA when Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen carried the Mid Atlantic region over the entire NWA for several years. This wasn't just a one-trick pony that only worked for a short period of time, it was a heel faction that drew large numbers consistently for several years and added tons of credibility to the babyfaces who opposed them such as Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Sting, Lex Luger, Magnum TA, Ricky Steamboat, and others. There was no #1 babyface in the Mid-Atlantic region during that time either.

The second company was WCW when Hulk Hogan turned heel in 1996. Who was the "John Cena" of WCW then? There wasn't one. And not only was WCW's business booming during that period and was their single greatest run of the company's history, but rehashed feuds between Hogan and old adversaries such as Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, and Ultimate Warrior suddenly seemed fresh again. Hogan's heel turn also eventually led to Sting and Goldberg becoming those top babyfaces and both did it by opposing him. What was the main event of Starrcade '97? Sting vs. Hogan. Who did Goldberg win his first WCW Championship from? Hollywood Hogan. These aren't coincidences, WCW knew what they were doing with Hogan. And they pulled the trigger on it at the perfect time right when the fans started thumbing their noses at Hogan and the run had become stale, much like Cena's current situation.

The third company was WWE believe it or not. In late 1998 when Steve Austin was taken off television for a brief period due to injury, The Rock proved the super heel could still draw and even made a mega babyface out of Mick Foley who had been a heel for most of his WWE career up to that point (aside from the brief incarnations as "Dude Love" and "Cactus Jack" of course). And even when Brock Lesnar showed up in 2002, it can be argued he was carrying the entire company as a heel until he departed in 2004.

So with this, I hope we can all agree that heels can, in fact, draw. And Cena is currently on career-equivalent par with everyone who did.


Heels don't sell merchandise

Yes, they do.

Selling merchandise was never a matter of who's babyface and who's heel. It's always been a matter of who's over. Tell me the Four Horsemen weren't selling merchandise in the 80's. Tell me Steve Austin wasn't selling merchandise in 1996. Tell me the nWo wasn't selling merchandise throughout their entire run. Tell me DX wasn't selling it in 97-98. Tell me the Rock wasn't either the same years. Look me in the face and tell me Brock Lesnar wasn't in 2003. Go ahead. Lie to me.

Fact of the matter is, heels have always sold merchandise and it's really not uncommon for them to lead the company's sales either. This is actually probably one of the most ignorant assertions floating around and I honestly don't understand how some people still believe this crap when they hear it.

And even assuming for a second that it was true, is there anyone who really thinks WWE couldn't recover those losses from other talent? Because frankly, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, the Undertaker, and Triple H all sell the hell out of merch too. The only reason Rey Mysterio even has a job right now is because he does too. Take a look around the crowd at any given show and tell me you can't see their T-shirts everywhere. Sure, Cena's stand out more simply because they're brightly-colored, but if you look a little bit harder you can see just as many fans of other wrestlers. Not to mention the fact that you're going to make bigger stars out of all of those guys in the event Cena turns heel and feuds with them and they will sell even more. Frankly, I don't even remember the last time WWE released a John Cena DVD and those DVD's are probably one of the biggest sources of merchandise revenue judging by how often new ones are released and the royalties they can afford to pay people like Alundra Blayze off selling them. The last check she received from those DVD sales was in the 6 figures and she posted it on her Twitter. That is a fact.


There needs to be someone who can replace Cena's current role before he turns heel

Not necessarily. In fact Cena has already made fan-favorites out of several heel wrestlers simply because a large portion of the fans are already booing Cena anyways. Randy Orton and Sheamus immediately come to mind in that regard. Imagine how over those two guys could be if Cena was actually a heel since the only people who weren't booing Cena were young kids who only cheer him because he's the good guy and they don't know any better. That's why the "Let's go Cena" chants are always omitted at a higher pitch frequency than the "Let's go Orton/Let's go Sheamus/Let's go CM Punk" chants. Their voices haven't broken yet. And that's not a theory either, that is fucking physics. That is consistent as gravity. And it doesn't take Isaac Newton to prove it either.

Fact of the matter is, there will never be another guy in Cena's position until WWE moves Cena out of that position. No matter who they test those waters with right now and no matter how well they do, it will always be apparent Cena is the #1 guy simply because... he is. It's arrogant for anyone to say that no one in WWE currently can handle that role because those wrestlers will never even have the opportunity to prove it unless they can actually carry that torch, which no one else has since 2005.

And traditionally the WWE has always listened to the fans and gave them what they wanted. In the early 90's when Hogan wasn't getting cheered quite like he used to, WWE started to rub him out and move on to Bret Hart. This of course was almost derailed at Wrestlemania IX when Hogan won the title out of the blue, something that wasn't received well from the fans at all. Then in 1997 when Steve Austin was actually getting cheered despite the fact WWE wanted him to be a heel, they finally turned him face at Wrestlemania 13. Then later that same year they turned Rocky Miavia heel after the fans booed him furiously since his debut in 1996. Brock Lesnar eventually followed suit as well. But for some reason, WWE doesn't think it will work this time, despite the fact both Austin and Rock became immortals after WWE listened to their fans on what to do with them. I fully realize those were different times, but it can never hurt business by actually giving your customers what they want. Call me crazy, but that just makes too much sense to ignore for me.


Sick kids don't want heels to grant their wishes

This is honestly the only thing it's hard for me to respond to simply because I haven't been put in this situation, so I am in no position to tell you who terminally ill children want to talk to. I think it's noble and admirable what Cena does for the Make a Wish Foundation and it's a heart-warming to see the compassion the guy has for those kids.

All I can say to this is that turning Cena heel isn't something that has to make a complete terrorist out of him. I would imagine at the very least, WWE would just have to refrain from airing these types of endeavors during their programming so that it doesn't contradict the heelish character he would be portraying on television. But I'm sure Cena would still have young fans who are smart enough to know that wrestling is scripted and that Cena is actually still a nice guy. It would probably be an awkward transition, but I definitely don't think it burns any bridges with that type of charity work and Cena certainly isn't the only wrestler who does it.


Conclusion

If you've made it this far, congratulations because I know it was a long read. But hopefully you can understand my perspective on this situation and understand my frustration with Wrestlemania XXIX not pulling the trigger on a Cena heel turn. The fact is, it was just the perfect opportunity... I mean, so perfect that I doubt they will ever get a chance that PERFECT again. They had the opponent who was completely, utterly, and unconditionally loved as The Rock. They had the perfect story line and frame work to lay the grounds for it. They had real-life situations such as Cena's divorce last year to make it seem extra real. They had a crowd of 80,000 people in the NYC area (WWE's home turf) booing the ever-loving hell out of him. They even had the unpredictability factor of Rock winning the year before, which made nearly every fan in the world assume Cena would win this year just because. There was even a fan sign in the crowd that made fun of that predictability which read "CENA WINS LOL". And to top it all off, there is even a new heel faction in WWE that picked up a win earlier that night, a stable that is already very much over without Cena even being a part of it. P-E-R-F-E-C-T.

But after watching the ending of Wrestlemania XXIX last night, I was very disappointed in that match. I thought Rock winning would be the gutsiest thing WWE could possibly script. And when that didn't happen, I waited anxiously for Cena to hit Rock with the belt and turn heel anyways. And when that didn't happen, I watched Rock have his little moment in the ring alone in front of the crowd and I knew the opportunity was gone forever. Even when Rock walked back up the ramp afterwards and Cena was waiting at the top, I knew Cena wouldn't attack him there either because the opportunity was gone.

It's a little depressing as a wrestling fan because it just proves WWE is taking the safe road for pretty much the remainder of John Cena's career in the WWE and they're not interested in doing something truly unpredictable right now. And it's frustrating because WWE has absolutely nothing to lose these days due to the lack of competition and you would think the doors would be wide open to try something like that. It's clearly something the fans want to see, but for whatever reason, WWE doesn't want to give it to us. And sadly, we will all likely never know why until Cena is long gone from the company and he explains "what could have been" on some internet radio station that very few people will even listen to.

Not only do I think Cena turning heel could be a refreshing and entertaining swerve for WWE fans, but I honestly believe it would be profitable as well. People don't want to buy the same thing over and over and over again. They want to buy new things. Cena turning heel would change the entire landscape of the WWE. It would make nearly everything fresh again. He would instantly become the guy you watch WWE for whether you like him or not, simply because it would be the freshest and hottest angle in wrestling.

It just made too much sense to pass up.

 

[~Fallen Angel~]

"HIT HIM WITH THE BELT, CENA!" My world was shattered!!

 

[Rated R Superstar]

Dude, this is exactly what I've been thinking. I'm just glad you were able to word it much better than I could!

 

[~Fallen Angel~]

I don't understand why it would be bad business for them to turn Cena heel. Cena is booed most of the time anyway and he embraces the boos. I think he would be an excellent heel. Moreover, they have guys that the fans can connect with. Look at Punk and Daniel Bryan; they have a pretty big fan base. These guys can be the faces of the WWE!!

 

[We Are Legion]

Exactly, because fact of the matter is that several B-level faces eventually do equal 1 face Cena if money is your only excuse not to do it. If fans hate Cena enough, they'll jump on board with whatever wrestler opposes him. When Roddy Piper faced Hogan after he turned heel, Piper was old and busted, out of shape, didn't really put on good matches at all, and yet he was probably more loved than he'd ever been up to that point. And I'm dead certain people like Orton and Bryan could do tenfold what Piper did during that time since they're actually still in their prime.

 

[~Fallen Angel~]

That's it! You don't need one guy to represent the company! You can have a couple of guys that the fans like very much. It's possible too that when Cena does turn heel, he'll have even a bigger fanbase which is what happened with Hulk Hogan. They won't know unless they try.

The only reason Austin's heel turn didn't work was because the guy wasn't getting stale and he was very loved by the fans. It didn't make any sense to turn him heel. In Cena's case, most of the fans boo him. Wake up, WWE!

 

[PHX]

Glad this was made into a article because I was tempted to do it myself after the mania thread. So I'll just post my elaborate response in this. Don't want to hijack your thread or anything but feel this needs to be said.

I think PSYCH said Hogan wasn't the correct parallel to use for Cena turning heel but Austin was which makes no sense. Reason Austin turning heel didn't do as great as it should have was cause unlike Cena people were content with him being how he was and didn't want him to turn. Austin was pretty much 3 years into being on top at that point but actually having to fight for keep his spot from The Rock and a red hot heel in Triple H not to mention to a lesser extent Jericho was a emerging. Cena on the other hand is 8 years deep as far as being on top and WWE has never let anyone get close enough challenge him for it. There was Batista who had a bit of a edge, more intense than Cena and more physically imposing. But in actuality he was above Cena first until they started to shift toward Cena as the top guy when he went to Raw. They kind of teased it with Punk after Punk was red hot in the Summer of 2011 and was the perfect alternate to John Cena but of course didn't want to pull the trigger. At this point he's done everything he can do as a babyface and is very much capped out and is billed as the guy who can never turn heel because he is so loved by kids

Go back in time and tweak it and it is exactly like Hogan's situation. Just put Warrior in Batista place who had a bit of an edge, more intense and more physically imposing just was of course some differences such as Hogan/Warrior was supposed to be a passing of the torch thing. Put Punk in Savages spot (before anyone blast this comparison no I'm not saying Punk is Savage) Savage was the perfect alternate for Hogan but they never wanted to put him over Hogan. Hogan like Cena was billed as the guy who could never turn because he was so loved by kids, has done all he could do as a face and is capped out. Of course there is big differences such as Hogan going to another company and such but Cena now is what Hogan was in 96. Still a big name but we have already seen this same story for years now and you're pretty much just going nowhere, playing it safe, running in place with them as the top face.

Hogan was smart enough to know fans were sick of him as a face at that point and that there was big money in him turning heel with the perfect time to do it. Big role model to kid turns his back on them after all these years of preaching to take their vitamins and say their prayers and got tired for not feeling fully appreciated for all that he did over the years all the while the wrestling world waiting for something new to get excited for. How is that not must watch T.V to now have a great reason to want to see what Hogan is gonna do now after doing the same thing for years? Put Cena's name there and put Never give up, hustle, loyalty, respect or whatever cheesy Cena saying you wanna use and it is the exact same thing. Difference was Hogan had more of a reason to be content if anything considering he started a boom period already. Guy was bigger than the business itself something Cena is not despite being a big star in his own right.

WWE needs something big to cash in on and they are sitting on that meal ticket in a Cena heel turn since it would be the talk of the wrestling world all over the place if it happened. Going back to Hogan when he was heel top faces emerged that could be faces of the company just from feuding with a heel Hogan such as DDP, Goldberg and a rejuvenated Sting. Something WCW didn't really have before Hogan turned heel. It actually became cool to like Hogan again if that is what you wanted to do a paid off down the line when he turned back face in his final phase of his career. Cena is in the same boat of not having a face right now who could be the face of the company but if he turned heel top faces could emerge because they would have no choice but to push somebody in that big open spot. And like Hogan could if anything help him be overall liked again down the line before he retires.

So if anyone feels the Cena/Hogan situation isn't the same ( [MENTION=486]SAIYANS[/MENTION] mainly) I don't see how you could read what I just said and of course what Cerbs said originally and not change your mind. A Cena heel turn is something he badly needs and something the wrestling world badly needs because it is just running around in a never ending circle if he and WWE just stay content with playing it safe.

 

[We Are Legion]

That's it too, really... it's just going nowhere as you adequately put it. That's the big reason everyone wants to see it happen. You can't just play the same record over and over and hope people will always buy it. Eventually the time will come when WWE will have no choice but to replace Cena's role and if they don't jump on it now while Cena's still around and relevant it will be much harder. Because if god forbid Cena suffers a career-ending injury or something happens that prohibits him from passing that torch, WWE is screwed. It's a waste of that momentum and a waste of a great opportunity.

 

[SAIYANS]

I said Hogan wasn't the right parallel because wwe didnt write that turn. Their management didnt do that turn,they didn't handle it. The last and only face on the level Cena is that they actually turned was Austin, same Austin who did receive boos in 3SOH at NwO vs HHH and going into to 17 vs Rock. Its simple to point to hogan but ignore that wwe had nothing to with that, not their agents, not their writers, and not their fan base either. Austin is the wwe parallel, and his turn only pissed him off and was one of the things that led to him taking his ball and going home.

And just no, I would agree with you in 08 about face by committee. But this current crop of faces you could put against him including Orton and Punk are shit in comparison to what Hollywood Hogan had name wise. The wwe hasn't invested in Orton after his 2 strikes, he's a flake, there's no way they plan out anything long term with him, and to make things worse hes never sold in his life as the guy. Punks run flopped, it never blew up to Dave or Edge status, he became the second guy but it was more off attrition than a darwin like rise like Batista where he passed up everyone. Jericho means nothing and has never sold. Bryan isn't even the most important guy in Hell No when it comes to getting viewers, that's Kane, as the same Bryan had 0 fan support as a face carrying mitb until he was screwed.

The fact is this turn was suited for 08 with Triple H, Taker, Edge, Batista, Rey, HBK, and Jff Hardy. If you say it should have took place then, I would agree. If you say it wouldn't hurt the company, Cena, and roster as a whole, I would agree because the face by committee approach with that actual top quality A List talent would have worked. Right now lets be real Punk, Orton, Sheamus, and the like are B list and so far from comparable to DDP, Sting, Piper, Warrior, Savage, Luger, and every face WCW could market against the great villain Hogan.

So no I won't agree. Wwe doesn't have the talent to offset it among their full time group, unless if you're getting part time Trips and Taker to chase him for a few months, possibly a Batista return, and then Rock to comeback to put him in his place while the other faces are built away from him a lot. I won't agree that its the same as Hogan when they don't have the same writers and bookers as the Hollywood Hogan turned had. And lastly I won't agree its the same fans when Cena sells a record breaking amount of merch and kids/women are greatly behind his sales as the demographic that supported the nWo is nowhere near the same.

 

[PHX]

WWE didn't write it but it doesn't mean the situations weren't similar which is my point. You seem to have missed the entire point of the comparison. Crow Sting would have never happened if that spot wasn't left open to be the top face and wasn't for Hogan turning heel. Before that Sting was getting pushed but was always going to be capped as long as Hogan was top face. The guys who emerged only emerged because Hogan was now out of the way as a face finally. You are just too hung up on the past wanting WWE to keep pushing Cena as if this is 8 years ago when he was fresh and depend on part time guys perfectly content on WWE never growing and just running in place. You keep bringing up Orton and Punk (Punk's run didn't flop. It could have been way bigger than it was but he did fine all things considering) because you just want to use any chance you can to diss them but the next big face could be a Ryback or someone who is a midcarder right now for all we know but we will never get to find out as long as Cena is still in that same spot.

A heel Cena could make more stars and set up the future better than a face Cena could. You keep defending keeping him face but you're yet to give a single suggestion as to how they can set up they can build for the future and make stars. If it was up to you will be in 2020 with Cena probably broken down as fuck by then still as the top guy with no replacements in sight then the company will seriously be fucked because they didn't do anything about it sooner having WWE look like TNA a few years ago depending on 40 and 50 year olds "because they sell"

 

[SAIYANS]

I would actually try and get him a mentee on screen. I'm not talking like Ryder, but Ryback or Kofi who he goes out his way and keeps by his side and who eventually turns on him. Wwe hasn't had a face stable outside DX or BoD, so I would go that route. Get two or three guys to leech off his reaction and be associated with him and then stab him in the back with everything on the line.

I just don't see heel Cena as practical in 13, 08 sure, but not 13 with the crop to oppose him. I also just can't see a lot of guys ready to step it up

 

[PHX]

Talking about making a top face star not heel because we all know if they did the storyline you just suggested Cena would just run through that guy.

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

For the record DDP was a nobody when Hogan turned heel, Goldberg wasn't even training yet, and Booker T was still working in Harlem Heat. But the Hollywood Hogan turn made it possible for them to become top draws for WCW before it eventually was bought out.

Then guys like Warrior, Savage, Sting & Luger. These were all guys who failed to draw to the level of Hulk Hogan(WWE even tried to turn Luger into Hogan FFS!), but became bigger draws AFTER Hollywood took over.

I also find it kinda funny nobody else brought this up talking about fans getting what fans want, and involving Hogan. Wrestlemania X-8, just an hours drive away from where I currently sit, The Rock was booed out of the then Skydome, and Hollywood Hogan was killed, only proving that Hulkamania will run wild long after Hogan can no longer stand on his own two feet, THE HEEL WAS THE BIGGEST DRAW OF THE NIGHT!. Don't believe the release of the DVD either, the crowd was not split at all, I know better, I was there.

It is also entirely possible for Cena to use the split crowd as a springboard to heel tactics, but still pander to the children. Thus allowing him to still do the Make A Wish/B.A.Star charity crap, and have refreshing feuds, that build other stars.

 

[We Are Legion]

I said Hogan wasn't the right parallel because wwe didnt write that turn. Their management didnt do that turn,they didn't handle it.

Actually, you're wrong about that. Arn Anderson was doing a lot of that booking for WCW during that time and guess what he does now? He books Monday Night Raw.

So please... have a sense of what you're talking about before you post something.

The last and only face on the level Cena is that they actually turned was Austin, same Austin who did receive boos in 3SOH at NwO vs HHH and going into to 17 vs Rock.

It was a shit match and they booed Triple H too. It wasn't because they were "tired of Austin". Again... know what you're talking about before you post crap.

Its simple to point to hogan but ignore that wwe had nothing to with that

Even though the same people that currently work for WWE did have a lot to do with that, but ok...

Austin is the wwe parallel, and his turn only pissed him off and was one of the things that led to him taking his ball and going home.

Jobbing to Brock is what pissed him off and made him walk out. It had nothing to do with his heel turn and I would seriously love for you to provide evidence that suggests otherwise since I'm pretty sure you just made that up.

And just no, I would agree with you in 08 about face by committee. But this current crop of faces you could put against him including Orton and Punk are shit in comparison to what Hollywood Hogan had name wise.

And who determines that? You? I'm supposed to believe that people like CM Punk, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and any other current WWE wrestler pales in comparison to a guy like Roddy Piper who could never wrestle worth a fuck, even in his prime, a fly-by-night name like Lex Luger, and BRAND NEW GUY like the Giant... all because you say so? Yeah okay.

The wwe hasn't invested in Orton after his 2 strikes, he's a flake, there's no way they plan out anything long term with him, and to make things worse hes never sold in his life as the guy.

While I agree Orton isn't the long-term solution, to suggest that he's not even remotely capable of feuding with Cena anymore is a complete joke. No one even said he had to win the title. Did I say that? No. Please direct me to the part of my article where I stated Randy Orton should become the new face of the WWE. I didn't say that. But the guy is perfectly capable and reliable enough to carry a 3-4 month feud with Cena regardless of how many strikes he has and every bit as capable as someone like the fucking Ultimate Warrior who was a THOUSAND times worse with the kind of crap you're talking about.

Punks run flopped, it never blew up to Dave or Edge status

For you. Clearly Punk has a serious amount of fans. I don't know how good your vision is, but I see CM Punk merchandise, signs, and hear Punk chants every single night he's on television. It sounds to me like you just preferred Edge and Batista personally and you judge the success of a wrestler strictly off television ratings, so you've formulated your own personal opinion that Punk wasn't on their level. Ok well, that's very nice to know, but it's still simply only your opinion. And if you're seriously suggesting that even Punk isn't capable of another feud with Cena, maybe you should go back and re-watch his last 2 feuds with him.

Jericho means nothing and has never sold.

I guess that's why he's headlined 2 Wrestlemania's...

Bryan isn't even the most important guy in Hell No when it comes to getting viewers, that's Kane, as the same Bryan had 0 fan support as a face carrying mitb until he was screwed.

L-O-fucking-L. Show me the figures that support your claim that Kane is the drawing factor of that tag team. Seriously, I'm not kidding. Point me towards the evidence you gathered to support that ridiculous claim. Kane went 10 years without a world title and he wasn't even doing anything before he teamed with Daniel Bryan, so I fail to see how he's even remotely considered a draw or even a fraction as over as Bryan who gets "Yes" chants every single time he's on television, the crowd is flooded with ridiculous "Yes" signs, and even that dead Wrestlemania crowd went nuts for him after their match despite the fact he hardly did anything during the entire match. I've never seen a Kane shirt in my life, yet every time I go downtown I see at least one nut wearing that "Yes Yes Yes" or "No No No" T-shirt. There is absolutely no merit to support that claim whatsoever. Bryan is just as over as anyone on the WWE roster. What a ridiculous assertion.

The fact is this turn was suited for 08 with Triple H, Taker, Edge, Batista, Rey, HBK, and Jff Hardy. If you say it should have took place then, I would agree. If you say it wouldn't hurt the company, Cena, and roster as a whole, I would agree because the face by committee approach with that actual top quality A List talent would have worked. Right now lets be real Punk, Orton, Sheamus, and the like are B list and so far from comparable to DDP, Sting, Piper, Warrior, Savage, Luger, and every face WCW could market against the great villain Hogan.

So in other words, "Face-by-committee would have only worked in 2008 because I personally preferred those babyfaces better." Fantastic point.

So no I won't agree. Wwe doesn't have the talent to offset it among their full time group, unless if you're getting part time Trips and Taker to chase him for a few months possibly a Batista return, and then Rock to comeback to put him in his place while the other faces are built away from him a lot.

Right, because as long as SAIYANS is happy and gets to see his favorite wrestlers, it stands a much-better chance of working, amirite?

I won't agree that its the same as Hogan when they don't have the same writers and bookers as the Hollywood Hogan turned had.

Again... yes they do.

And lastly I won't agree its the same fans when Cena sells a record breaking amount of merch and kids/women are greatly behind his sales as the demographic that supported the nWo is nowhere near the same.

Frankly, not many women watch wrestling these days, so I don't even know why you bothered pointing that demographic out. I'm sure those 5 women, including my wife, are happy to have made a cameo in your silly little rant here (or not), but frankly it's not huge demographic among wrestling fans. And kids will find a new hero to leech onto. Kids are like that. They move on a lot easier than adults. When something isn't going their way anymore, they find a new hero. When I realized Ultimate Warrior was a total fucking goon when I was a kid, I started liking the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Those kids aren't going anywhere. Especially the ones that watch today, because they certainly aren't watching wrestling because it's the "cool" or "in" thing to watch these days, they watch it because they love wrestling and they don't give a shit what anyone else thinks about it. The end.

So frankly, I think you have a rather twisted and opinionated bias of the situation that really just boils down to your own misinformation (believing the Hogan angle had nothing to do with anyone who currently works for WWE for instance lol) and your own personal bias towards 2008 for whatever reason, which was a pretty shitty year for wrestling in MY opinion, so it's a little hard for me to believe you are critiquing this idea with any other motive than discontent and pessimism for the current WWE babyfaces. Maybe it's time for you to take a break from wrestling. Take it from me, it helps. But nothing you've wrote here makes any valid claim that turning Cena heel would not be good for the business.

Thank you for playing.

 

[SAIYANS]

That's why Cena did a whole piece directed to wwe moms at mania right?

I can reasonably say you make some good points, but tldr.

But seriously I'm not taking the time to quote all that separately Yes you make good points. But Kane is a top draw in history as of years ago despite just the one run (melters list had he and jericho tied despite the less runs and that was before Kane's brother love preaching whc run) and his masked return was still outdrawing Punk and Bryan viewers wise weekly as people were watching him like they historically have, not to mention his film still turned a profit unlike most before the Call. Jericho only main evented mania because of who he faced (and he was called a joke in his undisputed run for 3 months openly by every major star, hell look at the rumble booking for him and rocks match where every main eventer heel and face came to rock and called Jericho a joke and said see you at mania) and he's never been a draw which is why his book sold like shit, he had an autogrpah seesion he admittedly called Virgilesque, fozzy never made it big, and his show got pulled after being green lit which keeps on sending him right back to wwe. Austin called his heel turn the biggest mistake he ever made (must find interview). Yes AA was there in WCW as an agent, I honestly forgot about him, will give you that. Cena and wwe are starting a wwe moms initiative (as of 2010, 40% of the audience was female and thats a statistical fact) for his fans he even did a video mania weekend for them. Lastly Batista/Edge/Jeff/HHH/HBK/Rey/Taker were better overall than Punk/Sheamus/Orton/Bryan as we both know and insanely more over (you missed out on some good wrestling if you weren't watching Batista vs MVP, Morrison, Burke and the like every week of sd after he came into his own post the taker feud)