John Cena's character cannot change without the WWE Universe

[cero2k]

John Cena's Character Cannot Change Without Help from the WWE Universe
Source: BleacherReport.com

There has never been a WWE superstar who suffers more from fan hysteria than John Cena.

Nothing could have underlined this issue better than the outcry caused by his implication that the general viewership of Raw is preadolescent. Critics across the WWE Universe were quick to point out that the actual average demographic is people in their thirties and that the comment further alienated Cena from that audience.

This overly negative response is indicative of people's feelings towards Cena and his history as the face of the PG era, rather than the actual significance of the comment.

Looking at the exchange between John Cena and Chris Jericho without any preconceptions, it becomes clear that there is more than one interpretation of the angle.

One possible view takes into account the immediate moments before the heavily criticized exchange, where Cena had used the replacement term "fudging" to end a particularly heartfelt statement. This was greeted by whooping from the crowd and a smirk crossing both performers. The camera even goes into a close-up on Jericho to take advantage of the moment.

The crowd could have been cheering Cena's statement, but the noise also may have been for the swearword that never was. With this interpretation, the back and forth between Jericho and Cena is clearly mocking the audience who cheered a rude word.

Choosing to make fun of the audience, especially with Cena's reputation, may be an unwise thing to do, but that is a question for another day. However the demographic comments, this view on proceedings becomes misjudged rather than vindictive.

Another possible explanation, and one that has a deeper meaning, is that the exchange was deliberately manufactured to allow Jericho to slide into the face role and accentuate some of Cena's negative attributes.


This idea is emphasized by Jericho's response directly stating Cena's two biggest faults, namely Cena's arrogance and ignorance.

Cena has shown a great deal of arrogance over the last few months, especially against John Laurinaitis, where taunting his opponent cost Cena the victory at Over The Limit. Furthermore, Cena's ignorance of other's feelings is the reason that Big Show is now the threat he is, as the "loser" segment after Show's firing is one of the events credited for "World's Largest Athlete's" heel turn.

These flaws were given life by Jericho when the "Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla" declared his personal outrage towards the idea that Cena will win the Money In The Bank ladder match because John Cena says he will. This attitude of Cena's showed both arrogance and ignorance towards the difficulty and danger that such a match beholds.

This does not mean that Cena is going to magically become a heel, nor does it mean that the WWE intends to do such a storyline, but it does make Cena a more rounded character. It makes him someone who has flaws that can be exploited, and this is an idea that may well be explored further once the 1000th episode has passed.

Jericho could not have made these points without gaining the moral advantage which was handed to him by the Cena's comments. This subtlety has been asked of WWE creative for a very long time, yet it may have been missed due to the hysteria surrounding Cena.

Whether this was an orchestrated move to alter the Cena character, an accidental off-the-cuff comment which was badly taken or a deliberate effort to antagonise the audience, it is clear that the Cena character is changing.

For this change to happen successfully, the WWE audience as a whole must try to view the program without prejudice. This is going to be difficult for many viewers who have grown to loath the seemingly invincible star, but the process is essential for the betterment of the company as a whole.

Without this impartiality, anything new that Cena does will be seen as too negative a move by the WWE, and Cena's character will remain stagnant for many more years to come.

[Big Red Machine]

Great article.

[Bob-O]

See, I disagree with the whole thing. I DON'T see Cena changing. At all. Ever. I've given up on that. WWE will protect it's Cash Cow as long as it continues to produce revenue.

What I saw on Monday was two of the greatest mic workers to ever live get some free reign with a few talking points. When they let guys such as this off the scripted leash, this is what happens. Cena was his PG, 9 year old - potty humor self, and Jericho did what Jericho does best. He makes fun of people. That's it. There's nothing to read into!

Anyone expected to have a verbal feud with Cena is going to go after his PG-ness. The Rock did this for three straight months. CM Punk did it last Summer, and he'll do it again as Cena's expected to go back after his title. Lesnar even did loosely with his quest to bring "legitimacy" back to WWE. Jericho did nothing new, he just struck a nerve, hence the edits on the replays.

The thing is, everyone keeps waiting for this big change to the Cena character stemming from his loss at Wrestlemania. I know I am. He LOST. He lost the biggest match of his career! To a Tourist! Everyone keeps waiting for this huge tweak, heel turn, or whatever - something, ANYTHING! Maybe at least for somebody to bring it up. He HAD to change after that, but he... he didn't. He moved right into the angle with Lesnar the next night; which he won, like Cena does, and from there it's been all Cena vs People Power... there was no closure to that loss. No rubber match. HE WAS CALLING ROCKY OUT WHEN LESNAR ATTACKED!

The year long build up, the Road To Wrestlemania, all of it among other things, had this underlying premise of "If Cena wins the legacy continues, if Cena loses he'll never be the same." For eff's sake, he SAID IT HIMSELF!

For these reasons, I think everyone reading into the Jericho / Cena exchange on Monday is just searching desperately for closure from Wrestlemania. Everyone was so invested in the build up and the story that a simple "Rock was the better man" promo isn't enough. When he went over Lesnar it was proof enough to me that there will be no change to Cena any time soon.