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Guest Editorial - How to Destroy A Top Babyface
By Joey B., PWTorch reader

For years now, WWE has pushed John Cena as its top babyface. Despite the mix of boos and cheers he receives, he clearly has the company behind him, and he delivers. Cena does huge merchandise sales, keeps his nose out of trouble, does great p.r. (his Make-a-Wish work, for example), but most important is his 100 percent work ethic to WWE. Then, why has WWE dropped a huge Rock in his path?

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the breakout star from WWE. His return has done great numbers, he’s delivered on the mic, and fans are ecstatic for WrestleMania season. He’s pretty much untouchable right now, and that momentum will mow down anyone put there as his foil. Out of that fact sprouts the big question: of all people, why put John Cena, WWE's top babyface and merch seller, in a no-win situation?

When fans wear a t-shirt or hat of a wrestler, it is because he’s their favorite; they want to show their support and be part of the group that also supports that star. When fans wore an Austin 3:16 or an NWO shirt, they felt a “rub” of coolness from those stars’s momentum at the time. Therefore, if a star or his catch-phrases or his gimmick are made to look un-cool, wouldn’t that transfer to the fan wearing their merch and therefore make them feel un-cool? When the Rock says Cena’s clothes look like Fruity Pebbles and people latch onto that, you can only assume that a lot of fans would quietly tuck their Cena shirts into a drawer.

So why is WWE risking killing the goose that’s laying those golden eggs? Why not team Cena or another face with Rock to up their hip factor? Why not put a heel against Rock to make him appear a bigger heel?

Cena has played the retaliation style of acknowledging Rock’s specific goofs on him and laughing along with it and acting as if he doesn’t faze him. He then used the best-defense-is-a-good-offense approach and went back at Rock with some rhymes. The problem is that not only were they immature with the sexual and homophobic references, they just weren’t all that good, either. This is a head-scratcher...unless...are they...are they planning on turning Cena heel?

If anyone could turn Cena heel, it’s The Rock. So far, he’s successfully made Cena’s catch-phrases and clothing look silly and ranked on him with impunity. Cena goofing on Rock wearing shades at home or using a teleprompter left viewers with a “so what?” reaction last week on Raw, not getting them to make anti-Rock posters. So what does WWE do as the boos start to outweigh the cheers for their top babyface, John Cena?

If this keeps going, the fans will make the turn, not creative. Here’s a scenario: as cheers increasingly turn to boos, as the fans turn on Cena in favor of Rock, wouldn’t that be the perfect time for Cena to turn sullen and upset and do a turn? “I loved you, I gave you my all, and this guy shows up after seven years away, and you turn on me just like that?!?” Cena then chucks all of his colorful, upbeat clothing and slogans, the dog-tags, the happy-go-lucky attitude, and sells his feeling of being betrayed to the hilt. No more hats, no salutes, WWE does a complete heel overhaul for Cena. This could set up Triple H jumpong into a huge post-Undertaker feud with Cena, which in essence would make him the top face and not be a shocking political/career move on his part.

Other than a huge heel turn, I can’t fathom what the upside is in putting Cena out there against a teflon Rock. He is only here for a short time, and after Rock walks away with his verbal dagger and swagger intact, he’ll be leaving behind a version of Cena filled with gaping wounds hemorrhaging un-coolness.

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