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ASK THE SPECIALISTS ROUNDTABLE: The Case of "Double-Edged Sword" John Cena - does Cena's presence stand in the way of progress or keep WWE propped up?

Nov 4, 2014 - 11:21:39 AM
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The "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #65

- Question from PWTorch reader Will Sheng: With John Cena the top dog in WWE for the past years and for the near future, I can't help but think that his presence at the top is holding back the rest of the roster. Many good prospects who have came up against John Cena seemed to take big step backwards. Examples include Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, The Miz, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Ryback, and even Zack Ryder - just to name a few. All of these guys mentioned were to some extent looked upon as being future top guys of the company, but their fall from grace has been pretty substantial since going against Cena. It's likely not his fault, and it's not a pot shot at him, but what are your thoughts on this?

- "KPCC Radio" (@MikeRoe) responds: It's a complicated issue, as John Cena is still a big business mover for the company across the board, including merchandise, live attendance, and television ratings. It's not to say that other guys couldn't do the same, but WWE doesn't have the faith in them to do so, and no one else has been able to break out in close to the same way. C.M. Punk came close in certain respects, but now he's not an option, either. Cena's also a company guy, which WWE puts a lot of importance on. Of course, those other guys may not get ahead even without Cena, as WWE may book them in ways that don't capitalize on their strengths because they don't have the full faith in that talent that they do in Cena. Roman Reigns is on his way to getting a shot at being The Guy in a similar way to Cena, but he still has to prove himself when given that opportunity and maintain the faith of those in charge on the creative and business sides.

- "Hits & Misses" Jon Mezzera responds: I have been critical at times of how John Cena was booked as SuperCena, so there may be something to the idea that WWE has booked him too strong in the past at the expense of other possible future top stars. However, I'm not sure I would agree with your assessment of some of the wrestlers you listed at as being future top guys or that those guys were held back because of Cena. I would certainly not list Zack Ryder as a top guy candidate (and I was a fan of him during his brief push after his YouTube show success). Ziggler had his push derailed by a concussion and his inability to transfer his character from a heel to a babyface. Barrett can't seem to stay healthy, but I expect him to still be given a shot at a big push once he returns. Mark Henry got as high on the card as he deserved which was a pretty good spot a few years ago when he was doing such good work as a monster heel. I agree that the booking of Sandow against SuperCena killed his momentum and any chance he had of being a top wrestler. The Miz headlined WrestleMania, but he wasn't good enough to stay at the top for longer than he did. That to me has nothing to do with Cena. From what I understand, Cesaro's lack of a push has more to do with Vince McMahon's lack of faith in him (as opposed to Triple H) than with how he was booked in relation to Cena. And Ryback isn't very good.

C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena (Punk multiple times). Bryan was derailed not because of Cena, but because despite the live fans great reactions to him, he did not have the support of McMahon and Triple H behind the scenes. Punk wasn't the ratings draw and didn't sell the merchandise that Cena did, so WWE kept putting Cena in main events instead of the WWE Champion during his long reign. But, maybe WWE should have put more effort into highlighting Punk as the Champion and get behind him more to make that long reign make the company more money. They certainly should have done more to get behind Daniel Bryan. But, the comfort level with Cena at the top probably had more to do with Punk being out of the company and Bryan's failure to be a top guy (before his injury) than the examples you mentioned.

- "Mr. PPV" Nathan Kyght responds: Not sure on this one, sir. Cena sells a ton of merchandise and is only doing what he's told in terms of booking. I don't think anyone gets "held back," rather I think that if a guy continually gives his all, is creative and hard working, the shot will come. Vince, Hunter, and Stephanie have the final call, and they're unquestionably a part of the Cenation.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: I would have disagreed with you until the last few sentences. You're exactly right, it's not him personally, but instead due to poor writing, poor planning, and a lack of other stars connecting with the audience. So far, only C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan have come close to Cena's level of stardom and we've unfortunately seen the turn of events there. Someone like Dean Ambrose is close but it really comes down to how guys are written, booked, and of course how they perform.

It's Wrestling 101, really, but unfortunately too much time in a three-hour Raw is dedicated to non-sense, so you get maybe 15-20 minutes for a guy to get his chance as a top act and if that's written poorly, he or she is already fighting an uphill battle. I think things have to change internally to try to find new stars in order for WWE to feel comfortable moving Cena to another role. They've shown they can succeed with someone like Bryan, but that was like pulling teeth. WWE is the equivalent of a sports team shooting themselves in the foot. Thanks for the question!

- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: The only reason it is perceived that Cena is holding the roster back is that Creative doesn't know how to maintain a wrestler's momentum outside of the main event scene. It's one of the biggest issues with slapdash booking; it becomes incredibly hard to move up the card when the writers lose interest in you almost immediately. If these talents could have been transitioned into another story after almost beating Cena, they would have been fine. Having a franchise player is not a bad thing; WWE has been structured to have a single headliner at the top of the company since Bruno Sammartino in the 1960s. However, a lack of attention to detail and rushed booking is a cardinal sin in the wrestling business.

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: It certainly seems like a feud with Cena is the kiss of death for a heel, doesn't it? At the same time, there's a natural logic to it. Cena is presented as the top guy in WWE, the best wrestler on their roster. He has more major title wins than anyone else, he's booked to be the best, and he's described by the announcers as nearly the strongest, more powerful person on the roster. So, if he is the absolute best on the roster, it is only reasonable to assume a couple of things.

First, a feud with Cena is the top of the food chain, the Super Bowl or World Series of WWE. Other than a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker, nothing is presented as "you are facing the best in the company" like a match with Cena. That means that anything after facing Cena is going to be a step down. The second assumption is that Cena is "the best" and he is a strong babyface character, which means that in the end, the heels will almost always lose. Combine these two assumptions, and it is pretty clear why any heel who faces Cena has a decline afterwards, because there is simply no place higher they can go.

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thank you for your question, Will. I believe you bring up an interesting premise, and there is some merit to the theory that John Cena has held back the roster. I definitely feel that he is the right guy to be the centerpiece franchise of the promotion because nobody works harder, and he generates huge money on merchandise and ticket sales. He is Vince McMahon's dream wrestler because he lives and breathes WWE.

Unfortunately, Cena also has some serious flaws. He seems to have an extremely low wrestling intelligence or just a horrible sense of how to portray a deep, cool character that is going on a journey. It is rare that Cena has ever experienced any type of character arch so it makes it difficult to build up his opponents in his feuds. The perfect example would be his recent battles with Brock Lesnar. They had one of the most special matches in recent memory at Summerslam, but the follow-up may be the worst in wrestling history. Cena needs to understand how to sell the importance of a match and its results. Otherwise, even when a wrestler beats him, it will not allow him to rise up the card. I cannot think of many Superstars that have benefited with a stronger character after feuding with Cena. Edge would be an example of someone that became a bigger star because of the feud, but I would argue that had more to do with the Rated R Superstar being such an excellent heel. I would say that Cena is the ultimate double-edged sword because what he does well generates millions for the company, but the dorky, tone-deaf way he carries himself probably costs them millions as well.

***

[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, Mike Roe, and Mike Metzger. ]


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