Will Cena turn?

[littleguns]

Any bets on this.....everything is leading to a face turn but he is a marketing machine as it relates to sales of shirts, hats etc.....

Is WWE willing to give this up to make him heel?

If he turns, will it be at Wrestlemania??

[Montague]

If WWE is going to begin transitioning the direction of their product to something approaching the "Attitude Era," then I can easily see a heel turn for JC simply because the demographic of the target audience would change.
Cena is good for the current, younger fans, but is too hokey/goodey-two-shoes for the older hardcore fans.

WWE has been stuck in PG-mode since the Benoit incident.
I really expected them to revert back to the edgier content after Linda's senatorial campaign; and, it looked like they might have been heading there...until Linda announced she plans to run again next term.

Things can change, but right now, I would expect the product to continue as it is.
As for Cena, I suspect that a heel turn in the current climate would be short-lived.

[Karl Kox]

I know they sale a l lot of Cena merch to the young fans, so who knows if they would turn him....

[Karl Kox]

If Cena isn't going to turn heel what else are they going to do with him? How much longer can the Cenation reign supreme?

Well when someone starts being bood because they are just not like because people don,t wanna see them then thats all you can do.

 Thats called X Pac heat.

[Montague]

Well when someone starts being bood because they are just not like because people don,t wanna see them then thats all you can do.

 Thats called X Pac heat.

X-Pac Heat (ěkspŏk hēt)
n.
1. When you don't hate the character, but rather you actually hate the guy who's playing the character.
2. Montague's favorite terminology in pro-wrestling vernacular.


 

[Montague]

Timmy is very grateful for all of your contributions. I learn something new here everyday. May I ask what you call it when you both hate the guy and also hate the character? My top two are Nash and Jericho.

"Shawn Michaels."


 

[GraniteCityDon]

"Shawn Michaels."


 

One of the greatest comments in board history right there! Its 2am here and im howling with laughter 

[Montague]

Can you believe that Vince was actually scratching his head in 1996, looking at his faltering business and wondering where he'd gone wrong?

[Karl Kox]

One of the greatest comments in board history right there! Its 2am here and im howling with laughter 

I agree , pretty funny .

[littleguns]

WWE just released John Cena sucks T-shirts which may eclipse the regular Cena shirts..if this happens then a turn is inevitable...

[Montague]

WWE just released John Cena sucks T-shirts which may eclipse the regular Cena shirts..if this happens then a turn is inevitable...

Maybe they're testing the waters, so to speak.
And, if it catches on, they'll run with it.

[GraniteCityDon]

Good time to speculate how the turn will come about - turning on Ryder is my strongest bet

[Montague]

Good time to speculate how the turn will come about - turning on Ryder is my strongest bet

They ought to get Foley to work with Cena about turning.
Those old ECW Cactus Jack promos & vignettes in which he turned on the fans, the company, and his friends & co-workers were INTENSE.
Mick understands the art of strong story-telling both in the ring and on the stick.
And, truth be told, Mick was able to connect with the changing audience of that time by keeping up with and adjusting to the drastically changing landscape of the business at that time.

As much as I like Flair, I've got to disagree with some of his criticisms of Mick Foley.
As a performer, Foley had an incredible depth and dimension that few other guys ever have.
I hope WWE uses him in a productive capacity, and this John Cena angle seems like the perfect time and place.

[GraniteCityDon]

They ought to get Foley to work with Cena about turning.
Those old ECW Cactus Jack promos & vignettes in which he turned on the fans, the company, and his friends & co-workers were INTENSE.

I recall Dustin looking for him in an alleyway and asking him to come home, they were tremendously well put together and executed perfectly. Mick could wrestle a damn good match, he just wasnt afraid of the pain incorporated in making a move look all that more spectacular. He's the rarest kind of performer, i believe that if he died in the ring he wouldnt have regretted it much in the afterlife as long as the crowd went nuts for it.

[Montague]

This could work.
Cena’s got enough fuel to warrant a turn, but he’d have to do it right.

IMO, there are two ways to approach this:

1.) He needs to go straight heel and abandon anything and everything that endears him to the fans who still like him. Leave no chance at all for anyone to cheer him. HHH followed this formula just prior to his first h/w title run, and it worked solid. Other heels like Scott Hall would still go for the catch phrases and cheap pops, which I think diminished his heel aura.

2.) The other alternative is Cena could draw a line similar to the way Bret did in ‘97, when he was a heel in America, but a face everywhere else. It was a unique and captivating idea that I think worked very well. Cena could essentially cater to his “loyal fans” and tell everyone else to piss off. Then WWE could continue selling t-shirts to the Cena marks, but also heel-related merchandise to the fans who hate his ass.

[njflex]

starting it tonite close of raw kane called cena out and was going on about how it eats cena up inside to do right thing even tho he has it inside of him to change and by the end proved to cena what crowd thinks of him by getting them to chant 'cena sux'he looked upset,pissed,confused did not say word.

[littleguns]

Guys, this is WWE so basically this will drag on and eventually get dropped with Cena still getting cheered and booed