WWE: 5 Reasons Why Booing John Cena Only Makes Him Stronger

By Nate Pickering /

John Cena is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most polarizing in-ring performer in WWE history. Depending on your demographic, you either love him unconditionally or hate him unconditionally. With Cena, there seems to be no middle ground. But for those of you who detest the man and shower him with abuse at every opportunity, your vitriol is most likely having the opposite of the intended effect, and here€™s why:

5. It's Exactly What WWE Wants

John Cena gives the WWE the absolute best of both worlds: he€™s loved unconditionally as a traditional babyface by women and little kids (and moves boatloads of merchandise as a consequence), and hated unconditionally by grown men and internet marks who revile the very notion of a traditional babyface in the post-Attitude Era. In Cena, the WWE has a single performer who functions both as a face for one group of fans, and a heel (a traditional heel; the kind you boo because you genuinely dislike him) for another group. And besides, the anti-Cena crowd often forgets one of the most elemental rules of professional wrestling: any reaction is a good reaction. Cena gets a massive face pop and massive heel heat every time he walks down the ramp, and it€™s music to the ears of the folks who run the company. The only thing that would cause WWE to re-evaluate the manner in which they use him would be if his introduction caused a reaction of silence or indifference. Pro wrestling history is full of fabulously talented wrestlers who were permanently relegated to the mid-card because they didn€™t engender much of an audience reaction one way or the other.