Continuing on from that, Cena (the character) doesnt exist in the same world as the rest of the WWE roster. Other guys wear one of their own t-shirts backstage and on their way to the ring because otherwise theyd be wandering the arena for hours on end in what amounts to their underwear. Like I said earlier: Cena wears his merchandise like its a superhero costume. Crowd reactions dont matter to Cena - they dont change how hes booked or really affect how he acts. Not only that, but wins and losses dont really affect him (beatdowns even less so). After losing to The Rock at Wrestlemania in 2012, he had the so-called worst year of his career. During this annus horribilis, he beat Brock Lesnar in his first match back in the company, main evented 75% of the years pay-per-views, and never lost cleanly again. Thats John Cenas version of being in a slump. Since Cenas got to feud with someone, he ends up tangling with people who exist in a more reality-based world: people who lose cleanly occasionally, who dont come to expect the main event will be handed to them, who arent handed regular title shots. Since Cena rarely loses cleanly, and rarely sells consistently, the default booking position is that he will win his match, probably cleanly, barely selling the offence of his opponent. Afterwards, he will smile and joke as if the half-hour slugfest he's just had never happened. His opponent will then have to carry on After Cena, entering into new storylines and feuds, but with less of an aura than they had Before Cena. That's their career, divided into two: BC and AC. He's not just an opponent: he's a cataclysmic event in a pro wrestling character's career, like an earthquake or a serious illness. Very few stars have the aura to survive a programme with John Cena. His loss to Kevin Owens last year was a beginning. The United States title open challenge series went a huge amount towards addressing this common criticism of the John Cena character: he sold consistently and believably in decent-length television matches, and narrowed the perceived gap between him and the rest of the roster. When he returns from injury, WWE should capitalise on that by continuing to book up-and-coming stars in competitive matches with Cena, keeping him a part of the same world as the rest of the roster. He should wear different clothes occasionally, too. Just a thought.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
