10 Wrestlers Who Broke The Muta Scale
4. John Cena
The temptation, when supporting the argument for blood in pro wrestling, is to argue for its (relatively) safe, easy and documented history of getting a babyface over.
Unless you're Triple H circa 2003-2005, or a particular or subverted story is being told, the babyface usually bleeds. The sight of blood triggers our naturally sympathetic tendencies. Then again, in 2017, within a world as broken as ours is at present, perhaps the foundation of blading no longer exists. Still, there is so much precedent. Dusty Rhodes bled like a battlefield casualty en route to capturing the hearts of his public. Steve Austin's crimson forehead punctuated his breakthrough performance at WrestleMania 13 with an indelible, marketable visual. Tommy Rich, a beloved territory-era babyface, knew that red equalled green.
This tactic did not work for John Cena at Judgment Day 2005, at which he pulled off a ridiculously unhinged blade job during his match with JBL (whom so many bled at the sight of, indicting his main event credentials somewhat). As violent and memorable as the match was, it did not translate to Cena's lasting acceptance in the babyface role; the jeers returned in full voice in the days and weeks afterwards because the crimson mask only served to briefly mask Cena's inconsistency and paradigm-problematic character.
On this evidence, blading is not a shortcut, but rather a lagniappe.