101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened
63. John Cena Busts A Drug Cartel
Ex-WWE writer Court Bauer once recalled a failed pitch brought up during meetings that would've seen John Cena become a drug crime-busting superhero kids could be proud of. Millions of children checking out episodes of Raw during the PG days already viewed Cena as Batman/Superman/Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk all rolled into one, but he wasn't a crime fighter.
Well, unless you view villains like Edge, Big Show etc as criminals. Edge would go on to steal the hearts of many upon his return at the 2020 Royal Rumble, and theft is theft! On a more serious note, it could've been seen as risky for WWE to draw attention to a drug culture in pro wrestling, especially mere years after they'd initiated their own Wellness Policy to clean things up.
In storyline, various characters would've been introduced as heel foil to 'Super Cena'. They'd have been out to set a terrible example to kids, and 'Big Match John' wouldn't have been willing to stand idly by and let that happen. So, he'd give those bad guys an Attitude Adjustment they wouldn't soon forget.
Yeah, this sounds like the sort of fare that would've turned so many more adult fans away from the product. If WWE wanted to present Cena as a larger than life superhero in that manner, then they should've produced a Saturday morning cartoon for him.
This creative didn't get off the ground, but perhaps Carlito enlisting a pal called Jesus in 2004 was supposed to be a portent of things to come years later.