In 1999, Stone Cold Steve Austin was in John Cena's position. He was the number one guy and the entire WWF success story was revolving around him. But he was injured and needed to take time out. On paper, it was an absolute disaster for Vince McMahon. Not only was he losing his top star, but he'd be losing him more than half a year. But it wasn't a disaster. The WWF was just as hot in Austin's absence, and 2000 did record business. Talented acts like Triple H emerged to the fore, and The Rock reached new heights in the spotlight. This same example is true when the WWF lost Bret Hart in 1997 and Shawn Michaels just a matter of months later. On paper it was the franchise guys, they were big losses. But what happened next wasn't a disaster, it was the realisation of new successes. Maybe Cena will be like those Austin, Hart and Michaels examples. Maybe it takes the franchise star being gone for a while, for WWE to realise what successes they might achieve elsewhere.
