9 Times John Cena Was The Worst WWE Babyface Ever

Much like wrestling itself, promo exchanges require a fair amount of cooperation to be most effective. In a match, if a wrestler sandbags another competitor, it makes both performers look bad and ruins the illusion.

The same goes for an in-ring promo where multiple wrestlers are jockeying for verbal position. If someone delivers a killer line and their opponent completely no-sells or belittles it, the second person might seem cooler, but it completely can defuse an incendiary situation in the worst possible way.

This is where John Cena’s repeated use of “fine speech” comes into play.

Throughout his WWE career, Cena has engaged in verbal exchanges with countless superstars who have poured their heart and soul into the microphone, only for Big Match John to glare back at them, lift his mic and utter, “fine speech.” It’s a completely dismissive remark that undercut everything his opponent had said, and not in a “we’re verbally sparring and I don’t buy what you’re selling,” but it immediately told fans to not bother paying attention or giving credence to what they said.

That’s not to say that Cena should have cowered and admitted defeat, but a true babyface needs to have that back-and-forth with their opponent with everything building off each other, rather than sidestepping and downplaying the banter. By brushing the heel off in that manner, Cena was being his own heel, belittling his opponent’s motives and motivation.