Embracing the Hate

It’s actually rather difficult to see what is on the horizon for John Cena. Of course he has his Wrestlemania match with The Rock fast approaching. I’ll touch on that more in a little while. Right now Cena is in a position that we rarely see him. Although he rarely shows it, we have seen a more vulnerable side to him over the past month or so. With the WWE finally focusing public attention on the “Cena sucks” and even going so far to release T shirts with the slogan “Cena Sucks.” Still, each week, Cena does his thing and continues to say that the paying public have the right to their own opinion. When the boos started back in 2007, they weren’t brought up by the commentators. The only thing that they would state was that Cena was a “controversial” champion. But, since November of 2011 and the start of this year, the question is finally being raised. Are the boos getting to Cena?

Frankly, I’m surprised that the WWE didn’t do this long ago. Before I sat down to write this column. I did a little research. I went to facebook and typed in the words “Cena Sucks.” You wouldn’t believe how many profiles, and communities were dedicated to hating the guts of John Cena. I looked on youtube. Countless channels dedicated to showing videos of Cena making mistakes or the crowd chanting that he sucks. The comments on some of those videos are downright cruel sometimes. It seems that there is a genuine hate by some wrestling fans towards John Cena. It’s about time the WWE realized that they could make money from these fans. The “Cena Sucks” T shirts have apparently been selling well. I expect Cena himself will be getting himself some nice royalties from these sales. I think It’s kind of ironic that the fans who hate him so much are actually making him wealthier than he already is.

Now I’m not here to debate whether or not Cena should turn heel, that kind of column has been done to death. But, ever since November during Piper’s Pit. There has been an ever growing speculation that the segment was the start of the long called for heel turn. What I loved most about that segment was the defiance of John Cena. He was looking into the eyes of a hall of famer. Roddy Piper was urging Cena to let it all out. Cena however, simply stated that the paying public have a right to say what they want. Piper was excellent here and Cena played his part too. I do prefer it when Cena is more serious in his promos. As a viewer, I find it much easier to sympathize with him when he’s being serious. I must say, I have enjoyed his more serious tone over the past few months.

After Piper. We got the return of Kane, who in his own words wants Cena to “embrace the hate.” Once again the speculation began to grow. It’s time. Cena’s heel turn is coming. It’s not a matter of if anymore. It’s now a matter of when. I don’t fully buy into that. I believe that its a possibility. Some fans are already convinced that it’s happening. I’m going to offer my take on this subject right now. I believe that this storyline will last up to Wrestlemania. If a heel turn was to happen, I believe that it would happen at Wrestlemania. I think the WWE is doing something very clever right now. Wrestlemania will be in Miami. We know that The Rock is going to be the fan favorite going into the match. There is no denying that. They also know that Cena does have his loyal fan base and yes, they may be women and children, but they know how to make noise. WWE is putting PG (Cena) Vs Attitude (Rock). We have “Rise Above Hate” and we have “Cena Sucks”. The WWE is trying to establish that divide, even if it may be just for one night at Wrestlemania. They want that crowd hot. They want to hear the dueling chants of “Let’s go Cena” and “Cena Sucks.” We know that guys like The Rock and Cena can take that energy from the crowd and work. We’re not expecting a five star classic but, I do get the feeling that something special is going to happen at Wrestlemania.

I expect the will he/wont he turn question to be prominent on Raw all the way up to Wrestlemania where I believe the story will end at The Royal Rumble. I see him performing well. I can imagine a scenario where he eliminates some people then maybe stop as the fans boo, which momentarily distracts him, giving somebody enough time to eliminate him. I would love to see Roddy Piper come back again and explain to Cena that the reason he lost the rumble was because he let the fans get to him and if he lets them get to him at Wrestlemania, he will lose their also. Maybe even show signs that Cena is feeling the pressure. Have moments where he almost loses his cool, but manages to keep himself in check. The final Raw before Wrestlemania. Give Cena and Rock 20 minutes to say their piece. Have Cena say for weeks and weeks, he’s been told what to do by other people, but he never caved in. He believes that the WWE universe has the right to cheer for whoever they want. Damn, even bring some kids into the ring or something. Let The Rock do what he does best. Have him rip Cena, do all his usual stuff, get the fact across that this is two different generations getting it on.

Like i said earlier, I think Wrestlemania will deliver the outcome on the will he/wont he storyline. For some reason, I just do not see the heel turn coming. I’m not too sure on whom is going to win. The thing is I see no benefit of Rock winning if he’s not going to stick around. If Cena wins get a passing of the torch situation. If a heel turn was going to happen and I stress the word WAS, the only thing I can imagine would be for Cena to cheat to beat The Rock. Although I cannot imagine the WWE booking the main event of Wrestlemania a year in advance and not to have a clean finish. No matter what happens after Wrestlemania, I hope we still see the more serious tone of John Cena. I can 2012 being a very interesting year for John Cena. As a fan this excites me.

What are your thoughts on this. Is this the start of the John Cena heel turn or this just good marketing on WWE’s side. Send me you thoughts and any feedback you may have for me at the following places.

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