Underestimating Cena

Following last Monday’s Raw, fans are more than understandably talking about The Rock’s phenomenal promo that closed out the show. However, in all of the justified excitement, I feel like a lot of people are getting ahead of themselves. I mean, there are some people out there who believe that WWE had no idea Rock would make any comments whatsoever about John Cena. Others think that his interruption of the Raw General Manager was completely adlibbed as well. Let’s look at this rationally.

First off, the idea that the Rock would go on a 15 minute verbal assault on WWE’s biggest star and top babyface is not exactly a compliment for “the Great One,” as it would be an incredibly unprofessional and petty thing to do. Secondly, Rock cutting off Michael Cole and being the only person who commands that he sits back down instead of checking the laptop was an awesome and hilarious moment. And it was planned. Do you really think Cole would react so smoothly (remember, he had his headset off, so he wouldn’t have McMahon or anybody else telling him that he should do what Rock says)? And secondly, if the GM legitimately sent a message that was supposed to be read to the live and viewing audience, why didn’t we hear anything else about it throughout the rest of the broadcast? Why not have Cole mention that he got a text or message on his Blackberry, alerting the viewers what was supposed to be said? It was a great moment, no doubt, but let’s not make it something mythical.

Anyway, with that long intro out of the way, let me get to the topic at hand: Where do we go from here, and are Internet fans underestimating John Cena?

We basically have three options: The planned John Cena vs. Miz, unchanged, the aforementioned title match, but with Rock as a special ref/enforcer, and what many people are hoping for – John Cena vs. the Rock. Chances are we’ll see the second option, but if that’s the plan, they’re treading dangerous waters. Remember WrestleMania XX when Brock Lesnar fought Goldberg, with Austin as guest referee? Well, fans were against both competitors because they’d be leaving after Mania, leaving the referee as the only person the fans actually wanted to root for. As a result, what should have been a huge, epic match was a total disaster. If a returning Rock – who the fans haven’t seen on a consistent basis in seven years – continues ripping apart Cena and Miz, they could end up in that same boat. Except it could be even more disastrous, as Cena and Miz will still need to carry the company once Rock decides he wants to leave again. At least if it’s Cena vs. Rock, although less likely, the fans would be rooting for one of the guys in the match.

Nonetheless, I do have to wonder if the IWC is underestimating John Cena. Check out virtually any blog or message board and you’ll read mounds of people saying that Rock buried Cena and that he would devour him in a war of words. I think people have been watching John Cena as the fun loving hero for children for so long that they forget what he was like back when he rose to the top. The guy is exceptionally quick witted when it comes to his mic skills. Here’s a guy who was able to announce an entire match in freestyle rap. That’s no small feat. He was also once pretty damn edgy, making fun of John Ritter dying just days after his death, and while still a relative greenhorn, making fun of the Undertaker (a rather big no-no) for wearing leather pants.

Sure, the guy wears bright purple, but so what? Internet darling Kurt Angle wore bright red and blue. Hulk Hogan wore bright yellow. Shawn Michaels, another icon, wore red leather. And they don’t come more colorful than Rey Mysterio. Okay, maybe he’s not all clad in black like Rock and Austin, but in a lot of ways I appreciate that. Guys like Randy Orton, Christian, Batista, and Triple H used to vary their looks with different colors, but decided to just settle with black. Now, the tough guy wearing black is a generic look. It’s refreshing seeing somebody who changes it up with different colors.

So what can be done? I’d let Cena let loose a bit. You CAN change his look a bit so that he’s not so bubblegum in the eyes of your older fans. How about wearing this hooded sweatshirt:

http://www.wweshop.com/item/john-cena-cenation-hooded-sweatshirt/JohnCena/04-00861

And this skull cap:

http://www.wweshop.com/item/john-cena-cenation-skull-cap/JohnCena/02-00686

I’d have Cena admit that he shouldn’t have made comments about the Rock and apologize for doing so. Then have him bring up the fact that he made two or three passing comments years ago, only for the Rock to go on a scathing 20 minute rant about him. And much like how Rock called Cena out on his lameness, have Cena call Rock out on his hypocrisy. The Rock mentioned that he’s never leaving again. Well, have Cena challenge him on this. Will Rock still be here in a year? How about six months? About two months after WrestleMania? The Rock said he’s not here to promote anything. Have Cena point out that not 10 minutes later, Rock’s Facebook page is scrolling along the bottom of the screen. Have Cena bring up the fact that WWE has repeatedly asked Rock to return, but that Rock couldn’t make time. Even when they were in LA or Florida. It seems like the Rock only wants to “come home” when it’s convenient for him. If WWE wants to take it really far – and Rock is really willing to show ass – how about having Cena bring up the fact that Rock isn’t interested in associating himself with wrestling when there’s any sort of scandal. No, Rock only wants to do business when his movies aren’t fairing too well at the box office. Meanwhile, Cena’s out there putting his body on the line and appearing on television shows defending the company. In fact, this squeaky clean image that Rock is tearing apart is what’s keeping this company afloat. While the Rock and the Attitude era were turning away advertisers, John Cena is giving children somebody to look up to. Hell, even bring up the fact that Rock is pretending to be this massive bad ass, while filming Disney movies like The Tooth Fairy.

And that will be the secret – give John Cena the edge he needs to go head to head with Rock behind the mic, but don’t completely abandon the role model they’ve built up over the past several years. Watch some of Cena’s mic work when he was on Smackdown, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that he’s up for the challenge of sparring with the Rock (and don’t get me wrong, the Rock is a very special person behind the mic).

Will any of this happen? Almost certainly not. We’ll probably see Cena give one of his rousing, spirited speeches about how he won’t give up. But that’s not Cena’s fault. That’s just how they’re pushing him. If given the opportunity, I strongly believe he wouldn’t be left for dead in a war of words with the Great One.