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PWTORCH ROUNDTABLE: Writers debate whether Cena has become edgier in Rock feud, Is Rock intentionally "selling" for Cena on the mic? (Part 2)

Mar 7, 2012 - 1:36:57 PM
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PWTorch Specialist Roundtable

(Question A) Do you think the edgier/non-PG John Cena character is the direction WWE should go with Cena leading up to WM28 and beyond The Rock feud?

(Question B) Do you think Cena "winning" the Raw promo exchanges is straight forward with Cena simply beating Rock on the mic or is it part of a master plan for Rock to lower himself and "sell" for Cena?

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George Chiverton, PWTorch specialist

(A) YES. This one is a simple answer for me. Cena is winning over a portion of the audience who a couple of weeks ago would have rather set fire to their wrists than put Cena's merchandise on, and Cena deserves it. The man's been a Champion for the company for years. Having said that, it's important that Cena maintains some identity with his established fan base (women + kids), as they have kept him at the top, but I don't think adding the edginess will do anything to negate this. This is obviously under the assumption he can maintain his recent quality of performance, which is yet to be seen, but the edgy swagger makes for compelling television.

That being said, I think if Cena goes edgy, WWE needs to back a new champion just for the kids. Rey Mysterio or Big Show seem to be obvious choices, as kids have always loved both, but Kofi Kingston or even A-Ry have the potential to slide fully into this role.

As for recent exchanges, I think Cena may just be straight up winning for the simple reason that I believe Rock's arguments have no substance, whereas Cena actually has a point. Rock let us down! Am I still bitter? Yes. I think Cena is really being a little bit more awesome recently and Rock has been unable to respond. Not that Miami will care. (Read Chiverton's NXT Weekly Rankings & Evaluation column every Wednesday.)

Nathan Kyght, PWTorch PPV specialist

Obviously, there's still a ways to go before WrestleMania, but, so far, I think the "edgier" John Cena character is definitely the direction WWE should stick to. Let's face it: John Cena's character has slowly evolved into a parody of itself, with Cena essentially taking nothing seriously, and then handily beating anyone in his way. It's made him the top babyface in the company, but it's also passionately turned a large segment of the audience against him.

If the feud with The Rock leading into WrestleMania 28 is just a series of encounters where Rock buries Cena and Cena laughs it off, it does the company no favors at all. Granted, they were in Cena's hometown on Monday, but for the first time in a very long time, Cena seemed to have a portion of the crowd on his side that were not his usual "Cenation" of kids and women; those "Tooth Fairy" chants directed at Rock had a little bass to them. Do I think that Cena will be treated as kindly in Miami? Not at all. But, something appears to be working.

As for Cena "winning" the exchanges thus far, I think that it is just a very well executed ploy to get Cena over with some of the so called "haters" in the audience, and The Rock is smart enough to know how to sell it convincingly; it's not good in the long run if Cena comes across as a joke and then gets beat up. So far, so good, WWE. April 1 looms. (Read Kyght's regular PPV Evaluation review, including this month's TNA Victory Road PPV.)

Ben Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

(A) To be blunt, I'm tired of any version of John Cena that doesn't involve a full-on heel turn. Edgier Cena is certainly more entertaining that "poopy joke" Cena and has a bit of depth to it. That being said, I think his character is past the point of return in the fact that people who hate him now will probably hate him either way. So, WWE shouldn't do either! Heel turn, heel turn, yay!

(B) I think Cena "beating" Rock is something that's happening only because they want it to happen. Remember how Rock destroyed Cena whenever he came close to a mic last year? Rocky hasn't lost his luster. Playing out the exchanges this way makes the crowd more "Team Jacob/Edward" esque, and puts the match at Mania itself more in question. As for whether it's working in that respect remains to be seen. I know I still want to boo Cena. (Questions or comments? Follow @BTuckertorch, or e-mail btuckertorch@aol.com .)

Brian Leahy, PWTorch Review specialist

(A) There's a reason that fans with deeper voices boo John Cena; for years, John Cena has been the least edgy, least ballsy, least cool babyface since Bob Backlund. Yeah, there's a group of fans that think they don't like Cena because he "can't wrestle," but if it is truly wrestling they're after, they'd be watching '90s Japan tapes.

The Cena over the past few weeks is a Cena that people want to cheer; he's a babyface who isn't concerned with being overly wholesome, and one who is fighting fire with fire. Being the front man of a company making a point of being "PG," Cena was boxed in and seemingly stuck in a rut where many thought the only way out was for Cena to turn heel. The Cena over the past few weeks is a possible re-invigoration of Cena as a face. Ironically enough, pre-PG, Cena's work wouldn't be stand-out, but WWE fans have been conditioned for years now to expect "PG," and a little edginess can go a long way to making Cena looking "cool" again.

If WWE does not intend for Cena to turn heel, this could be enough of a spark to light a fire under his face character for at least a while if they continue to let him cut loose a little more. For me, it's a welcome step in the right direction.

(B) I find it hard to believe that Cena "winning" the promo exchanges with Rock is anything more than a well-executed plan by Rock and Cena to inject some fire into their feud. For too long in their exchanges, Cena has been on the defensive and has been generally passive to Rock's taunts. I think the realization dawned on everyone involved that Cena needs to be seen as fighting back, and putting Rock on the back foot to generate interest and intrigue in their bout. Cena's always been more than capable on the mic, so it's hardly a coincidence that with a month to go to Mania, Cena is "winning" exchanges with Rock. In this case, I think the gloves have been taken off, but the punches are worked. (Read Leahy's regular independent DVD reviews and hear him on Sean Radican's VIP audio updates.)

Check back for Part 3 on Thursday!


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