John Cena: How He Can Pull Off Being a Heel as a Face
By Dean Siemon
Despite John Cena being one of the most popular superstars for WWE in the past decade, there have been just as much dislike by the adult fans who have grown tired and frustrated with the “Doctor of Thuganomics.”
There’s no denying that John Cena has become one of the most polarizing superstars in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment.
You have a legion of young fans who want to grow up to be just like him, similar to how they admire and root for superheroes they watch on televisions or read in comic books. On the other end of the arena’s spectrum is the group of adults who don’t necessarily appreciate the wrestling skills and abilities that Cena brings to the ring – you can call it limited, boring or predictable.
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Both of these groups are extremely vocal and can often be heard during live episodes of Monday Night Raw. Within seconds of hearing “Let’s go Cena” from the lungs of children, you can hear the deeper shouts from men exclaiming that “Cena sucks.”
Since his evolution to the main event picture in 2005, the “Doctor of Thuganomics” has won just about every championship in the company – including a total of 15 different world championship reigns that is one shy of Ric Flair’s record of 16. But he’s never had a true change since that time, except maybe the color of his shirts that inspired the Rock to call him a running bowl of Fruity Pebbles.
The WWE has booked him as their top face for the past decade, especially when he has taken over Hulk Hogan for the most wishes granted through the Make a Wish Foundation. He’s been the literal face of the company with the number of popular television shows and movies that he has appeared in, plus his endeavors in music and fashion.
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So how can he be a heel in the WWE? There have been fans who felt he should make the switch to the dark side to keep himself fresh and relevant. We were also teased with the concept during his feud with Kane in 2012 that included him causing the split between WWE Diva Eve and Zack Ryder, who as a huge fan favorite at the time.
But maybe that Cena has remained the same and is still the company’s top star might be what makes him a villain for those who are above the age of 12. One way is how he has been booked in his open challenge for the United States Championship where a number of wrestlers who have been placed in the mid-card tier have fallen to Cena Nation.
Many current fan favorites have not been able to defeat Cena, including Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, Neville, Ryder, Cesaro and, most recently, Dolph Ziggler. Each of them have a cult following that continue to grow – especially Cesaro. There have been teased Cena losing the championship to one of these rising stars.
However, the only person we thought would dethrone the champion was Kevin Owens. But like other stars who have undefeated streaks to start their main roster careers – including the Miz, Wade Barrett and Rusev – where they have not been able to recover after their battles with Cena. You can even argue that defeating Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 30 didn’t help his run as the “new face of fear.”
It’s too early to tell if Owens’ fate will repeat the others before him. He is holding the Intercontinental Champion and hasn’t started a comedy gimmick like Damien Sandow did. But there Cena has definitely frustrated fans with his inability to let someone get over in a rivalry without getting the last laugh in the end.
Maybe while he’s booked as the good guy, the fact that he hasn’t had a true change in the past decade, but there are a number of fans who are considering him a villain.
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