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[BroadwayBomber55]

Wrestlemania 22 Results via PWInsider.com - Part 10

They showed John Cena and Triple H getting prepared in the back, as Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler discussed the WWE Title match. As they showed Cena on the screen, the crowd booed. Jim Ross tried hard to put over John Cena as a hard working, defiant star, while Triple H is a pampered, traditional wrestler. Jim Ross said it was "New School vs. Old School" and that the crowd was filled with "traditional fans" who will cheer Triple H tonight.

Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson - Playboy Pillow Fight

Both Divas were wearing evening gowns. They started catfighting at the bell. Torrie suplexed Candice, then backdropped her onto a bed that was set up in the ring. Torrie turned the bed over with Candice under it, and jumped on it. Torrie took her dog and rubbed the dog's butt in Candice's face. I can't believe I just typed it. Actually, yes I can. They went out of the ring briefly, but when they got in, Torrie ripped of Candice's dress. There were some boring chants. Lawler wondered where the pillows were, as they hadn't been used yet. Candice gave Torrie a headscissors over the ropes, then did her Go Daddy spin on the floor. Jim Ross was delivering a ton of jokes and one-liners. Candice hit a second rope elbowdrop on Torrie, on the bed, then took out some scissors and cut off Torrie's dress. There were groans from the crowd and some "boring" chants. Candice pulled out an issue of Playboy and rubbed it in Torrie's face. I think I heard a "Hogan-Austin" match. Torrie cradled Candice for the pin at the four minute mark. Candice grabbed the comforter as if her underwear had been ripped off (which was not the case) and scampered away from the ring.

Winner: Torrie Wilson.

WWE Champion John Cena vs. Triple H.

Triple H was elevated up onto the stage in a throne while a new Motorhead song played. The throne had a giant sledgehammer attached to it, and Triple H was dressed as some sort of reject from a Conan movie, complete with crown. His regular theme then played for his entrance. Ross and Lawler are working hard to put over Cena as some sort of "new generation star" that the "old school fans" in attendance won't accept.

A video then aired about the Great Depression (I'm not kidding). They played up that everyone was poor except for the extremely wealthy. The video then played up the gangsters of the time as some sort of heroes, and that they all had three things: Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. An old-school car, complete with gun-toting "gangsters" (including CM Punk) drove out.

Comment from Buck: This is the dumbest crap I have ever seen on a Wrestlemania, and I've seen all of them.

Cena then entered, wearing a hat and trenchcoat and carrying a Tommy Gun, which he shot off into the air. The fans were already booing him. They did the ring introductions after both men were in the ring, ala a boxing fight (or TNA main event).

They circled each other at the bell, and Triple H is an overwhelming favorite with the crowd (or they just hate Cena, take your pick). Triple H applied a side headlock on Cena, then they exchanged hammerlocks. Triple H rode Cena to the mat, and paintbrushed the back of his head to a pop. Triple H smiled at the reaction. Triple H applied a wristlock, then kicked Cena to the mat and gestured for him to "bring it". There was a "F*** You Cena" chant. They locked up, and Triple H hit a knee to the gut. Cena reversed a whip, but Triple H caught him with an elbow. Cena lifted Triple H for an FU, but Triple H floated out and slugged Cena. The crowd is really loud, and booing everything Cena does and cheering everything Triple H does.

They locked up, and Triple H delivered a knee to the gut and tossed Cena to the floor. Cena scooted back into the ring and hit some right hands, stunning Triple H. Cena hit a backdrop for a two count, then whipped HHH back and forth between the corners before hitting a fisherman's suplex for a two count. Cena applied a chinlock, but Triple H got to his feet. Cena hit some punches, then whipped Triple H over the top rope and to the floor. Cena went to the outside, and Triple H poked Cena in the eyes. Triple H took Cena over by the rampway and went for a powerbomb, but Cena backdropped him onto the rampway. Back in the ring, Cena got a two count.

Triple H came back with a jumping knee, and worked over Cena with an elbow before bringing him to the floor and whipping him into the steps. Triple H got into the ring and basked in the cheers of the crowd. Triple H went and tossed Cena back into the ring and covered him for a two count. Triple H hit a vertical suplex. There was a faint "Let's Go Cena" chant, but it was drowned out by "Cena Sucks". Triple H delivered a kneedrop for a two count. Cena fought back with some punches, but Triple H hit a facebuster to the knee and a lariat for a two count. Triple H hit a neckbreaker for another two count. Cena rallied with punches again, but when he tried a backdrop, Triple H hit another neckbreaker. There were dueling "Let's Go Cena" and "F*** You Cena" chants.

Triple H put Cena in a neck vice. Cena battled out, but Triple H put him in a sleeper. Cena slumped to the mat, but then battled back up and broke out with shoulderblocks in the corner. Triple H kicked Cena in the mouth, but ran into a Cena clothesline. Cena and Triple H exchanged punches, with Cena getting the better of it and then hitting two clotheslines. Cena hit a powerslam, then delivered a back suplex into a powerbomb. Cena did the "You Can't See Me" then went to run the ropes, but Triple H got up and gave Cena a spinebuster. Cena kicked out at two, then gave Triple H two shoulderblocks and a back suplex. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle fistdrop. Cena pumped up his sneakers.

Triple H got up, charged Cena, but Cena tripped Triple H with a drop toe hold and applied the STFU. There was some support for Cena applying the move, then cheers for Triple H making the ropes, then boos when Cena let go of the hold. Cena went for the FU, but Triple H floated behind him and ran Cena into the referee in the corner. Triple H then went for a low blow on Cena, and actually ended up catching Cena and the referee. Triple H mocked Cena's "You can't see me" move, then gave him a crotch chop. Triple H went under the ring and pulled out the sledgehammer. Cheers and boos for the hammer coming out. Triple H got into the ring, but Cena met him with several punches. Cena bounced off the ropes, and Triple H popped him with the sledgehammer. Triple H draped an arm over Cena, and the referee crawled over to count. Cena got a shoulder up at two, and there was a pop for Cena.

Triple H covered Cena again, but he got his shoulder up at two again. Triple H went for a Pedigree, but Cena backdropped out of it, to a pop. Cena has won over some of the fans, it seems. Cena grabbed Triple H and hit an FU. Triple H kicked out at two, and the crowd popped. Cena went to the top rope and tried for a flying bodypress, but Triple H ducked and Cena crashed to the mat. Triple H went for the Pedigree, but Cena tripped him and applied the STFU. The crowd is going nuts for the move. Triple H started to fade, and the referee checked his arm. It went down twice, but Triple H kept it up the third time. Triple H struggled in the hold, but then tapped out at the 23 minute mark.

Winner: John Cena.

The crowd popped for the finish, then got sort of bizarrely quiet as Cena's music started blasting. Cena held up the belt, and they went to a Wrestlemania highlight package to end the show.

[Mattpat11]

Cena is still champion. Even the power of Hunter Hearst ................ing Helmsley cannot save us from this disaster of a reign. Cena's title reign will outlive us all.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Cena is still champion. Even the power of Hunter Hearst ................ing Helmsley cannot save us from this disaster of a reign. Cena's title reign will outlive us all.

I guess John Cena will have another dose of heat from the fans with his second long title run.

[DrNick]

Overall it was a better PPV than I anticipated, with quite a few good matches( in my opinion) Quite a few odd moments...the crowd booing Trish and cheering Mickey...The crowd booing Mysterio at times when tangling with Angle..but of course cheering when tangling with Orton. And to me the biggest slap in Cena face( crowd just down right dogged him...was comical. Cena winning not really a surprise to me I think Vince is just gonna run with it with the extreme dislike of Cena. I guess Vince thinks the more peoiple will watch because they cant wait for Cena to lose.

[BillBuckner]

I hate John Cena. I've hated this fag character ever since they introduced him. I love Chicago.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Overall it was a better PPV than I anticipated, with quite a few good matches( in my opinion) Quite a few odd moments...the crowd booing Trish and cheering Mickey...The crowd booing Mysterio at times when tangling with Angle..but of course cheering when tangling with Orton. And to me the biggest slap in Cena face( crowd just down right dogged him...was comical. Cena winning not really a surprise to me I think Vince is just gonna run with it with the extreme dislike of Cena. I guess Vince thinks the more peoiple will watch because they cant wait for Cena to lose.

IMHO, the match of the night: Edge vs. Mick Foley with the flaming table. holy sh*t!

Rey Mysterio Jr. winning the WWE Championship crying with the Guerreros.

[DrNick]

IMHO, the match of the night: Edge vs. Mick Foley with the flaming table. holy sh*t!

Yea the flaming table brought back ECW memories...to me the other highlights were Flair taking the bump off the ladder( easier there Natche...you aint 26..lol) HBK droppin the elbow off the monster ladder. Glad I decided to Tivo it and its goin into my DVD library when I get a chance to tranfer it over

[BroadwayBomber55]

Yea the flaming table brought back ECW memories...to me the other highlights were Flair taking the bump off the ladder( easier there Natche...you aint 26..lol) HBK droppin the elbow off the monster ladder. Glad I decided to Tivo it and its goin into my DVD library when I get a chance to tranfer it over

I can't wait to watch some matches on YouTube.

[DrNick]

What also added to the enjoyment was watching it on a 10 foot by 4.5 foot screen in my mini- movie theater I built Ill have to dig out my digital camera and post some pics of some of the matches

[dabomb2045]

Never since Hogan....have we seen someone with such limited ability built up as much as Cena has been. Its really just awful to see.

[AMYanks]

I just don't get it. I can't understand how they continue to build Cena up as a face champion. Last night at the HOF ceremony, and tonight, he got absolutely destroyed by the crowd. It's time to end this embarrassment of a title run.

Best moment of the night was HBK and HHH doing the DX crotch chop. Man, it would be awesome to see them have one last run together.

[yankeesAZ]

From Inside Pulse (Wrestling Section) regarding the Cena/HHH match:

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/articles/47607



"As a wrestling match, that was nothing special. But as a case study in crowd behavior, it was historic. Trust me, this match is going to be referenced for years to come, and John Cena will become famous as the very epitome of the face that the crowd just couldn't stand. He's now the face version of "X-Pac heat". Amazing. And the fact that the WWE just refused to listen to their own audience, and will continue to push Cena as a face champion that is hated by the crowd... honestly, that's pathetic. If something drastic doesn't happen tomorrow night on Raw, then this company is in serious danger of losing a huge portion of their audience."


I read Cena's intro was one of the worst enterances of all time. An interesting RAW tommorow for sure.

[knickfan23]

From Inside Pulse (Wrestling Section) regarding the Cena/HHH match:

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/articles/47607



"As a wrestling match, that was nothing special. But as a case study in crowd behavior, it was historic. Trust me, this match is going to be referenced for years to come, and John Cena will become famous as the very epitome of the face that the crowd just couldn't stand. He's now the face version of "X-Pac heat". Amazing. And the fact that the WWE just refused to listen to their own audience, and will continue to push Cena as a face champion that is hated by the crowd... honestly, that's pathetic. If something drastic doesn't happen tomorrow night on Raw, then this company is in serious danger of losing a huge portion of their audience."


I read Cena's intro was one of the worst enterances of all time. An interesting RAW tommorow for sure.

All of that is an understatement.

As most of you know, I was at Wrestlemania tonight and it was tremendous. The hate that most of us had for Cena was incredible. Five minutes before the show gets started, "Cena Sucks" breaks out in unison. As his face is shown on the scoreboard and Titantron, Cena is again booed out of the building. HHH (who was the definite favorite among us) has the homefield advantage. Even during down periods of the show, "Cena Sucks" breaks out from the crowd.

Now, we get to the main event. HHH comes out to arguably the worst entrance ever. It looked like something out of Conan the Barbarian. We immediate hate it until the real HHH entrance music plays. This travesty of an entrance was only then topped by Cena playing the role of Al Capone and looking like a mobster. If you thought we hated him enough, he hadn't seen anything yet. As the match is starting, this had the feel of a Game 7 World Series. We already broke into the "F*ck you Cena" chants and you can tell this was not how WWE was planning this to go. Then, during the match, some of the crowd begins to cheer for Cena by saying "Lets go Cena". We were going to let that stand and immediately come back with a "F*ck you Cena" chant and suddenly its a dueling chant back and forth. The hate for him was off the page. I had never seen anything like it since Rock at WM 18 against Hogan, only in that case, Rock wasnt hated, it was just cheering for Hogan.

When HHH tapped out from the STFU those sitting in my section and along the 200 level were in shock. Sure, I could have seen Cena winning tonight because it would be good for business. But the normal pop that the WM winner gets was almost non existant. It was strange. Not many people wanted to give Cena a big pop and most us were booing him in anger.

In all, it was arguably one of the most intense crowds I've ever witnessed either in person or on television for an event. You had to be in the building for this one to get the emotion. It was worth my $100 bucks spent.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

HBK and HHH somewhat-representing DX? Rey Rey becoming new World Champ? I hope they show some highlights of those moments because although WM didn't seem all that great (especially with a 9 minute casket match) I would've loved to see those moments.

[BillBuckner]

In all, it was arguably one of the most intense crowds I've ever witnessed either in person or on television for an event. You had to be in the building for this one to get the emotion. It was worth my $100 bucks spent.

I've never heard a crowd destroy someone as much as Chicago destroyed Cena last night. It was splendid.

[AMYanks]

HBK made a comment on the post-game show on WWE.com about how it's been nice playing good the last few years, but it was great to travel down that "old road again", and it's something we may see more of in the future. Let's hope for a DX reunion soon.

[nhyankeefan]

I've never heard a crowd destroy someone as much as Chicago destroyed Cena last night. It was splendid.

They need to make him a heel and they should probably send him back to Smackdown too.

[Mattpat11]

I have to say, and this is going to be strange from me, but "................ You Cena" did bother me a little. Cena is an awful wrestler and his gimmick sucks and he's clearly half assing it, and I agree with "Cena Sucks" and such, but to me, anyway, "................ You Cena" seems to go a little deeper than that into an attack of John Cena the person. I may be completely wrong there, and believe me, I'm not trying to judge you or anyone there, but it bothered me a little.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

HBK made a comment on the post-game show on WWE.com about how it's been nice playing good the last few years, but it was great to travel down that "old road again", and it's something we may see more of in the future. Let's hope for a DX reunion soon.

It'd be interesting to see a DX reunion, but it'll never happen. Maybe a one-night HBK & HHH tag match, but that's an outside chance. HBK will probably take a break after the next PPV he's in anyways. He's RAW's MVP and gives his all every Monday night, of course he's not the only one that does that but I'm sure one could name more wrestlers that don't.

[yankeesAZ]

It'd be interesting to see a DX reunion, but it'll never happen. Maybe a one-night HBK & HHH tag match, but that's an outside chance. HBK will probably take a break after the next PPV he's in anyways. He's RAW's MVP and gives his all every Monday night, of course he's not the only one that does that but I'm sure one could name more wrestlers that don't.

They did a reunion tag match not too long ago, complete with DX intro and HHH turned on Shawn at the end of the match ending the reunion before it really got started.

I liked the beginning of last night's show up until HHH and Edge teamed up after a good exchange of making fun of each other.

HHH to Edge (after Edge bragging he won the title from Cena): "That's right, I feel asleep for 20 mintutes and missed it (Edge's title run).

I guess Michaels must have a break coming up. I hope that's the only reason the Vince vs Shawn feud is continuing. My guess is Shawn gets "fired" after Backlash.

[TacoBomber]

Well, everyone hated The Rock for a while. Maybe they're trying to go down that road with Cena, maybe they figure the more intense people get about him the better the turn will go if they make him a heel. It doesn't make sense to me, but nothing they've done since Lance Storm's superkick started the invasion has either.

[dabomb2045]

They did a reunion tag match not too long ago, complete with DX intro and HHH turned on Shawn at the end of the match ending the reunion before it really got started.

I liked the beginning of last night's show up until HHH and Edge teamed up after a good exchange of making fun of each other.

HHH to Edge (after Edge bragging he won the title from Cena): "That's right, I feel asleep for 20 mintutes and missed it (Edge's title run).

I guess Michaels must have a break coming up. I hope that's the only reason the Vince vs Shawn feud is continuing. My guess is Shawn gets "fired" after Backlash.

I think Hunter will get the belt at Backlash. Maybe it will be a rematch with Cena, or maybe it will be a 3-way with Edge...but he is gonna win.

Btw, what does everyone think about RVD using his Money in the Bank shot at the ECW PPV?? That would just be a phenomenal atmosphere...small building, with all the ECW fans behind RVD. I REALLY hope they let him win it there, that building would literally explode.

[Mattpat11]

Blandy Borton has been suspended for 60 days for unprofessional behavior.

[NYYRules#1]

Cena is still champ. He beat HHH at WrestleMania for the World Title. Meanwhile, Cena is also now a 1930s Chicago gangster. CM Punk made a WrestleMania appearance also as a 1930s Chicago gangster, alongside Cena. And now, God himself is making his debut in WWE to team with his favorite son, edging out Jesus by a hair, Shawn Michaels.

What the hell alternate universe have we been thrown into?

[Mattpat11]

Its not his debut. I must be the only one who remembers HHH clearly saying that God interfered in the Royal Rumble.

[dabomb2045]

So much for that Orton-Rey title match at the SD tapings

[yankeesAZ]

Its not his debut. I must be the only one who remembers HHH clearly saying that God interfered in the Royal Rumble.

Speaking of God. Vince booked him at Backlash.

[knickfan23]

Well, everyone hated The Rock for a while. Maybe they're trying to go down that road with Cena, maybe they figure the more intense people get about him the better the turn will go if they make him a heel. It doesn't make sense to me.

The 1997 version of the Rock was hated because he came across as a phony. But the 99-00-01-02 version was tremendously popular. You cannot compare him to Cena for this reason: Rock was still popular among the male population, along with women and children. Whereas Cena, is really only popular among women and kids. Most men 18-34 hate his guts. And to me, it would be naive for anyone not to think that some of the depise for Cena doesnt have some racial overtones. On the surface, here is a superstar, who most people feel is "acting black". I knew there was something to this when I spoke to about 5 or 6 kids at a rec center last week about WM22. I asked them who their favorite wrestler is and all but one said HHH. When I asked if they liked Cena, they all said he is a white guy pretending to be black. Now these were 9 and 10 year olds. Now tell me where do you think they got that from? They certainly didnt ascertain that information on their own.

[Mattpat11]

There is an element of truth to it though. Just look at his voice before and after the rap gimmick. It can't be an accident that he went from sounding like any generic guy to almost exactly like Will Smith.

[AMYanks]

I don't hate his rap gimmick for any racial reason. Hell, when he was a heel doing the raps, I didn't have a problem with him. I didn't like him that much, or anything, but I could deal with him. Now it is just boring. They have had him doing the same bland thing for over a year now, and it's getting tiring. Everyone gets stale after awhile (other than Austin and Hogan.) Remember Survivor Series '96? No one thought the crowd would turn against Michaels like they did that night. He got stale, because he was doing the same thing for 6-7 months. The only difference is, Michaels could change his gimmick up a little bit and get way over again, because he is so amazing in the ring. Cena is not good at all in the ring (as Prototype, he was all right, but nothing special.)

[dabomb2045]

With Cena, the fans just dont buy into how WWE pushes his character. WWE portrays him as this "unbeatable, unstoppable force" who overcomes odds, wins handicapped matches, and beats guys that are better then him in the ring. There is a problem with that. To push a guy as UNBEATABLE, you need 1 of 2 things:

1) He has to be a big guy (Taker, Batista etc)
2) He has to be a great in-ring worker (Angle, Benoit etc)

You can buy into someone like Batista being unstoppable, cuz he is big and can overpower his opponents. You can also buy into someone like Angle being an unstoppable force, because he is awesome in the ring. Cena is neither of those two. He is a skinny guy, with not much of a body. He is also a terrible in-ring worker. He has a limited move set, isnt athletic, cant do any spots, cant mat wrestle, cant tell a story. The fans see this and know this....so when he beats EVERYONE and never loses, it just makes it not believable. Just look at his feud with Angle last year. He would get in the ring with Angle, and Kurt would just SCHOOL his ass and make Cena look bad. He would just put on a clinic like Angle normally does. Then all of a sudden....Cena hits the stupid 5-knuckle shuffle and the retarded FU...and Angle gets beat. It just looks real bad. Plus, I think the fans feel that this "Hogan" push that Cena has received...has been unwarranted. What has this guy done to receive a push in which he has held the belt over a year (minus a 3 week stretch in which Edge had it)?? Even when he lost the belt, they booked him to lose after he wrestled an Elimination Chamber match, so it makes Cena look strong and Edge look weak. The fans see many other guys who we feel deserve the spot Cena has had...whether its because they have been around longer, are better wrestlers, better promo guys, or a combination of them all.

It seems Cena is Vince's hand-picked golden boy, who can do no wrong....and has received this huge undeserved push. Thats why we hate him.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

I think Cena could get over if he'd add more manuevers to his arsenal, would stop shrugging/dusting his shoulders during the 5-knuckle shuffle, stopped pumping his shoes, and pretty much stop doing the stupid stereotypical crap that he usually does. Then he'd be alright.

[dabomb2045]

I just dont get why the WWE is being SO freakin stubborn trying to push a babyface Cena down our throats. We have seen the crowd turn on other faces in the past...and WWE went with the crowd, and turned those guys heel. Thats what you are supposed to do...listen to your audience.

Why are they not doing it here?

[Mattpat11]

HHH's new Motorhead song rocks.

[knickfan23]

I just dont get why the WWE is being SO freakin stubborn trying to push a babyface Cena down our throats. We have seen the crowd turn on other faces in the past...and WWE went with the crowd, and turned those guys heel. Thats what you are supposed to do...listen to your audience.

Why are they not doing it here?

Why turn him heel? That's too easy to do. I think Vince likes the idea of having his "face" champ having 1/2 the crowd cheering and 1/2 the crowd booing. It makes for more interesting television the way it is now. Just seeing the crowd reacting the way it does instead of the regular "boo the heel and cheer the face" is actually quite refreshing to see. Mind you, the only cities that are really riding Cena are the big cities. Chicago, Detroit, Tri-State, LA, Miami. When WWE goes to Iowa, Oklahoma, Alabama, Virginia, etc. Or when they have Backlash in Kentucky, the crowd will be pro-Cena.

[Mattpat11]

Washington DC hates Cena to. In fact, in basically all started there at Summerlslam.

[dabomb2045]

Washington DC hates Cena to. In fact, in basically all started there at Summerlslam.

It really started when they put him in feuds with great workers, yet continued to make Cena look like an unstoppable force. The Jericho feud leading up to SS started it....then the Angle feud really set it in stone.

[dabomb2045]

Why turn him heel? That's too easy to do. I think Vince likes the idea of having his "face" champ having 1/2 the crowd cheering and 1/2 the crowd booing. It makes for more interesting television the way it is now. Just seeing the crowd reacting the way it does instead of the regular "boo the heel and cheer the face" is actually quite refreshing to see. Mind you, the only cities that are really riding Cena are the big cities. Chicago, Detroit, Tri-State, LA, Miami. When WWE goes to Iowa, Oklahoma, Alabama, Virginia, etc. Or when they have Backlash in Kentucky, the crowd will be pro-Cena.

It makes you look bad when you keep shoving a face character down fans throats....when the fans dont buy into it. The original Rocky Maivia character is an example of that. They pushed him, shoved him...and finally the fans just revolted, started the "Die Rocky Die" chants....and just booed the sh*t out of him. So WWE did the right thing and turned him heel.

A double turn with HHH and Cena would make all the sense in the world at this point. HHH has been acting like a face lately anyways. He plays up the cheers, his promos resemble more of his wise-ass DX character then the ultra-hardcore heel he was for so long.

[Yankeeah]

It makes you look bad when you keep shoving a face character down fans throats....when the fans dont buy into it. The original Rocky Maivia character is an example of that. They pushed him, shoved him...and finally the fans just revolted, started the "Die Rocky Die" chants....and just booed the sh*t out of him. So WWE did the right thing and turned him heel.

A double turn with HHH and Cena would make all the sense in the world at this point. HHH has been acting like a face lately anyways. He plays up the cheers, his promos resemble more of his wise-ass DX character then the ultra-hardcore heel he was for so long.

I think there waiting. I think if they did it at WM it would have been too obvious. I would imagine over the course of the summer, he will slowly turn heel, and go full force at Summer Slam.

[knickfan23]

It makes you look bad when you keep shoving a face character down fans throats....when the fans dont buy into it. The original Rocky Maivia character is an example of that. They pushed him, shoved him...and finally the fans just revolted, started the "Die Rocky Die" chants....and just booed the sh*t out of him. So WWE did the right thing and turned him heel.

A double turn with HHH and Cena would make all the sense in the world at this point. HHH has been acting like a face lately anyways. He plays up the cheers, his promos resemble more of his wise-ass DX character then the ultra-hardcore heel he was for so long.

But here is the BIG difference. Rocky was at the time a no name star who was not selling any merchandise. Cena, despite being shoved down our throats, is a financial cash cow among young women and children. No doubt Vince knows this, and thats why he's keeping him as a face is important for as long as he can. He has instant money in the bank from this demographic, and he runs the risk of losing that the moment he turns heel.

[dabomb2045]

But here is the BIG difference. Rocky was at the time a no name star who was not selling any merchandise. Cena, despite being shoved down our throats, is a financial cash cow among young women and children. No doubt Vince knows this, and thats why he's keeping him as a face is important for as long as he can. He has instant money in the bank from this demographic, and he runs the risk of losing that the moment he turns heel.

I think the ratings RAW drew in Edge's 3-week title reign should have told Vince all he needs to know....get the belt off Cena, turn him back heel (which will give his character the edge it once had when he was a heel originally) and things will start to turn around.

Cena has no talent, and hasnt done a thing to earn a 1 year+ title reign.

[AMYanks]

I think the ratings RAW drew in Edge's 3-week title reign should have told Vince all he needs to know....get the belt off Cena, turn him back heel (which will give his character the edge it once had when he was a heel originally) and things will start to turn around.

Cena has no talent, and hasnt done a thing to earn a 1 year+ title reign.

It was interesting how there was a spike in the ratings once Edge won the title. I'm not a huge Edge fan or anything, but I think he could do a nice job carrying the belt. I'd like to see him win the title at Backlash, and then have an HHH/Edge feud over the title. Cena needs to freshen up his character and get out of the title picture for a while.

[dabomb2045]

It was interesting how there was a spike in the ratings once Edge won the title. I'm not a huge Edge fan or anything, but I think he could do a nice job carrying the belt. I'd like to see him win the title at Backlash, and then have an HHH/Edge feud over the title. Cena needs to freshen up his character and get out of the title picture for a while.

I think a face HHH vs heel Edge for the title would be a very good feud.

Honestly, what I'd like to see is Edge win the belt at Backlash....then drop it to RVD at the ECW ppv.

[knickfan23]

I think the ratings RAW drew in Edge's 3-week title reign should have told Vince all he needs to know....get the belt off Cena, turn him back heel (which will give his character the edge it once had when he was a heel originally) and things will start to turn around.

Cena has no talent, and hasnt done a thing to earn a 1 year+ title reign.

I agree he has no talent, but he IS drawing money, which cannot be disputed. Hulk Hogan had no talent either, but his gimmick sold and made WWE a cash cow. Cena's gimmick alone, not his talent is making money.

I was Wrestlingobserver.com and the writer here makes a very interesting point about this whole situation.

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/....asp?aID=15940

For months I have been advocating the idea of turning John Cena heel, I have written about it extensively, and that would seem like the next logical step to what’s been happening for a good while now. But after watching Wrestlemania, and Raw the following night, and mulling everything over in my head, I’ve come to a different conclusion. At this point they would be better off leaving things the way they are, and continue to get the diverse reactions from city to city. They have something going here, and it’s something unlike anything else I have ever seen in wrestling. I have never seen a wrestler that so many people liked, while at the same time just as many people hated. And these people have verbal wars in every arena across the country, and overseas. The pro-Cena people want to drown out the people booing, so they yell and scream even louder. While the anti-Cena people want to overtake the people cheering, so they boo louder, and start obscene chants. It’s a verbal volley back and forth between these people who love John Cena, and everything he represents, and the people that despise him, and loathe everything he represents. It gives each of his matches such a unique dynamic; it’s something amazing to watch. I can’t recall anything like it in my 21 years of watching wrestling. I have heard dueling crowd chants before at Ring of Honor shows, but this is on such a bigger and grander scale. They have people that pay to cheer John Cena, and people that pay to boo him. The bottom line is they are paying to see John Cena, and they are paying to attend a WWE show. It’s something that actually benefits the company more in the long run..

If they were to turn Cena heel, then the coolness would be gone. The people booing Cena wouldn’t feel like they were bucking the system anymore, and going against the company. It would no longer be cool to boo John Cena, and chances are a lot of those people would move onto the next “cool” thing. If you lose that, then you lose a big reason why this is working right now. The company still wants everyone to love Cena, and everyone to throw babies up the air when he comes out. That is not going to happen. The best thing for them to do is stop trying so hard to manipulate the crowd. Just sit back and let it happen. Don’t bring attention to it, don’t keep having the announcers talk about it every three seconds. They think that by talking about it so much, and making it seem lame that people are going to stop. They even had Jonathan Coachman get on the side of the fans on Raw, which I guess was their version of reverse psychology. Maybe someone would say, “Oh no, Coach likes what I like, and I don’t like Coach, so I can’t like the same things he likes. So I better stop booing Cena.” Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.

I have to agree with this. I may have been late on the booing Cena bandwagon, but I just find it fun to boo Cena. Making him heel wouldnt make it cool anymore to boo and would take away from the atmosphere that currently exists now in his matches.

[dabomb2045]

Cena doesnt deserve the belt....at least not with a long title reign as he has had, simple as that.

I keep referencing Edge's 3-week reign, because it was so refreshing. People tuned into see him...because they were excited that Cena FINALLY lost the belt, and FINALLY wouldnt get shoved down their throats. The ratings for those 3 weeks were the highest the company has seen at any point in the Cena title reign. That should tell you something. They focused on Edge, and the RAW with the Edge-Flair TLC match was fantastic...especially since Cena was hardly involved in the show. The fans respect Edge's abilities on the mic and in the ring....they dont respect Cena.

They should have kept the belt on Edge....and either went with a longer Edge-Flair feud, a Edge-HBK feud, or Edge vs a babyface HHH. I'd even enjoy Edge-RVD. Cena should be nowhere near the title picture until he improves his in-ring skills, and freshens up his character.

[yankeesAZ]

I think a face HHH vs heel Edge for the title would be a very good feud.

That's where I thought they were going Monday night and then they make HHH and Edge tag partners.

[LloydBanks]

I just dont get why the WWE is being SO freakin stubborn trying to push a babyface Cena down our throats. We have seen the crowd turn on other faces in the past...and WWE went with the crowd, and turned those guys heel. Thats what you are supposed to do...listen to your audience.

Why are they not doing it here?

Its never been done this way before and it makes for good TV, they're gonna milk this as long as they can. They've never done a face who gets booed this bad before. Its making for good TV cuz you don't know where they goin wit this. I'm glad they're doing something that ain't predictable for once. To get ratings you can't always give tha audience when they want, you gotta take risks and send them on an emotional roller coaster. Thats what WWE is doing here. Cena's pretty cool, the writing team let him get stale cuz tha whole time he had tha belt tha first time he hardly ever got time to talk or advance his storylines. It has nothing to do wit wrestling ablitiy. Hulk Hogan wasen't tha greatest technical wrestler either. He did aiight for himself

[LloydBanks]

Cena doesnt deserve the belt....at least not with a long title reign as he has had, simple as that.

I keep referencing Edge's 3-week reign, because it was so refreshing. People tuned into see him...because they were excited that Cena FINALLY lost the belt, and FINALLY wouldnt get shoved down their throats. The ratings for those 3 weeks were the highest the company has seen at any point in the Cena title reign. That should tell you something. They focused on Edge, and the RAW with the Edge-Flair TLC match was fantastic...especially since Cena was hardly involved in the show. The fans respect Edge's abilities on the mic and in the ring....they dont respect Cena.

They should have kept the belt on Edge....and either went with a longer Edge-Flair feud, a Edge-HBK feud, or Edge vs a babyface HHH. I'd even enjoy Edge-RVD. Cena should be nowhere near the title picture until he improves his in-ring skills, and freshens up his character.

If your complaining, that means your watching. They don't care if your happy, they care that your watching. Tha keeping Cena face thing while the boo is working

[Mattpat11]

...tha?

[Mattpat11]

I decided to watch "Five Questions with the Champ" I'm barely into the first question and this is the most annoying Cena's ever been