Vince McMahon has a chance to put history aside and redeem both himself and his company with CeNexus. With John Cena anchoring a new generation for World Wrestling Entertainment, it is his responsibility to guide the company towards success. Success, often times, means a change of direction…
WWE—proceed with caution please: think through every idea that you turn to light. Storylines must progress, become deeper, and have an ultimate message. Where are your superstars going? Some of them are leaving your company since you’ve slapped the passion out of them. It’s your responsibility to provide your workers a direction, and a purpose, even. We can deal with the PG, but please elevate your product instead of focusing on merchandise sales (oh yeah, what happens when you have a good product? PEOPLE WANT TO PURCHASE IT!). Screw your heads on straight!
I’ll stop right there with my rant, but people, I want to offer something here. I’ve had enough of WWE screwing up their storylines, so it’s my initiative to publish what I feel is reasonable and alternative ideas of my own that could shape or continue a storyline to the WWE Universe’s delight. Since WWE already screwed up my Undertaker idea, what would be better than to take a look at the underachieving CeNexus angle? The answer, some may respond: Goldust and the Million Dollar Belt! But I’ll save that one for a rainy day…
So, CeNexus, huh? I really thought that the wind was about to change directions with this one after Cena’s loss. I felt that it was the most significant development within the WWE since The Invasion angle of 2001. Unlike The Invasion, though, WWE Creative cannot afford to screw this one up. Their current predicament: would turning John Cena heel provide the change that WWE so sorely needs to begin elevating itself back to prominence? I think the answer is an overwhelming yes. Let’s take a look at the evidence:
John Cena’s heel turn is long overdue. How long has his character maintained his stale, super heroic, do-good, I’m going to get my ass beaten and then perform a few shoulder blocks and an FU or I’m going to catch you with an STFU out of nowhere and miraculously beat you antics? His character has gotten to the point where it is virtually unbelievable that he can be beaten, which is never a good thing in a non-competitive sport. Fans over the age of 15 would rather watch Goldust ungulate over the Million Dollar Belt for two hours a night than watch Cena continue on with his gimmick.
This is in no disrespect to John Cena, but even I think that HE realizes that in order for him to be an effective member of this company, he will have to shake it up. You know, keep things fresh. Mr. Cena is a stand-up member of society in my opinion. His charity work and general attitude toward his fans is remarkable, and I would be proud to make him the face of my company (which, in fact, is what Vince McMahon has been doing for the last half-decade *gasp! Surprise, surprise…)
Vince McMahon has built a new core audience with John Cena, a younger generation, much like Cena in relation to the attitude era, to connect with his product. McMahon is not stupid, and when he decided to go PG to appeal to the youngsters HE KNEW that the older, hardcore fans would eventually come back once he decided to unleash an intriguing product again. It was just a matter of time until old Vinny Mac decided to push the GO button. So…
It’s now or never for Vince to push the button. With WWE’s ratings scraping the bottom of the soup bowl and their pay per view buy rates plummeting, it would be wise for Vince to inject Superman with a healthy dose of Kryptonite to get the ball rolling on a change of tide within the company. CeNation will rally against their former hero, which will lead to new favorite wrestlers among fans, new feuds, and fresh entertainment. John Cena, in this scenario, will be a completely new wrestler. The question now, is how to reinvent John Cena.
What is it that will make John Cena beatable again? Breaking his spirit, and by that I mean Nexus completely demoralizing everything that John Cena and CeNation stands for. Nexus should brainwash Cena into becoming a robotic terrorist, for lack of a better term, among WWE superstars. The WWE is in need of a monster heel; Kane is the dominant heel on Smackdown, and Sheamus on Raw. That says something: something bad. We see flashes of brilliance from The Miz, who is well on his way to being a member of WWE-Elite, but imagine the duo of Cena and Barrett taking the WWE by storm? THAT is what will make Nexus relevant and interesting.
I know what will break John Cena’s spirit. Let me rephrase that: I know what could/should/would break his spirit, and the wheels are already in motion. Let’s discuss some additional evidence.
Exhibit A: According to the anonymous GM, Cena must obey Wade Barrett or else he will be fired.
Exhibit B: Nexus’s brainwashing attempts have already begun. “Nexus really isn’t that bad…” and “You’re a big part of our future…” lines have not gotten to him yet, but it’s only a matter of time before Cena succumbs to Nexus. How much punishment can one man take? Well, as long as Cena doesn’t use his superhero powers, the answer is “only so much.”
Exhibit C: Randy Orton is the WWE Champion. He is the #1 face of Raw right now. Orton’s popularity is soaring, and he’s done an excellent job maintaining that rapport with the live audience. RKO chants and the cheers that precede his RKO’s on opponents are some of the loudest on television right now. I believe WWE gave him the belt for a reason, which ties into the following…
Exhibit D: Cena was unable to save Randy Orton from a Nexus beat down on Raw. This is the clincher for me, because if Orton blames Cena for choosing to protect himself over doing what’s morally correct JOHN CENA LOSES both his fan base and his own initiative. Sunday, at Bragging Rights, will be the turning point.
My proposition: Randy Orton must distinguish himself as superior to Cena. He must convince the fans that Cena is not who he portrays himself to be. Now is the perfect time, because he has the best chance of having the crowd on his side. This will begin the domino effect that I have been waiting for: hints of the locker room’s unhappiness (for lack of a better term) over Cena’s actions will turn into hatred and jealousy, and Cena’s anger will become more apparent. This must happen before Barrett vs. Orton at Bragging Rights because…
Randy Orton (c) vs. Wade Barrett (WWE Championship)
Cena will be in Barrett’s corner, and Orton cannot trust Cena. At a critical moment during the match, Cena must be faced with a decision: take Orton out under Barrett’s command, or pull a “whoops, I accidentally cost Barrett the match” kind of act. Let’s say that the referee gets knocked out. This opens up the opportunity for Cena to take Orton out of the match. Cena hits Orton with a vicious Attitude Adjustment, and to the disgust of the majority of the live audience (under the age of 15), the CeNexus Era officially begins.
Wade Barrett def. Randy Orton; Barrett wins the WWE Championship
Fast forward to Monday Night Raw. Randy Orton enters the arena at the beginning of the program and cuts a promo about Cena’s weak morale. Orton points out that Cena puts himself before his fans—and bam! Out comes Cena. Cena argues that Orton would have done the same thing if he were in his position, but Orton continues to call him out, “you’re a coward… you let your fans down…”
Cue Cena’s breakdown: he can only take so much crap, and suddenly he decides to lash out on the battered Orton. In fact, Cena absolutely decimates Orton. There’s a crowd reaction for you. Cena grabs the mic now: his rationale: He fought for the WWE Universe and they betrayed him. Forget the morals, it’s a personal battle now, and Cena can’t wait to make his preteen ex-fans cry every Monday Night as he takes out a different wrestler of his choice. Wreaking havoc=monster heel. Spirit broken! Thank you very much.
Out come Wade Barrett and the rest of Nexus to congratulate their new pledge’s official induction into Nexus, and present Cena with a black and gold Nexus shirt (*credit to Joe Grushack for the addition). CeNexus runs wild on the Raw roster for the next few months, and Cena abides by Barrett’s rules until he earns a title shot against him at Royal Rumble. Thus, Barrett’s plan for his own domination will backfire, and the GM (who will be revealed at this point) will find that he has no say over what John Cena does anymore, and this is an official match between the two (if it’s competition, Cena shouldn’t have to lay down for Barrett, should he?); therefore he cannot fire Cena for disobeying Barrett.
Wade Barrett (c) vs. John Cena (WWE Championship)
In the weeks leading up to the pay per view, Cena begins to overshadow Barrett as Nexus’s figurehead, and the other members of Nexus notice this. Barrett orders them to back him at Royal Rumble, which they agree to. During the match, however, Nexus turns on Barrett and help Cena win the title. Taking it a step further, Nexus viciously beats Barrett down. Barrett is announced as injured the following night on Raw and Cena becomes the new leader of Nexus, running wild on Monday nights and seriously imposing fear on everyone within the WWE; the transformation to monster heel is complete.
John Cena def. Wade Barrett; Cena wins the WWE Championship
Meanwhile, Randy Orton wins the Royal Rumble that same night to set up a compelling main event at Wrestlemania 27. Orton is condemned to fend off Nexus for the next few months, and with Cena at the helm of the faction, Orton defeats each member of Nexus in the time leading up to Wrestlemania. With each defeat, Cena grows angrier at his stablemates, and the animosity between he and the group heats up until it reaches a boiling point at the biggest event of the year…
John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship)
Cena, the big heel, will be the title-holder, and according to this storyline, he would have won the Royal Rumble to set up this giant confrontation. Randy Orton will play the role of the crowd favorite, of course. After a hard-fought match, Nexus attempts to distract the ref so that Cena can hit Orton with the title belt. A run-in return from injury by Barrett, however, backfires the distraction, as Barrett knocks Cena with a big boot. Orton, having lucked out, hits the RKO on Cena, and pins him for the title. Cena is stunned after the match, and Barrett, who has regained control of Nexus, leads his cronies backstage. Orton celebrates as Cena sits in the ring in wonder.
Randy Orton def. John Cena; Orton wins the WWE Championship
Orton grabs a mic immediately proceeding the match and tells Cena that he is alone now: he has lost both his fans and Nexus. Having an epiphany, Cena apologizes to Orton, the crowd, and the rest of the WWE Universe. He concludes that he needs to go away for a while to get his head screwed on straight. With this, Wrestlemania comes to a close, and John Cena disappears from television until Summerslam, where he returns as a face, reequipped with his morals and good guy antics.
WWE—make me proud and don’t screw up this opportunity. Get the message?
