John Cena is living up to his word
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Extra Mustard is a weekly column looking at the highs and lows–and everything in between–in combat sports and beyond.
John Cena unveils new heel persona
John Cena is fulfilling his promise.
As he approached his final year in pro wrestling, Cena vowed that he would do everything possible to leave the industry in a better place. Above all, Cena said, he would do what was best for WWE.
That is precisely what he is doing. Surprisingly, he opted to do that as a heel.
Cena seized the moment on yesterday’s Raw. In his first appearance since his beatdown of Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, Cena justified his actions. Claiming he was part of a toxic, dysfunctional relationship, one where he was the victim, Cena broke up with the fan base.
Parts of the promo, by design, were uncomfortable, and the close-up of a child in the crowd wearing his Cena shirt and hat provided a reaction for WWE that money couldn’t buy.
With WWE traveling abroad, the crowd in Brussels embraced the opportunity to be part of this historic moment. They sang and cheered, even adding in a few profane chants toward Cena. It was quite a scene–an electric atmosphere and a promo that people had waited for years to hear. To Cena’s credit, he showed a new depth of range, and he is clearly ready to play the villain.
As Cena continued to lay into the fan base, he was interrupted by Rhodes. Their interaction, which was primarily Rhodes speaking and Cena listening, brought a whole new intensity to their upcoming match at WrestleMania 41. Though it would have been fascinating to see a babyface Rhodes against a babyface Cena, this is a direction with far more emotion.
Rhodes shined on Raw, telling Cena off and threatening to retire him early at WrestleMania. Dispensing starlight in his own distinct manner, Rhodes’ time on screen served as a reminder that he–and not Cena–is the single biggest personality in all of wrestling. That connected back to Cena’s original goal: he is making WWE a better place by further enhancing Rhodes as a star.
We just didn’t expect him to do it as a heel.
Another part that stood out was what Cena failed to mention. There was no talk about The Rock, the mastermind behind the story. But Cena returns to Raw next week (another afternoon showing, this time in Scotland), so there is ample time to dig deeper into the story.
After yesterday’s Raw, this is now the leader for most compelling storyline in pro wrestling. The build to WrestleMania is on, it is incredibly riveting, and the feud between Cena and Rhodes has only just begun.