Travicity
10-08-2010, 01:22 AM
Return of the Superhero.
Wrote By: Adam Hopson (Exclusive Columnist).
When the WWE decided to take it's product in a new direction in 1997, from the PG 'family orientated' show to a more risque and violent presentation, Vince McMahon told us, the audience, this;
'We at the WWE think that you are tired of having your intelligence insulted... The era of good guys versus bad guys, and the era of the superhero good guy is definitely passe'.
The Attitude Era blurred the lines between what had been known as 'good guys and bad guys'. Prior to this, the babyfaces were men like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. Guys who took great pride in being suitable role models for kids, guys who rarely cheated, and guys who would always triumph against the odds.
Then came Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin changed the dynamic. Often referred to as an 'anti-hero' - the Stone Cold character was supposed to be a bad guy, but the bloodthirsty audience cheered him, and with WCW forcing the WWE to make a wild change of direction with its own revolutionary programming, this was the perfect solution. The babyface characters from this point forward all had a bad guy element to them, and the fans simply began to cheer for whoever they wanted to cheers for - not who the WWE presented to them as babyface characters.
Fast forward to present day, and we find WWE has changed direction again, a full U-Turn from the Attitude Era and back into a PG format. It shouldn't be a surprise to find that a man playing that old 'superhero' character is getting a mixed reaction in the current climate.
The older demographic, that were watching when Vince told us all that this character is 'passe' and the fans that cheered loudly for Steve Austin has he flipped the bird and drank beer in the ring are having understandable trouble accepting John Cena. However, the new fans, the kids, are lapping up every minute, just like the kids in the 80s that watched Hulkamania run wild.
The issue with today's 'smart' fans (SMARKS), is that they think that they know how the WWE product should be presented.
While the kids are enjoying seeing their hero John Cena defy all the odds every week, some of the older fans are feeling more and more ripped off every single time he has his hand raised in victory. The problem is, while these more 'experienced' fans are complaining about Cena, all they are really doing is playing into WWE's hands. As long as people are talking about Cena - Vince McMahon and his team, including John Cena, are laughing all the way to the bank.
While the 'SMARKS' use excuses for their hatred toward Cena, like he 'can not wrestle' or that he is 'terrible on the mic' - the facts are that Cena uses as many (if not more) moves as Hogan, Austin, even Triple H. Their have been better storytellers than Cena (Hart, Guerrero, Michaels) but John is on par in that department with, say, Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior. Any fan who knows anything about WWE knows that the most technically sound 'wrestler' is not always the most entertaining, and certainly isn't the guy who wins the most championships, or sells the most T-shirts. Cena is not a terrible performer, at all - he is simply the top guy in a company that is making another huge directional change, a change that many of the most loyal WWE fans do not like. The only responsibility these fans have is to decide if they are still enjoying the show or not - not to tell WWE how to do business.
So, it looks like it's the 'smart' wrestling fans that are playing the fools here, not WWE.
And while a large contingent of these viewers have been begging for a Cena heel turn because they think it's the right thing for business - the truth is that Cena IS good for business. Everyone is talking about him, and his merchandise sales are phenomenal.
Remember, Cena was already on top of WWE when they made the decision to go back to PG. Prior to this, he had been cheered wildly by much of the audience, he rarely got a mixed reaction in those days, you watch his WrestleMania 20 and 21 matches, or his Draft to Raw as WWE Champion - the proof is in the pudding.
Yes, it is the same old routine, he has now taken the role of the pure 'good guy' and will gladly salute a man who refuses to shake his hand (where Steve Austin would have delivered a stunner at such a show of disrespect). But Cena is doing EXACTLY what is required of him, which is why he remains on top. Its only natural that the people focus their frustration of a major change in the direction of one person.
With that being said, John Cena has recently being forced to join his nemesis faction, The Nexus. But how the WWE play this angle out remains to be seen at this point. Cena is currently a member of the evil group, reluctantly, due to the stipulation in the match that he lost to Nexus leader with Wade Barrett. Time will tell if Cena does make a complete heel turn, or if he keeps his 'good guy' persona and attempts to destroy Nexus from the inside.
Vince McMahon wanted a superstar to carry the WWE into this new PG era as the 'face' of the company. A man who would be able to withstand the gigantic workload and possible rejection from a large portion of the existing audience.
Cena, knowing the risks involved in taking up such a challenge, approached Vince and proclaimed 'I'm your man'. And he is.
WNS
Wrote By: Adam Hopson (Exclusive Columnist).
When the WWE decided to take it's product in a new direction in 1997, from the PG 'family orientated' show to a more risque and violent presentation, Vince McMahon told us, the audience, this;
'We at the WWE think that you are tired of having your intelligence insulted... The era of good guys versus bad guys, and the era of the superhero good guy is definitely passe'.
The Attitude Era blurred the lines between what had been known as 'good guys and bad guys'. Prior to this, the babyfaces were men like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. Guys who took great pride in being suitable role models for kids, guys who rarely cheated, and guys who would always triumph against the odds.
Then came Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin changed the dynamic. Often referred to as an 'anti-hero' - the Stone Cold character was supposed to be a bad guy, but the bloodthirsty audience cheered him, and with WCW forcing the WWE to make a wild change of direction with its own revolutionary programming, this was the perfect solution. The babyface characters from this point forward all had a bad guy element to them, and the fans simply began to cheer for whoever they wanted to cheers for - not who the WWE presented to them as babyface characters.
Fast forward to present day, and we find WWE has changed direction again, a full U-Turn from the Attitude Era and back into a PG format. It shouldn't be a surprise to find that a man playing that old 'superhero' character is getting a mixed reaction in the current climate.
The older demographic, that were watching when Vince told us all that this character is 'passe' and the fans that cheered loudly for Steve Austin has he flipped the bird and drank beer in the ring are having understandable trouble accepting John Cena. However, the new fans, the kids, are lapping up every minute, just like the kids in the 80s that watched Hulkamania run wild.
The issue with today's 'smart' fans (SMARKS), is that they think that they know how the WWE product should be presented.
While the kids are enjoying seeing their hero John Cena defy all the odds every week, some of the older fans are feeling more and more ripped off every single time he has his hand raised in victory. The problem is, while these more 'experienced' fans are complaining about Cena, all they are really doing is playing into WWE's hands. As long as people are talking about Cena - Vince McMahon and his team, including John Cena, are laughing all the way to the bank.
While the 'SMARKS' use excuses for their hatred toward Cena, like he 'can not wrestle' or that he is 'terrible on the mic' - the facts are that Cena uses as many (if not more) moves as Hogan, Austin, even Triple H. Their have been better storytellers than Cena (Hart, Guerrero, Michaels) but John is on par in that department with, say, Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior. Any fan who knows anything about WWE knows that the most technically sound 'wrestler' is not always the most entertaining, and certainly isn't the guy who wins the most championships, or sells the most T-shirts. Cena is not a terrible performer, at all - he is simply the top guy in a company that is making another huge directional change, a change that many of the most loyal WWE fans do not like. The only responsibility these fans have is to decide if they are still enjoying the show or not - not to tell WWE how to do business.
So, it looks like it's the 'smart' wrestling fans that are playing the fools here, not WWE.
And while a large contingent of these viewers have been begging for a Cena heel turn because they think it's the right thing for business - the truth is that Cena IS good for business. Everyone is talking about him, and his merchandise sales are phenomenal.
Remember, Cena was already on top of WWE when they made the decision to go back to PG. Prior to this, he had been cheered wildly by much of the audience, he rarely got a mixed reaction in those days, you watch his WrestleMania 20 and 21 matches, or his Draft to Raw as WWE Champion - the proof is in the pudding.
Yes, it is the same old routine, he has now taken the role of the pure 'good guy' and will gladly salute a man who refuses to shake his hand (where Steve Austin would have delivered a stunner at such a show of disrespect). But Cena is doing EXACTLY what is required of him, which is why he remains on top. Its only natural that the people focus their frustration of a major change in the direction of one person.
With that being said, John Cena has recently being forced to join his nemesis faction, The Nexus. But how the WWE play this angle out remains to be seen at this point. Cena is currently a member of the evil group, reluctantly, due to the stipulation in the match that he lost to Nexus leader with Wade Barrett. Time will tell if Cena does make a complete heel turn, or if he keeps his 'good guy' persona and attempts to destroy Nexus from the inside.
Vince McMahon wanted a superstar to carry the WWE into this new PG era as the 'face' of the company. A man who would be able to withstand the gigantic workload and possible rejection from a large portion of the existing audience.
Cena, knowing the risks involved in taking up such a challenge, approached Vince and proclaimed 'I'm your man'. And he is.
WNS