John Cena's booking leaves no room for the evolution of new stars in WWE

Kevin Owens stands over Cena

Rollins has looked very good against Cena, much like Owens did but that has not equaled victory for him. In both instances, the younger star impressed on every level and gave Cena all he could handle in the ring. But it was not enough for either guy to come out ahead of Cena in any way that really mattered.

Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Bray Wyatt, and Dean Ambrose are all examples of this same trend that WWE has followed with Cena for years now. Cena is excellent in terms of sharing the spotlight and giving a guy the chance to get over. In the short term, it’s a good move and works for Cena’s opponents because they gain credibility with fans and likely their peers as well. But when the final loss to Cena comes and that guy moves on, he never does so on a grand scale. In nearly every case, there is no forward progress made as a result of working John; evolution is not only slowed, it’s practically over.

Cena must look good all the time and that is to be expected. He should not have to apologize for that or for being the top guy. WWE makes a lot of money off him and if he lost every other feud he was in, his value would surely begin to decrease. But to believe he can’t lose a feud is one thing; to believe that WWE as a company is benefiting from John taking down every young star that comes his way is something else altogether.

For a new star to truly go over on Cena in the end signals WWE’s desire to move on and that is likely not happening any time soon. However, getting the rub from him must mean more than just looking tough during the feud only to slow down after that. Cena the character is not evolving but that is no reason why his opponents cannot.