What’s the story?
In a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, John Cena addressed the fact that some fans do want to see him turn heel but he knows that there is still a considerable number of fans who want to see him as the babyface we know him as.
In case you didn’t know...
John Cena proposed to Nikki Bella after they won their match against The Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania. Since then the couple has been taking time off from WWE programming, probably planning a big wedding.
The heart of the matter:
John Cena has been the face of the PG era in the recent past, dropping his Word Life and Thuganomics gimmick for colourful t-shirts and a kid-friendly attitude. Not all fans agree with this current babyface persona of Cena but it does make sense considering he makes hundreds of appearances for the Make-A-Wish foundation among other charitable organisations routinely.
On if being asked about a possible turn of character, John Cena replied:
“I don’t think everyone wants me to turn. There is a group of people that don’t like what they see, but the most important message I send is you can’t please everybody, never be ashamed to be who you are, and know that what you do affects people. I look at it as a way to provide hope for families that don’t go through what we consider a normal day by providing a smile and happiness. I look at WWE as a vehicle to provide an escape and happiness. That’s why I’m here every year, I believe in what we do.”
Cena even mentioned how hard the recent feud against Miz and Maryse has been on Nikki (Nicole) Bella, since Nikki is not used to having her personal life put in the open like that in front of the fans.
John added this in the end:
“I’ve headlined with The Rock and I’ve been a part of a lot of WrestleMania moments, but this moment with Nicole is the one most important of all because I get to stand alongside her in a WrestleMania ring.”
What’s next?
John Cena and Nikki Bella will soon be back to the squared circle but we have to wait to see if WWE will have them make a heel turn or if it will be business as usual for the power couple.
Author’s take
Cena’s PG era gimmick is so stale now that I can’t even imagine him as anything else. Maybe a fresh new gimmick could open up future booking possibilities for John Cena that helps him get over with the more critical part of the WWE fanbase.
