Reviewing John Cena's Wild Heel Promo

The last time John Cena was heel, I was 18. It was months after I received my high school diploma, and I was just starting college. Today, I turn the big 4-0. And one day prior, I received an early birthday present: Cena kicking things off in heel fashion. 21 years. That's long fans waited for a John Cena heel turn. That's also how long I, a diehard Colorado Avalanche fan, waited for a Stanley Cup. My wish got fulfilled first.

So yes, the big swerve happened at Elimination Chamber; Cena won the Chamber and would face Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Cody congratulates Cena, then Rock comes out and makes his demand for Cody's soul. Cody turns him down in emphatic fashion. Cena hugs Cody... and then goes for the kill. A violent and brutal assault that left Cody bloodied and beaten, and also left Rock with a hand-picked challenger in the form of a dangerously evil Cena. Amazing. I've seen so many droughts shockingly end, but sadly, Toronto--the site of Cena's heel turn--is still waiting to party like it's 1967.

So now the countdown was on before Cena would finally speak, and that time came on March 17, with Raw in the Belgian capital of Brussels. Just like I did when Trish Stratus gave her first heel promo in 20 years, I'm going to break down Cena's promo, bit by bit:

The Entrance

We all knew Cena would kick off Raw, and we were treated to the familiar theme Cena had since around this time 20 years ago. Originally, I was dismayed (emphasis on "originally"). The entrance we received is the same we've seen for years, but the only difference was Cena's demeanor; almost robotic, emotionless, and slow-paced. And the attire was the same as well. Rather than give extra thoughts, I'll save that for later.

Heel Cena Speaks

After going tit for tat regarding whether or not to talk, Cena finally opens his mouth and says, "When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn't have to look outside themselves for approval." After telling the fans that they made it "easy for him," Cena states that for 25 years, he's been the victim of an abusive relationship, stating that the fans have been abusive and hurtful to him, and have bullied him into being a puppet for them, and expecting him to do it with a smile on his face. And we see moments where he points the mic at the jeering fans as well.

Thoughts: I saw this coming, and already, I was saying--internally--"See?" Fans have relentlessly picked on that man for years and years and years, for little to no reason. But I'll delve on that later.

"It Was Never Enough"

Cena later says, "I am not a babyface, I am not a heel, I am a human being." Side note: It always gives me chills when wrestlers actually say "babyface" and "heel" on TV, especially those in WWE, because those terms are considered taboo for talent to actually say. Cena said that he knew from the get-go that the fans didn't like him, so he did everything possible to get them to like him. He changed himself, but it wasn't enough. He worked hard to win a whole lot, but they hated it. He said that he spent a decade giving away everything he possibly could, and that wasn't enough. Cena even added that the fans ruined his retirement tour, adding that he used that to make one more attempt to get the fans on his side, but that was ruined as well.

Thoughts: I know exactly what Cena's talking about, because I witnessed it. Fans spent years picking on Cena and blaming him for everything under the sun. At first it was innocent stuff like the split crowds that started at SummerSlam 2005, but it escalated badly. Fans accused him of so much fake shit. They claimed Cena "buried" talent, which is a damn lie. Even worse, other wrestlers have picked on him. One of the reasons why my respect for Chavo Guerrero went down the drain is because he bitches about Cena too much. And do not get me started on that walking swizzle stick known as Kenny Dykstra, who falsely claimed that Cena and Mickie James messed around while Mickie was with Kenny. And let's not forget the biggest lie against Cena: "Cena buried Nexus." Nexus was never buried, and Cena had no pull, yet even now--15 years later--people still say that bullshit because blaming Cena for everything is the thing to do.

You Get Nothing! You Lose! Good Day, Sir!

Cena also accused the fans of only thinking of themselves during his whole inner turmoil, adding that all they were concerned with was, "What do we get?" Cena lashed out and said that none of the fans asked him how he felt, and regarding an answer to that four word question, Cena told them, "You get nothing!" Cena added that the fans get what they earn, and they've earned nothing. We now get to the reason for no changes. Cena says that the fans won't see him in new attire because, "You dress like me; I don't dress like you idiots." He also said that the fans won't get new music because, "That is my voice on that song, and your time is finally up, and my time is finally now!" Cena said that all the fans get is to take a long look in the mirror and realize how horrible the fans have been to him for so long.

Thoughts: That made me feel a lot better about nothing changing. A lot of thoughts ran through my head after March 1. Yeah, I was one of the many "What do we get?" fans, and I pictured Cena looking like some sort of crime boss, dressed to the nines, almost slick hairstyle, embracing the evilness. And yeah, I pictured a theme that would have fit this big bad character, but you know what? After hearing that from Cena, I was satisfied. Especially his line about the theme not changing, that was GOLD!

Addressing the Cody Chants and the "Let's Go Cena" People

When the Cody chants hit, Cena stated that Cody was the fans' "shiny new toy," because they were putting Cena out to pasture. He adds that it's proof that the fans are awful people, and none of them were safe, especially the ones he could easily pick out in the crowd. He picks out a bunch of different people in the crowd and identifies them as the "Let's go Cena!" people. Once the familiar dueling chants hit, Cena says that while the "Cena sucks" people are bad, he says the "Let's go Cena!" people are just as bad, adding that those people do nothing but steal his time and his moments, and make him the butt of the famous "You can't see me" jokes for years. He adds that the people who buy and wear his tees do so to make them feel good about themselves instead of actually support Cena, who also said that all fans do is sit on their asses and watch him be great.

Thoughts: As the proud owner of three of those tees, I couldn't help but laugh at this. I especially laughed at Cena's comments about the "You can't see me" jokes as well, it was just too much!

The Breakup

Cena referred to his experience with the fans as a "toxic, dysfunctional relationship," and he even included a kid sitting in the stands as well. Cena said that he's breaking up with the fans and that he's done, saying that he didn't need them anymore and that they didn't matter to him. He also said that there was nothing they could do and no noise they could make to change things, because the fans knew that Cena was right, and the fans were wrong.

And then, out came...

The Champ... is... HERE!

After Cena's long and epic rant, Cody Rhodes' music hits, and out came the WWE Champion. Cody stated that while the fans may have given Cena their worst, they gave Cena their best because Cena was special and could handle it. "Look, kid," is all Cena can say, but Cody shuts that down and says that it's not "kid," it's WWE Champion. Cody then points at the Cena figure on the tee and said that he was excited to face John Cena, but instead, he got "this." Cody warns Cena that he better not bring "this" to WrestleMania, because he received Cena's best shot, and it wasn't enough, and he would retire it at WrestleMania. Cody's parting words:

"So go find John Cena, because I want to wrestle him at WrestleMania 41, not this whiny bitch."

And I have to mention:

Michael Cole

If there's an equivalent of Jim Ross and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in this era, it's definitely Michael Cole and John Cena. Though both Cole and JR have been on call for Cena's moments, Cole is the one that is more connected to Cena. Cole has been the main voice for everything Cena, so when Cole reacted at Elimination Chamber, it was golden. What was even more golden was Cole's statements after Cena's promo, stating that he had believed in Cena for two decades, and that the fans made Cena who he is, and even went as far as saying Cena is an "irrational prick"! Oh man! It's definitely similar to JR and how he reacted to Austin's memorable heel turn in 2001, though as we remember, Austin actually beat down JR less than a week after WM17. Does Cena go there with Cole?

My overall thoughts on the promo: it was epic as hell. I'm still watching it on a loop and I'll probably watch it on a loop until Cena appears again. Again, a lot of truths were told in that whole diatribe. A YouTube comment I read for that video said that "Cena didn't turn heel. We (the fans) did." Sadly, that's true. Too many people picked on that man for little to no reason. Too many people blamed Cena for stuff that wasn't his fault for years. I think fans wanted a heel turn over a decade ago out of hate instead of actual development, and that's why I was one of the few holdouts back then who didn't want Cena to turn, but I was curious.

I think Cena really enjoyed this, because it was different, and he knew that the fans would go crazy. And doing that promo in Brussels was the right move, because foreign fans are more passionate than we Yanks are. Elimination Chamber proved that; Cena's heel turn happened in Canada's largest city, and they went wild! And yeah, Cena needs to win #17 at WM. Even if Cena hadn't turned, #17 needs to happen. When Cody enters WrestleMania, he will do so having held the WWE Championship for just over a year--54 weeks. There would be no logic in Cody defeating Cena, especially in Cena's last WrestleMania appearance.

The Road to WrestleMania is on, folks, and the ride will be bumpy and amazing as hell!