It must be asked.....where would WWE be without Cena?

[jadillac]

I don't like the guy and haven't for several years now, but where would the WWE be without him? Who would've been the top face/draw in a company the past several years with an aging HBK & HHH, barely working Undertaker, etc. Who would've been the big draw to face the Rock multiple times?

Austin saved the WWF for a period of about 2 1/2 years or so before Rock took over, but neither of them combined were on top as long, for better or worse, as Cena has been. If someone else had come down the pipe who could compete w/ Cena's popularity, I'm SURE we would've seen them pushed in a similar fashion much like how Rock/Austin existed as mega stars simultaneously. But there's nobody there(maybe Bryan has a chance), which lends to Cena's importance even more; so much so that they can't even really take a chance to turn him heel.

Again, you won't catch me cheering for the guy or even watching a whole match of his, but he's pretty much put the team on his back.

 

[Momentum]

Edge never gets any credit in this conversation.

 

[Silkk]

2003 HHH gets extended into 2010

 

[AquaCityBoy]

I don't like the guy and haven't for several years now, but where would the WWE be without him? Who would've been the top face/draw in a company the past several years with an aging HBK & HHH, barely working Undertaker, etc. Who would've been the big draw to face the Rock multiple times?

Austin saved the WWF for a period of about 2 1/2 years or so before Rock took over, but neither of them combined were on top as long, for better or worse, as Cena has been. If someone else had come down the pipe who could compete w/ Cena's popularity, I'm SURE we would've seen them pushed in a similar fashion much like how Rock/Austin existed as mega stars simultaneously. But there's nobody there(maybe Bryan has a chance), which lends to Cena's importance even more; so much so that they can't even really take a chance to turn him heel.

Again, you won't catch me cheering for the guy or even watching a whole match of his, but he's pretty much put the team on his back.

 

[jackswstd]

WWE would've been fine. Vince would've found someone but Cena was the right guy at the right time and despite the fact I'm sick of his character he's actually very capable in the ring when the situation calls for it.

 

[jadillac]

Edge never gets any credit in this conversation.

Edge could never carry a company breh.

No offense, but just what I feel. In the way I view wrestling, Edge is no more than an IC champ.

 

[jadillac]

WWE would've been fine. Vince would've found someone but Cena was the right guy at the right time and despite the fact I'm sick of his character he's actually very capable in the ring when the situation calls for it.

Okay....but where is he? Where is the Rock to Cena's Austin? Cena could co-exist with another mega-star on his level and Vince damn sure wouldn't leave money on the table like that if he could just "find someone".

 

[TheBigBopper]

The Miz or Viscera woulda been carrying the company

 

[Golayitdown]

John the Baptist been saving souls since 2002 daddeh...

The WWE would still be around whether he came through or not, but it's interesting to guess who out of that class would have stepped up to be the man... Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone who would have been able to last this long (too old, drugs, not good enough, etc.)

 

[jackswstd]

Okay....but where is he? Where is the Rock to Cena's Austin? Cena could co-exist with another mega-star on his level and Vince damn sure wouldn't leave money on the table like that if he could just "find someone".

They never really tried though. If and when they got close they always found a way to fukk it up, or the guy they chose couldn't do it.

 

[jadillac]

The Miz or Viscera woulda been carrying the company

and that's the thing. They TRIED. They tried damn hard to push Miz over on us. Some of y'all bought into to him......the rest of us always had the when it came to Miz

 

[Golayitdown]

They never really tried though. If and when they got close they always found a way to fukk it up, or the guy they chose couldn't do it.

Who of the new class was close? Lesnar was never going to stay 10+ years, Batista was old, Orton was a fukk up, Angle would be dead by now, and the majority of the others lacked the charisma and/or skills to be the man.... Only recently (Punk/Bryan) have they had true alternatives (i.e. Rock to Austin or Savage to Hogan) where they could have supplanted him as #1

 

[jackswstd]

Who of the new class was close? Lesnar was never going to stay 10+ years, Batista was old, Orton was a fukk up, Angle would be dead by now, and the majority of the others lacked the charisma and/or skills to be the man....

Perhaps getting close was an overstatement but they never really tried to have an equal to Cena which is why they've had to constantly go back to him.

 

[Golayitdown]

Perhaps getting close was an overstatement but they never really tried to have an equal to Cena which is why they've had to constantly go back to him.

Definitely agree with that. It's still biting them in the ass now. They got too comfortable and now they have about 4-5 more good years left in Cena.....

 

[Nintendough]

Cena is for the youth. He is the Hogan of this era, deal with it.