A Hero Survives - The Choice of John Cena

Last night at the 24th 'Survivor Series', John Cena was faced with the toughest choice of his career.



In June, the rejected rookies of WWE NXT banded together to attack not only Cena, but also Monday Night Raw and the WWE itself.



The 'Nexus' as they called themselves, waged war throughout the summer, taking out Raw GM Bret Hart, Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat and WWE CEO Vince McMahon before helping World Heavyweight Champion Kane bury his brother The Undertaker alive at 'Bragging Rights'. For months, John Cena opposed this group, but was outnumbered and despite his attempts to rally support, the Raw roster was too selfish to see the big picture and failed to end Nexus. The leader of Nexus and winner of NXT, Wade Barrett, had offered Cena a place within his super-group, but Cena declined. This feud culminated at 'Hell in a Cell' where Cena and Barrett fought for the first time on PPV. The match featured a stipulation: if Cena won the Nexus would be forced to disband, but if Barrett won Cena would have to join them instead.

That night, The Nexus did not disband. Cena accepted the consequences of his loss and became part of The Nexus. He tried at first to destroy Nexus from within, but had to fall in line when Barrett was given the power to fire Cena if he did not follow his orders. Cena aided Barrett in becoming the 1# contender for Randy Orton's WWE Championship, but actively prevented Wade from winning the title. In response, Barrett created a stipulation for his rematch with Orton at Survivor Series. If Barrett won the title, Cena would be freed from his commitment to The Nexus. If he lost, Cena would be fired. To ensure his desired outcome, Barrett made one final decision – John Cena would be the referee. Cena's dilemma, to do the right thing and suffer the consequences or cheat Orton, the fans and everyone who had held the WWE Championship by giving Barrett the title and keeping his job, was the focus of the WWE throughout November. The match was the only real selling point of the PPV and fans truly had no idea what Cena would do.



For as long as John Cena has been the face of the WWE he has faced many critics. Popular with young kids and families, he sells huge amounts of merchandise and has always represented WWE well both within the news media and in organisations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation where he is the 1# most requested celebrity to visit children with terminal illnesses. He is truly beloved and is the closest the WWE has ever come to the popularity and success of Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. This popularity, along with the tragic deaths of Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and others, was a large factor in the shift across WWE towards family-friendly, PG rated entertainment. Gone is the smut, blood, sex and language that defined the Attitude Era of the late 1990's. Gone (in principle) are the illegal and dangerous drugs once used by many backstage. Gone is the bias towards larger performers and the abandonment of troubled alumni. While these things are mostly accepted as good by wrestling fans, there are many who desire some more of the attitude back in WWE, which brought more suspense, drama and surprises than the current product. Given the feudal nature of pro-wrestling, having the option of extreme violence and language allowed for some of the most intense matches and heated rivalries in WWE history.

As the face of the PG Era WWE, those who desire for a return to Attitude Era ideals tend to criticise John Cena to the point of hating him. It is many of these same fans who wish for Cena to turn from his popular, squared-jawed hero character and become an outspoken villain as he was when first arrived to the WWE in 2002. The Nexus storyline has been rightly judged as a perfect opportunity for Cena to make such a switch, shocking audiences by choosing to ally himself with the bad guys and turning on his fans in the process. It is true such a turn would shake up the WWE, change the landscape and bring about a new era. It would interest fans who has left the product either from disinterest in the PG entertainment being offered or boredom with Cena's character which he has held for 6 years. Expectations going into last night were high, and once again the WWE have defied expectations.

The first reactions I have read tend to range from disappointed to outraged. Many feel that not only was this golden opportunity not seized, but that because it wasn't there will never be such an opportunity again. They might be right. While I do doubt the ability for WWE Creative to conclude any story without problems, as far as the character of John Cena has been portrayed this year they have done a great job. If I'm going to be optimistic I might as well go all the way, and I'll start by giving WWE credit for what has been the strongest storyline of the PG era. It has proven to be a draw, unfortunately to the point where it has been relied on to sell PPVs all by itself. This wider booking issue aside, The Nexus have truly been the biggest group in wrestling since the first incarnation of the N.W.O. in 1996. Part of this success has been the assumption by many of an eventual, inevitable Cena heel-turn, akin to Hulk Hogan's turn that founded the N.W.O.. In TNA they have just made such a turn with fan favourite Jeff Hardy to form a mega-group called The Immortals. However, I had a feeling that the WWE would choose to to take a different route, even if a heel John Cena is the eventual destination.

Their decision to end Survivor Series without a turn or a surprise was in itself the biggest shock of all. John Cena stood by his word, called the match down the middle, awarded the victory to Randy Orton and accepted his fate on the unemployment line. He made a final lap through the audience in a moment evocative of Shawn Michael's farewell at 'Wrestlemania 26', and said his goodbyes as if they were his last. This conclusion is a brave choice by the WWE, and one I commend. Last week on Raw during Piper's Pit, a fan chanted to Cena what a lot of fans have been chanting, but loud enough to break the interview and get a shout out from Cena in the ring. The crowd reminded Cena to “Never give up!”, and he responded: “You're damn right!”. The line sells a lot of T-Shirts, it's a bit cornball and we've heard it all before. It is the modern equivalent of Hogan's “Say your prayers and eat your vitamins!” (Which is interesting for neither prescribed action is a quality of a good moral character, just a submissive one), but unlike that message, it genuinely holds up as a moral attitude. I think for a lot of Cena's fans, his lines about courage and strength actually speak to them. Cena said on Raw that he looked up to guys like Roddy Piper, that the legends were his heroes. What is significant today is that John Cena, as a character and a performer, is ten times the hero or role-model the WWE Legends ever were. Hulk Hogan stood up for apple pie, the American flag and Jesus. John Cena stands up for honesty, integrity and courage. He champions ideals that have cross-cultural, humanist appeal.

What this means for the current storyline is simple. Had Cena turned heel, or just succumbed to his own self-interest, his character would be forever tarnished. More so, his messages would be seen as false by his fans perhaps to the point of rejection. Children who believed in Cena would be more than disappointed – they'd be disillusioned. They may even reject the idea of perseverance or bravery all together. As family entertainment, WWE has great power over young people, and therefore great responsibility. What WWE did at Survivor Series was the right thing. It's easy to play a bad guy, which is why so many young superstars begin that way (Including Cena himself). It's easy to be selfish, violent and deceptive in a world that revolves around individual glory, combat and rules. It's also easy to be a shallow goody-goody, such as the current role of the Big Show. He smiles, shakes hands, poses for photos and beats the bad guys. We are programmed to cheer this, which is exactly what Cena has done for so much of his career. What makes Cena special is that when the fans tired of this, when they turned on him he did not turn on them. For almost five years Cena has been hated passionately by a great deal of the adult wrestling community, yet in all that time has never given up on his own ethics and ideals. In refusing to do so now, in doing the right thing despite the consequences, Cena and the WWE have told a story of real courage to millions of people and reinforced a modern portrayal of heroism that withstands a more complicated scrutiny.

Now we grown-ups all realise that John Cena is not really fired. How this is dealt with by the WWE will be interesting to say the least, as they may try to make it look real with a “Future Endeavours” post on WWE.com, have Cena invade the WWE from the crowd or simply not be on TV for a few months. In the meantime, WWE will need to balance the needs of their story with the needs of their fans and business. Without Cena, live attendance and merchandise sales will be down over the holidays, and this will not please stock holders. I expect him to be written back into the WWE sooner rather than later.

Monday Night Raw will start shortly, and it wouldn't surprise me for the WWE creative team to bring Cena back and turn him heel for no reason. Too often the WWE fumbles it's best story-lines for the sake of surprise. Last night's surprise shocked many, but was no fumble. I sincerely hope they have thought about the consequences of their choices over these final weeks of 2010, and they appreciate that the greater challenge of sticking with their convictions and those of the character will pay off in the end. As the story stands, it is something I would actually encourage families to watch, which may be the first time I have ever felt that way about the WWE product. The PG Era is starting to click, but now is the real test. Do WWE have the courage to stay with this storyline until it's conclusion? How can Cena return without betraying himself in the process? Is the short-term shock of a Cena heel turn worth the long-term damage to his character and the WWE as a whole? I hope these are the questions on the mind of the creative team, and I truly hope they have satisfying answers.