Consistency is Key

This is my first wrestling article for my blog. I’ve had a few ideas for my first article, but something happened this past Monday Night Raw that made my decision for me. John Cena became the new number one contender. Again.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Cena being the number one contender. It actually makes sense at the moment, as I would rather have Punk’s rise back to the title a slow one. The thing that actually annoyed me is the same reason I’m not a Cena fan. I don’t mind Cena’s limited move set and can bare his cheesy personality as it appeals to some people. The thing that really bothers me about John Cena is the discrepancies in his personality. No matter how much I try, I just can’t look past the inconsistency that is Cena’s character. 

As I previously stated I can tolerate John Cena’s personality. It appeals to kids and I realise that every character is not supposed to be liked by everyone. I quite like some of his character to an extent. I like the honourable side of John Cena. I think it works. A guy who will do anything to defend the honour of himself, the company and the fans that pay to see him. A guy who’s morals and do-what-is-right attitude means more to him than any championship would. This is a well rounded character, which will provide conflict for other characters. It provides the creative team with an interesting character with plenty of story arcs to play with.

However, John Cena isn’t this character. He is this man only half the time. He is the man who hates Alberto Del Rio for the disrespect of the belt, yet he is happy to wear a belt that literally meant nothing. He’s the man who thinks you should be respectable, but is happy to hit a woman. He is the man who doesn’t like not playing by the rules, but is happy to bury his opponent in chairs. He is the man who thinks honour and respect are the most important things in the world, but is happy to pick up a victory to become number one contender, when his opponent is distracted. 

That’s exactly what John Cena did this Monday. He was happy to take advantage of Punk, when he was distracted. This is not the character they set up for Cena. I am fully aware this could be the start of a heel turn or a bigger angle, but this Monday isn’t the first time they have shifted Cena’s character about.

I don’t think that creative have to turn Cena heel to make him more susceptible to fans. Have him as the guy that would rather not be a champion than win it dishonourably. OK his character then may not attract a more mature audience. But, he doesn’t have to. You can have other characters to appeal to that demographic. But, in my honest opinion you need to keep him consistent .