LG
04-15-2013, 04:56 AM
When Ryback attacked John Cena on last week's Raw, it sent shock waves through the WWE Universe. There's no doubt about who Cena will defend the WWE Championship against at Extreme Rules. The question is whether or not Ryback is ready to be thrust back into the championship spotlight so soon?
Big Hungry is unimpressive. No, that isn't fair—sometimes Ryback does surprise once in a while. For the most part he is intense and looks the part of a monster/superhero, but that's about it. After suffering a series of major losses, the last one being against Mark Henry at WrestleMania 29, it's hard to take him seriously. Ryback is not ready to be WWE Champion. On the other hand, we don't need him to be champion right now. All we need is a serious threat to the WWE Championship in order to make things interesting. Maybe Ryback will earn some credibility with the fans since he has declared Cena enemy No. 1. There is no denying that fans went nuts when he clothes-lined the hell out of Cena.
What does that mean exactly for John Cena? More and more each week, John Cena continues to get booed by fans. It's more noticeable now because fans are not as split down the middle as usual—the majority of the fans hate him. If I were a first-time wrestling fan watching segments or matches involving Cena, I would think he is a heel. Not just any heel, but the biggest one the WWE has to offer.
Keeping all of this in mind, you have to wonder what the WWE's endgame here is. What if the fans truly get behind Ryback and ultimately abandon the champ? It has happened before. Remember Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIII? Bret went into his match with Austin the hero and he ended up leaving as one of the most hated wrestlers in the company. Of course, a lot of it had to do with Austin's undeniable charisma. He was the wave of the future and the fans knew it.
This isn't Hart vs. Austin. This is Ryback vs. Cena. The stakes are different. Austin had the respect of the fans. Ryback's act of aggression has suddenly made him the man. A victory over Cena would give Ryback not only the title but the respect he's been looking for.The fans want to accept him, but something has to happen in order for the fans to give a damn.
Vince McMahon does not strike me as stupid. He sees the writing on the wall. John Cena's shelf life as the hero is coming to an end if it hasn't already. But for a number of reasons, it would not have made sense to pull the heel trigger until now. Honestly, I'm up in the air about whether or not it should be pulled at all. Cena still has fans, it's just hard to tell right about now.
Br
Big Hungry is unimpressive. No, that isn't fair—sometimes Ryback does surprise once in a while. For the most part he is intense and looks the part of a monster/superhero, but that's about it. After suffering a series of major losses, the last one being against Mark Henry at WrestleMania 29, it's hard to take him seriously. Ryback is not ready to be WWE Champion. On the other hand, we don't need him to be champion right now. All we need is a serious threat to the WWE Championship in order to make things interesting. Maybe Ryback will earn some credibility with the fans since he has declared Cena enemy No. 1. There is no denying that fans went nuts when he clothes-lined the hell out of Cena.
What does that mean exactly for John Cena? More and more each week, John Cena continues to get booed by fans. It's more noticeable now because fans are not as split down the middle as usual—the majority of the fans hate him. If I were a first-time wrestling fan watching segments or matches involving Cena, I would think he is a heel. Not just any heel, but the biggest one the WWE has to offer.
Keeping all of this in mind, you have to wonder what the WWE's endgame here is. What if the fans truly get behind Ryback and ultimately abandon the champ? It has happened before. Remember Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIII? Bret went into his match with Austin the hero and he ended up leaving as one of the most hated wrestlers in the company. Of course, a lot of it had to do with Austin's undeniable charisma. He was the wave of the future and the fans knew it.
This isn't Hart vs. Austin. This is Ryback vs. Cena. The stakes are different. Austin had the respect of the fans. Ryback's act of aggression has suddenly made him the man. A victory over Cena would give Ryback not only the title but the respect he's been looking for.The fans want to accept him, but something has to happen in order for the fans to give a damn.
Vince McMahon does not strike me as stupid. He sees the writing on the wall. John Cena's shelf life as the hero is coming to an end if it hasn't already. But for a number of reasons, it would not have made sense to pull the heel trigger until now. Honestly, I'm up in the air about whether or not it should be pulled at all. Cena still has fans, it's just hard to tell right about now.
Br