Wouldn't you think Cena would need a face as big as him or nearly big as him to make it work effectively? I don't think anyone can match up with him  

Isn't there some goatface troll hiding behind the scenes at WWE Events? Maybe when that little fellow makes his return.

Idk as much as people want him to be heel, I think its for the best that he remains face

no one is that loved

Really?? That's the new excuse? That no one can be as big of a face as him? More than half of every crowd boo Cena out of the building. Fuck his character, this isnt the 1980s.

Reigns
Bryan
Punk
Ziggler
Ambrose all have gotten bigger pops than Cena this year, and are more universally accepted. Punk couldve NO DOUBT been the face of the company if given the chance. He was easily the best thing they had going.

And theres tons of great ways to turn Cena heel, there were dozens of missed opportunities at an epic heel turn. Rock vs Cena at 28 or even a heel win at 29 wouldve been fucking perfect. Cena ending the streak (as ridiculous as that win would be) would be an amazing heel turn. People wonder why Cena is always hated on, but Cenas character is BORING. Its the same exact act for over a decade, its a 1980's gimmick in the fucking 2000's. It's dated, its redundant, unrealistic, nobody is that fucking noble, constant people get fed to him and then stopped being booked with a purpose.. and Id still be 100 percent FINE with that character if Cena actually was the most athletic/best wrestler in the company, but he's not even top 10! He cuts a great promo once in a while, has a great match once in a while.. the reason why he's overhated is because he's so overrated by the company. They took the guy out of his element by bringing him from a super mentally tough gangsta hard ass and making him into a hero.

Mr. DEDEDE wrote:

Really?? That's the new excuse? That no one can be as big of a face as him? More than half of every crowd boo Cena out of the building. Fuck his character, this isnt the 1980s.

Reigns
Bryan
Punk
Ziggler
Ambrose all have gotten bigger pops than Cena this year, and are more universally accepted. Punk couldve NO DOUBT been the face of the company if given the chance. He was easily the best thing they had going.

And theres tons of great ways to turn Cena heel, there were dozens of missed opportunities at an epic heel turn. Rock vs Cena at 28 or even a heel win at 29 wouldve been fucking perfect. Cena ending the streak (as ridiculous as that win would be) would be an amazing heel turn. People wonder why Cena is always hated on, but Cenas character is BORING. Its the same exact act for over a decade, its a 1980's gimmick in the fucking 2000's. It's dated, its redundant, unrealistic, nobody is that fucking noble, constant people get fed to him and then stopped being booked with a purpose.. and Id still be 100 percent FINE with that character if Cena actually was the most athletic/best wrestler in the company, but he's not even top 10! He cuts a great promo once in a while, has a great match once in a while.. the reason why he's overhated is because he's so overrated by the company. They took the guy out of his element by bringing him from a super mentally tough gangsta hard ass and making him into a hero.

The best way would have been through Bryan, because if Cena turns heel, a lot of the fans will start cheering him; if he screwed the undisputed most over and loved guy in the WWE, Daniel Bryan, they would have booed. Simple as that.

Mr. DEDEDE wrote:

Really?? That's the new excuse? That no one can be as big of a face as him? More than half of every crowd boo Cena out of the building. Fuck his character, this isnt the 1980s.

Reigns   
Bryan   
Punk   
Ziggler   
Ambrose all have gotten bigger pops than Cena this year, and are more universally accepted. Punk couldve NO DOUBT been the face of the company if given the chance. He was easily the best thing they had going.

And theres tons of great ways to turn Cena heel, there were dozens of missed opportunities at an epic heel turn. Rock vs Cena at 28 or even a heel win at 29 wouldve been fucking perfect. Cena ending the streak (as ridiculous as that win would be) would be an amazing heel turn. People wonder why Cena is always hated on, but Cenas character is BORING. Its the same exact act for over a decade, its a 1980's gimmick in the fucking 2000's. It's dated, its redundant, unrealistic, nobody is that fucking noble, constant people get fed to him and then stopped being booked with a purpose.. and Id still be 100 percent FINE with that character if Cena actually was the most athletic/best wrestler in the company, but he's not even top 10! He cuts a great promo once in a while, has a great match once in a while.. the reason why he's overhated is because he's so overrated by the company. They took the guy out of his element by bringing him from a super mentally tough gangsta hard ass and making him into a hero.

Yea, maybe in the past with The Rock or Taker but that's gone now. Only Daniel Bryan comes to mind if Cena wants a successful heel turn. Other than that it would be forced and ineffective.  

TRE VOODOO wrote:

Mr. DEDEDE wrote:

Really?? That's the new excuse? That no one can be as big of a face as him? More than half of every crowd boo Cena out of the building. Fuck his character, this isnt the 1980s.

Reigns   
Bryan   
Punk   
Ziggler   
Ambrose all have gotten bigger pops than Cena this year, and are more universally accepted. Punk couldve NO DOUBT been the face of the company if given the chance. He was easily the best thing they had going.

And theres tons of great ways to turn Cena heel, there were dozens of missed opportunities at an epic heel turn. Rock vs Cena at 28 or even a heel win at 29 wouldve been fucking perfect. Cena ending the streak (as ridiculous as that win would be) would be an amazing heel turn. People wonder why Cena is always hated on, but Cenas character is BORING. Its the same exact act for over a decade, its a 1980's gimmick in the fucking 2000's. It's dated, its redundant, unrealistic, nobody is that fucking noble, constant people get fed to him and then stopped being booked with a purpose.. and Id still be 100 percent FINE with that character if Cena actually was the most athletic/best wrestler in the company, but he's not even top 10! He cuts a great promo once in a while, has a great match once in a while.. the reason why he's overhated is because he's so overrated by the company. They took the guy out of his element by bringing him from a super mentally tough gangsta hard ass and making him into a hero.

Yea, maybe in the past with The Rock or Taker but that's gone now. Only Daniel Bryan comes to mind if Cena wants a successful heel turn. Other than that it would be forced and ineffective.  

That's what I just said  

The best way for Cena to turn heel is to have him finally get tired of the "Cena suck" chants.  Have him finally lose his nerve with the fans and how they don't appreciate him, then have him come out and be all "I've given you guys everything, and this is the thanks I get?!"  And done, Cena is now a heel and you have his gimmick be about how he thinks he's bigger and better than everybody. 

Turning Cena heel would be the easiest thing in the world in my opinion.

I disagree that you can't turn Cena heel because he's their biggest draw, Bryans getting Austin-level reactions and if they give him the ball, he'd make millions. Not to mention you have Ambrose and Cesaro laying in the wings ( I'm not convinced Reigns will make it as a main eventer at all )

The best way to turn Cena heel now would be to do it is have Lesnar completely crush him at Summerslam to win the WWE Championship, and I mean in ways nobody else ever has. They then make a huge deal out of Bryan's return to WWE, like a real real real real big deal about it. End of RAW, Bryan comes out and Cena utterly destroys him and again takes him out of action. Now you can give Cena explain his reasoning, excluding Elimination Chamber/Money in the Bank/Royal Rumble, John Cena has only main-evented twice in the last year, Battleground and Summerslam. He's let Orton, Big Show, Bryan, Batista, HHH and the Shield and even Kane take HIS main event matches and yet he's still gettng crapped on, still getting 'Cena sucks' chants so fuck it, he's gonna do whatever HE likes now. Bryan comes back to fight for the people, Cena v Bryan at WM 31.

I think the best way to turn Cena heel is to actually have him retire Undertaker from WWE. Undertaker is still the most respected wrestler to the casual fan, which is what a heel turn would effect more than any type of viewer. It can be easily done if Cena pretty much "breaks" Undertaker, beating him at Wrestlemania, making it 21-2, and forcing him into the oblivion. Cena would no doubt get even more boo's than usual for this, and he would finally "embrace the hate".

That's how I would do it storyline wise... but for the actual heel run, there are definitely a lot of guys for him to feud with and to replace him as the top face.

But at the same time... for as much as Cena gets boo'd as a face, he would get cheered as a heel. That's just how it works when you're that polarizing so I don't feel a heel turn is an essential need, at least not anymore. WWE missed the boat on this timing wise. Cena is in the 2nd half of his careers, and it's basically an unwritten rule that the veterans get cheered no matter what. So with timing in mind, it might be redundant to turn Cena heel when it lasts two years max, and we're back to where we started.

THE ULTIMATE HEEL TURN IS CENA TURNING HIS BACK ON A MAKE-A-WISH KID!!!!!

Hulk Hogan turned heel in his 40s. Cena could easily renew interest in his stale character by doing the same.

There are lots of ways to turn Cena heel viably, but the question remains as to whether Vince ever would and if he ever should.  I think wrestling could sustain without Cena on top as the babyface, honestly.  There have been periods where people have overtaken him in merchandise sales in the past, some of which proved that catering to your core wrestling fandom can be profitable.  Not to knock the status quo, but whoever watches wrestling casually will most likely go along with whatever the crowd's chanting.  I know, I was at Wrestlemania 30, and I remember walking down Bourbon Street while people threw up the 'yes' fingers.  I'd wager, based on how many times I was asked 'what's this all about?' that there were some casual citizens who had no idea who Daniel Bryan was throwing up their hands with that long stretch of road just because everyone else was doing it.  


Should that scare us as human beings in such an easily manipulated society of sheeple?   

But as wrestling fans, it should elate us, especially after the meteoric rise of such indy darlings as Kevin Owens (whom Raw was almost completely about last week), Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, CM Punk, and now even Sami Zayn's getting the Bouncing Souls Ole chants on Raw, and it probably wont be long before that chant grows. and odds are half of the people doing it STILL wont know why they're doing it, just like I'm sure a lot of fans didn't know why they 'wooo''d when people were chopped until the Flair's became relevant again, or how maybe 13 years from now no one will know where the 'What?' chant came from due to the WWE's revisionist history that'll probably whitewash Austin's unflattering heel turn.

I know I'm getting off base, but the point remains that there could be a suitable replacement in the wings for Cena's uber babyface position that have the potential to draw a reaction if the core fandom reacts, starts buying up their t-shirts, and pays attention to the product for these people. 

So that's step one in my exhaustive process that you're probably sick of reading by now.  Step two is put the US title back on Cena when he comes back, bring back the open challenge, and have the aging and tired headliner face these young 30 something whippersnappers, but instead of him trying to match their speed in the ring, or out-innovate, or take as many risks as he's been doing in the initial US Open Challenge, have Cena take a beating early on, have him do his superman comeback, and have him hit his usual 5 moves of rigmarole after these fresher faces essentially kill themselves trying to put him away with their new and flashy moves.  Have him do this until people start resenting seeing it.  Have 2/3rd's of commentary react poorly to it, let it be solely JBL at first, then have Byron join in on pitching disgust at the phoned in Cena...but have Cole eat it up.  Have Cole do what he's been doing forever now, have him act like Cena just invented penicillin every time he hits the ring, does his tired shtick, and comes out triumphant every time.  Have this go on for about 4 months, because 4 months in the over exposed WWE universe is about a year's worth of storyline everywhere else.  Cena smiles less as he does the same song and dance down to the ring each week, Cole shills harder every week, Byron and JBL rebel more and more against this midcard glass ceiling that clearly doesn't even care to be there anymore, but doesn't want someone taking his 'spot'.  If we're going to be reality, then damn it, let's expose the WWE's seedy underbelly for what it is.  If you want to go so far as to have Vince accidentally mic'd into the feed as he's feeding Cole new lines of propaganda during Cena's song and dance performance, then do that.  

And then finally someone beats Cena.  It could be Zayn, it could be Cesaro, it could be a returning Seth or anybody. You could make a new star if you wanted, but let's say they're on the offense, taking it to Cena as final boss John takes in all the offense before starting to unleash his shoulderblock combo.  He hits one and then BOOM! The opponent breaks the cycle with a superkick, or a big boot, or simply by stepping out of the way, and they beat Mr. Routine and set the tone going forward that they're not going to be the babyface sucker, they're not going to be the guy who eats the same finishing combo that everyone else eats.  Do you realize how simple and liberating that would be? To see Samoa Joe sidestep a shoulder tackle and lock in the Coquina Clutch out of nowhere? Or to see Cesaro just pop up John and nail him with a flash uppercut? In my mind, all I can see is that old '1984' style Mac commercial where the lady chucks a hammer into Big Brother's face after running past her meandering peers stuck as slaves to the grind and setting herself apart by doing simply what anyone else could have done but didn't.

Cena shakes their hand, Cena hands over the title, and the stunned Cena begins to leave...but instead comes back and hits the shoulder tackle on the champion.  He spits on them, grabs the belt, waits for them to get up, and then he hits another, plowing the belt into the opponent's face.  Meanwhile, Cole's losing his mind and popping for the company man as John and Byron sit in stunned silence.  Cena, being the OCD finisher that he is, he has to hit that 3rd shoulderblock to send the point home that this is the way things are done, this is how the WWE works, and nobody gets past John Cena unless they fall in line and become what the WWE makes performers.  Cena hits a short, but emphatic, 5 Knuckle Shuffle and then stands there, waiting for his downed opponent to get up so he can hit the AA.  But they don't. Cena waits,and Cole telegraphs this spot that's simply not going to come on commentary as medics come down to ringside and start to scoop up the bloodied US champion as Cena stands, postured for them to get up with the bloody US title still on his shoulder in some grim dystopian mosaic of WWE's truest form.  And as they get the champ to his feet, Cena shoots in and scoops them up on his shoulders and hits an AA, makes a phantom cover as he counts to 3.  He stands as his music hits to a chorus of boos as Michael Cole and Cole alone treats this like a Wrestlemania Moment while the others sit quiet, almost as if someone had cut their feed.  And Cena continues out his grizzly babyface ritual while Cole stands and applauds.  Cena heads up the ramp, stops midway, looks at the gold like it's some sort of alien artifact to him, and lets it slip through his fingers and fall to the ground, almost like he left it behind on accident. The show closes on this.

The following week, our US champ isn't mentioned, the incident isn't brought up, and JBL and Byron are noticeably on edge as an uncomfortably comfortable Cole continues doing what Cole does.  Oddly enough, Cena's not around either, but for a few weeks they run a commercial touting Cena's dominance while holding the US title.  They show clips of every match (except the one), they essentially show only the ending, which of course, is the same five moves over and over again with interchangeable opponents taking the same offense.  Anyone who hasn't caught on by now in the audience is slowly getting the picture and booing.  Finally, right before a month closing PPV at a go home Raw, Vince McMahon comes out and introduces everyone to the US Champion....JEEEAAAAHN CEEEENAAAAAA.  Cena comes out to a booing fan faire, but he's Bo Dallasing the whole thing.  JBL and Byron are sketchy about saying much during the segment, but Vince sets up a match on the fly.  It's John Cena...verses Zack Ryder.  Almost immediately, Cena falls into the signature closer, when suddenly our hero jumps the barricade and rushes the ring, and just as they're about to swat Cena down, the camera cuts away and an excitable Byron and JBL are audibly cut off mid-sentence.  Essentially, think the setup to Matt vs Edge, but with more denial of Matt's existence than there was when he jumped the barricade.  The show continues as usual without any mention of the technical difficulty.  

PPV time we find Vince in the back with Cena. The camera catches the tail end of a phone call as Vince seemingly puts security on alert.  Have people tune in expectantly to see our hero return and strike down the golden boy once more.  But he doesn't.  Instead we get a viral leak of some video shot by a fan of our protagonist IN STREET CLOTHES being forcefully ejected from the premises.  Don't acknowledge it on WWE social media,unless it's a hanger on to the cause, like a malcontent Dolph voicing his opinion on it, before deleting a tweet.  Let this spread naturally.  Let fans catch a glimpse of this instead of WWE putting it out there themselves.  Everyone has a cell phone, and everyone has to wait outside the arena at some point or another, and smokers go out constantly.  Orchestrate this in a way that the smarks can't tell what's going on.

Without going any farther, eventually have the baby hijack a show, point out he's under contract, and demands a rematch for the title he never lost.  And I know none of this will never really happen, and I know it sounds like half-cooked booking from someone who had to live through Chikara's year long break, but it would be brilliant if it did happen.  Are there simpler ways of turning Cena heel other than exposing the 'Reality' of the WWE in an era named after it? or at least a version of it that the fans believe exists anyway? Most definitely, but I like 1984, I love the Manchurian Candidate, and dystopia as a whole gets me excited. In other words, it's how I'd do it.

I love it when Pizza Boy explains his ideas 

But I agree with Imp also. You saw shades of what could have been a great heel persona in the WWE 2K15 commercial when he recited "Don't Go Gentle into that Good Night". This aging veteran who no longer gives af.

We not gonna look over Demon predicting the future with that Summerslam Brock Lesnar beat down tho. :Whew:

Anyway, my best way of turning Cena heel is taking a time machine, going back to 2012 and making him turn heel against Rock at WM 28. D:

ThePizzaBoy wrote:

There are lots of ways to turn Cena heel viably, but the question remains as to whether Vince ever would and if he ever should.  I think wrestling could sustain without Cena on top as the babyface, honestly.  There have been periods where people have overtaken him in merchandise sales in the past, some of which proved that catering to your core wrestling fandom can be profitable.  Not to knock the status quo, but whoever watches wrestling casually will most likely go along with whatever the crowd's chanting.  I know, I was at Wrestlemania 30, and I remember walking down Bourbon Street while people threw up the 'yes' fingers.  I'd wager, based on how many times I was asked 'what's this all about?' that there were some casual citizens who had no idea who Daniel Bryan was throwing up their hands with that long stretch of road just because everyone else was doing it.  


Should that scare us as human beings in such an easily manipulated society of sheeple?   

But as wrestling fans, it should elate us, especially after the meteoric rise of such indy darlings as Kevin Owens (whom Raw was almost completely about last week), Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, CM Punk, and now even Sami Zayn's getting the Bouncing Souls Ole chants on Raw, and it probably wont be long before that chant grows. and odds are half of the people doing it STILL wont know why they're doing it, just like I'm sure a lot of fans didn't know why they 'wooo''d when people were chopped until the Flair's became relevant again, or how maybe 13 years from now no one will know where the 'What?' chant came from due to the WWE's revisionist history that'll probably whitewash Austin's unflattering heel turn.

I know I'm getting off base, but the point remains that there could be a suitable replacement in the wings for Cena's uber babyface position that have the potential to draw a reaction if the core fandom reacts, starts buying up their t-shirts, and pays attention to the product for these people. 

So that's step one in my exhaustive process that you're probably sick of reading by now.  Step two is put the US title back on Cena when he comes back, bring back the open challenge, and have the aging and tired headliner face these young 30 something whippersnappers, but instead of him trying to match their speed in the ring, or out-innovate, or take as many risks as he's been doing in the initial US Open Challenge, have Cena take a beating early on, have him do his superman comeback, and have him hit his usual 5 moves of rigmarole after these fresher faces essentially kill themselves trying to put him away with their new and flashy moves.  Have him do this until people start resenting seeing it.  Have 2/3rd's of commentary react poorly to it, let it be solely JBL at first, then have Byron join in on pitching disgust at the phoned in Cena...but have Cole eat it up.  Have Cole do what he's been doing forever now, have him act like Cena just invented penicillin every time he hits the ring, does his tired shtick, and comes out triumphant every time.  Have this go on for about 4 months, because 4 months in the over exposed WWE universe is about a year's worth of storyline everywhere else.  Cena smiles less as he does the same song and dance down to the ring each week, Cole shills harder every week, Byron and JBL rebel more and more against this midcard glass ceiling that clearly doesn't even care to be there anymore, but doesn't want someone taking his 'spot'.  If we're going to be reality, then damn it, let's expose the WWE's seedy underbelly for what it is.  If you want to go so far as to have Vince accidentally mic'd into the feed as he's feeding Cole new lines of propaganda during Cena's song and dance performance, then do that.  

And then finally someone beats Cena.  It could be Zayn, it could be Cesaro, it could be a returning Seth or anybody. You could make a new star if you wanted, but let's say they're on the offense, taking it to Cena as final boss John takes in all the offense before starting to unleash his shoulderblock combo.  He hits one and then BOOM! The opponent breaks the cycle with a superkick, or a big boot, or simply by stepping out of the way, and they beat Mr. Routine and set the tone going forward that they're not going to be the babyface sucker, they're not going to be the guy who eats the same finishing combo that everyone else eats.  Do you realize how simple and liberating that would be? To see Samoa Joe sidestep a shoulder tackle and lock in the Coquina Clutch out of nowhere? Or to see Cesaro just pop up John and nail him with a flash uppercut? In my mind, all I can see is that old '1984' style Mac commercial where the lady chucks a hammer into Big Brother's face after running past her meandering peers stuck as slaves to the grind and setting herself apart by doing simply what anyone else could have done but didn't.

Cena shakes their hand, Cena hands over the title, and the stunned Cena begins to leave...but instead comes back and hits the shoulder tackle on the champion.  He spits on them, grabs the belt, waits for them to get up, and then he hits another, plowing the belt into the opponent's face.  Meanwhile, Cole's losing his mind and popping for the company man as John and Byron sit in stunned silence.  Cena, being the OCD finisher that he is, he has to hit that 3rd shoulderblock to send the point home that this is the way things are done, this is how the WWE works, and nobody gets past John Cena unless they fall in line and become what the WWE makes performers.  Cena hits a short, but emphatic, 5 Knuckle Shuffle and then stands there, waiting for his downed opponent to get up so he can hit the AA.  But they don't. Cena waits,and Cole telegraphs this spot that's simply not going to come on commentary as medics come down to ringside and start to scoop up the bloodied US champion as Cena stands, postured for them to get up with the bloody US title still on his shoulder in some grim dystopian mosaic of WWE's truest form.  And as they get the champ to his feet, Cena shoots in and scoops them up on his shoulders and hits an AA, makes a phantom cover as he counts to 3.  He stands as his music hits to a chorus of boos as Michael Cole and Cole alone treats this like a Wrestlemania Moment while the others sit quiet, almost as if someone had cut their feed.  And Cena continues out his grizzly babyface ritual while Cole stands and applauds.  Cena heads up the ramp, stops midway, looks at the gold like it's some sort of alien artifact to him, and lets it slip through his fingers and fall to the ground, almost like he left it behind on accident. The show closes on this.

The following week, our US champ isn't mentioned, the incident isn't brought up, and JBL and Byron are noticeably on edge as an uncomfortably comfortable Cole continues doing what Cole does.  Oddly enough, Cena's not around either, but for a few weeks they run a commercial touting Cena's dominance while holding the US title.  They show clips of every match (except the one), they essentially show only the ending, which of course, is the same five moves over and over again with interchangeable opponents taking the same offense.  Anyone who hasn't caught on by now in the audience is slowly getting the picture and booing.  Finally, right before a month closing PPV at a go home Raw, Vince McMahon comes out and introduces everyone to the US Champion....JEEEAAAAHN CEEEENAAAAAA.  Cena comes out to a booing fan faire, but he's Bo Dallasing the whole thing.  JBL and Byron are sketchy about saying much during the segment, but Vince sets up a match on the fly.  It's John Cena...verses Zack Ryder.  Almost immediately, Cena falls into the signature closer, when suddenly our hero jumps the barricade and rushes the ring, and just as they're about to swat Cena down, the camera cuts away and an excitable Byron and JBL are audibly cut off mid-sentence.  Essentially, think the setup to Matt vs Edge, but with more denial of Matt's existence than there was when he jumped the barricade.  The show continues as usual without any mention of the technical difficulty.  

PPV time we find Vince in the back with Cena. The camera catches the tail end of a phone call as Vince seemingly puts security on alert.  Have people tune in expectantly to see our hero return and strike down the golden boy once more.  But he doesn't.  Instead we get a viral leak of some video shot by a fan of our protagonist IN STREET CLOTHES being forcefully ejected from the premises.  Don't acknowledge it on WWE social media,unless it's a hanger on to the cause, like a malcontent Dolph voicing his opinion on it, before deleting a tweet.  Let this spread naturally.  Let fans catch a glimpse of this instead of WWE putting it out there themselves.  Everyone has a cell phone, and everyone has to wait outside the arena at some point or another, and smokers go out constantly.  Orchestrate this in a way that the smarks can't tell what's going on.

Without going any farther, eventually have the baby hijack a show, point out he's under contract, and demands a rematch for the title he never lost.  And I know none of this will never really happen, and I know it sounds like half-cooked booking from someone who had to live through Chikara's year long break, but it would be brilliant if it did happen.  Are there simpler ways of turning Cena heel other than exposing the 'Reality' of the WWE in an era named after it? or at least a version of it that the fans believe exists anyway? Most definitely, but I like 1984, I love the Manchurian Candidate, and dystopia as a whole gets me excited. In other words, it's how I'd do it.

This is a brilliant idea, it's very simple, not convoluted and it will also deceive people and invoke a natural reaction of hatred. Although WWE doesn't have nearly the attention to detail to pull this off, even if the story is simple enough for a toddler to grasp. I mean literally this basically happened back in 09 when my 5 year old cousin got tired of the John Cena act and became a fan or Randy Orton's, who's gimmick and character was far more unpredictable and exciting at the time. 

Only difference between your story and IRL is IRL the hero didnt come for several years and he arrived in the form of CM Punk. (obviously what you're suggesting is a much less lengthy, more ''doctored up'' version)

I still wonder however, as you said people are sheep, and people do hold a miniature version of stockholm syndrome when it comes to shows theyve been watching for years/their whole lives like WWE. When people are fed mediocrity and choose not to avoid it or cast it aside, the eventually begin to embrace it. Who knows if people don't still cheer for Cena in droves despite his canning it in for matches. I mean an important aspect of this storyline is the lack of appeal his matches would have. But while Cena would be "dumbing down" his wrestling style, once upon a time this used to legitimately be his wrestling style, which shows just how much Cena has truly improved in the ring. Still, if half the crowd liked it then, who's to say they wouldnt like it now? The 50/50 split has been synonymous with his legacy at this point, wouldn't be shocked if women and kids cheered no matter what 

Let him do what hogan did in WCW. Like have bullet club run over every one and then when shit looks bleakest have John join em. Has anyone ever thought that maybe it's John who nips any suggestion of turning heel in the bud? He knows that heels don't make as much cash and don't get their face on tv for all the pr stuff. So he refuses to turn.

Have him act like he's had enough of the "Cena Sucks" chants.  He can come out, talk about all he's given to WWE and the fans, and THIS is the thanks he gets!  Then his entire heel persona could be him throwing his weight around, acting all entitled because he's "the man."  Best way to actually make this happen is put him in a match against a sure fire fan favorite (Cesaro, Ambrose, etc.) who is almost guaranteed to get a bigger pop than him.  That person wins, then Cena does the poor loser thing and attacks them.  Hell you could even use it as a way to build up the guy to take over for Cena.

And there ya go...Heel Cena!

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I still wonder however, as you said people are sheep, and people do hold a miniature version of stockholm syndrome when it comes to shows theyve been watching for years/their whole lives like WWE. When people are fed mediocrity and choose not to avoid it or cast it aside, the eventually begin to embrace it. Who knows if people don't still cheer for Cena in droves despite his canning it in for matches. I mean an important aspect of this storyline is the lack of appeal his matches would have. But while Cena would be "dumbing down" his wrestling style, once upon a time this used to legitimately be his wrestling style, which shows just how much Cena has truly improved in the ring. Still, if half the crowd liked it then, who's to say they wouldnt like it now? The 50/50 split has been synonymous with his legacy at this point, wouldn't be shocked if women and kids cheered no matter what 

I remember being young and loving Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera.  It wasn't because they had dynamic personalities (they didn't) or because they cut awesome promos (they don't), it was because they did the high flying flippity shit that Hulk Hogan didn't do. I'd argue the growth and form of independent wrestling today is a reflection of what guys like me growing up preferred.  I think if you gave a kid with no jaded knowledge of wrestling a choice between an action figure of John Cena and Kalisto, based on how much he looked like a super hero (and according to WWE based on his 'kid like size') they'd pick Kalisto.  If you showed them the best of John Cena's career and a lucha dragons match from any given time, they'd probably enjoy the Lucha Dragons more.  Again, part of it is the look, but another part of it is the flashy Power Rangers type flip and kick display.  Does this mean I'm saying push Kalisto?  Well, yeah, but he's not the guy to push to the top as the main face.  Let's say I say push Seth instead; he's got cool hair, a costume that looks like something out of a comic book and he's got video game styled moves like the Curb Stomp (un ban that) or the springboard knee, or the buckle bomb (maybe ban that), not to mention moves he hasn't even whipped out on the reg in WWE like the Phoenix Splash.  Seth can talk, Seth can appeal to the smartest member of the crowd or the youngest member if you give them the leeway to think he's cool by having him do cool moves. Or AJ, or Finn, any of these guys have a style and a look that kids would probably take over Cena's 'My Buddy' doll look simply because they look either contemporary and cool or cartoony with moves to match.  I'd say push Sami because Sami wrestles like a mad man, but I don't think there's enough to his look to sell action figures to non-grown ass men I know who still collect stuff like that (not judging, just making a point).  Even Dolph, with his wannabe anime American hero 80's Street Fighter look could be something kids could latch onto.

What I'm saying is that there are guys in the WWE right now that have everything from charisma, to a look, to an in-ring style and presentation that could easily steal the hearts and souls of children away from John Cena and be capable to carry the torch of 'the guy'.  That's why I didn't zero in on one particular option, because I think everyone can read what I wrote and see someone different in the role of try-hard, show stopping, malcontent fighting the system from underneath as an underdog against the corporate agenda known simply as the Fruity Pebbles Man.

Also, notice I'd have Vince do all the talking.  If there's anything pavlovian and deep seeded to wrestling fans, it's booing Vince.  John would just be there as a silent, smiling, ghastly parody of himself.

Back in the Nexus days and the storyline where he lost to the Rock at WM28

easy make Cena a snobby arrogant heel where he starts showing off his money, cars, house and girlfriend/wife and use his RL money as the platform for his turn