I've been playing around with this concept for a while. Basically there will be two teams of debaters and 3 subjects, with each team being given a side to defend. The deadline for each subject will usually be until midnight, but during that time you can post in the thread as much as you like. When the time comes, the panel of judges (Me, Dub and J) will decide who had the better argument. The team with the best 2 out of 3 are our winner and after that we'll be open for more team additions etc. If you're interested, please post.

DEFINITELY interested. Great idea.

Yes. In. Now.

Sounds like a rad idea

I'm in, if you'll have me.

I'm in.

I like to debate.

Im in debate me

I'm in.

Sign me up

Did someone say debate  

ITS TIME TO GET FUNKY  

im in

This should be fun to watch

Aren Mstislav wrote:

This should be fun to watch

So are you joining or just going to watch 

Just need 1 more person.

Devan Dubian wrote:

Aren Mstislav wrote:

This should be fun to watch

So are you joining or just going to watch 

Yes

Aren Mstislav wrote:

Devan Dubian wrote:

Aren Mstislav wrote:

This should be fun to watch

So are you joining or just going to watch 

Yes

Thank you, I completely understand what you mean now.

I'm just going to start with you 11. Here are the teams
Red Team
Ken
Jamie O'Hara
Nick Angel
Ventura
TLA

Blue Team
MTM
GC
GI
Scott
DEDEDE
AA
The first topic of debate will be about John Cena and his position as face of the WWE. Red Team, you will try to debate why he has been good for the company while the Blue Team will be trying to say why he isn't fit for the job. Get to debating!

(Just for the record, this isn't necessarily my actual opinion. I am just playing the game.)

RED TEAM

John Cena has been the face of WWE for many reasons. He has been consistently more over than anyone else on the roster for ten years. He has been the biggest merchandise seller in WWE since Stone Cold Steve Austin. Through his public appearances and charity work he has crossed into mainstream culture like no other full-time wrestler has in the history of the sport. His mic skills are one of the best in the business and his appeal to women and children has allowed WWE to target a demographic that has traditionally been the hardest to reach in the world of professional wrestling.

Love him, hate him, or tolerate him, John Cena always gets a reaction. In a world where celebrity culture has become more about hot topics and conversation pieces instead of actual talent, the importance of this cannot be overstated. There have been countless debates over Cena's worth as a wrestler, debates over the corniness of his jokes, his unwillingness to sell injuries, the list goes on and on. Early in his tenure as face of the WWE, Cena was arguably the most popular wrestler on the WWE roster along with legends like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Since then he has also become one of the most hated. There are few heels who have gotten the negative reaction that Cena gets. Indeed most of the top heels in recent WWE history have actually been cheered rather than booed. Edge, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, and Bray Wyatt have all been mostly cheered in their heel runs. WWE now has the rare opportunity to book a popular rising star against Cena and let the crowd determine if they are worthy as they did with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Cena's polarizing reaction is in fact exactly what WWE needs and must use to build the future of their company.

John Cena has consistently sold more merchandise than anyone else on the roster. Despite being passed by CM Punk in 2011-2012 he has remained a top draw and is there when WWE truly needs him. He is incredibly devoted and loyal to WWE as he constantly makes public appearances whenever and wherever possible to promote the company. Other wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and The Rock are bigger figures in mainstream culture but no one has become a bigger name than Cena has while working a full time schedule. Cena's audience is mostly women and children which is a demographic pro wrestling has traditionally struggled with. WWE tried to get women in the 90s with Shawn Michaels but his corny Sexy Boy gimmick and Vince McMahon's over the top commentary made it unappealing for women and men alike. Cena has earned more young fans for WWE since Hulk Hogan especially as WWE's focus was on the adult male demographic for the late 90s to mid 00s. Cena's young fans may eventually grow out of his character but many will become lifelong fans of WWE and introduce the brand to their own kids later in life.

One of the major criticisms of WWE is that it is always all about John Cena. This is because they had no other choice. Daniel Bryan was elevated above John Cena but after he was injured and CM Punk left there was no other names besides Cena who could carry the company in 2014. Brock Lesnar was part time and Cena put him over but after Brock left WWE again had to resort to Cena. Cena and WWE have made a major effort to put over new stars this year by focusing on Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as the major feud on RAW. Rollins is the best established Money in the Bank winner WWE has ever had and even pinned Cena at Survivor Series showing Cena's willingness to put over rising names. At the same event, Cena also allowed Dolph Ziggler to be put over as the sole survivor of his team. It is likely that WWE will replace Cena as face of the WWE, but with the guys they devote time and energy into pushing constantly quitting or getting injured it has led them to continuing to go with Cena. This only displays Cena's true value as a trusty backup plan. Should things go wrong Cena is always a reliable choice to carry the company and keep on making money until a new star is born.

In conclusion, John Cena has been good for the WWE because he truly has its future in mind. Many of the top stars in recent WWE history have reached their peak through feuding with Cena. He is a great human being with a strong work ethic who cares about America and its military. While he is both loved and loathed he is always positive about WWE and will put the company before anything else. His record is spotless in terms of using drugs, criminal history, or even negative politicking. The list of wrestlers who have put over Cena both legends and current is nearly limitless. Few to none have negative things to say about working with him. When deciding on the face of your company it would be hard to argue against choosing someone like this. When fans say something negative about WWE's image of violence, being bad for children, drugs and steroids, sexism, or other criticisms typically leveled at the wrestling business, Cena is a shining counterargument to those claims. One day in the future, Cena will be looked back on favorably for his contributions and like The Undertaker will be remembered as one of those loyal WWE figures who truly stood the test of time.

Blue Team

While there's no denying John Cena is one of the hardest workers to ever work for the WWE, and has put in many, many hours doing his job, he is not the right person to be the top guy, and he's been the wrong person for the job for far too long.

John Cena has sold the most merchandise since Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, this is true. However there is a condition for every bit of success he has. The condition is that he is the selected, chosen face of the WWE, and he has overstayed his welcome long past him being the top guy could be considered ''organic''. His overness is not organic, hasnt been since 09 arguably, and his legacy is manufactured. WWE has created a strong image for him that will inevitably lead to them calling him the ''Greatest of All Time''. He is already being labeled one of the ''GOATs'' by commentary, but he does not have what it takes to be this. The only thing Cena's done right in his position of top guy was act out this image to the best of his abilities. He tries, he does. Unfortunately, he does not have the skill, the athleticism, the mic skills or the social relevance to make good on this image.

Cena has been the top seller for WWE since the Rock/Austin era. However, he has not sold nearly as much as them. He hasn't sold as much as Austin, Rock, Undertaker or Hogan, yet he's run longer as the top guy than all of them. His run has been what will soon be 10 years. Rock and Austin only combine for 7. 

In Rock/Austins run, WWF/E was brought to unimaginable heights that matched if not surpassed the 80's boom. 

In Cena's run, WWE has plummeted in venues, sales, ratings, pay per view buys and social relevancy. It is no longer ''cool'' to be a wrestling fan anymore, and it started around the same time he took over. This is not ALL his fault, certainly not. He was organically popular for 2-3 years, and even then hardcore wrestling fans found it hard to respect him because he was awkward in the ring and had a very limited moveset. He was even getting booed in 2005, people. Even though WWE's downfall is not all Cena's fault, WWE does whatever they can to protect his image and are quick to harp on other guys. If CM Punk is in a main event and the ratings dont go well in the 3rd hour, the logic is ''Punk doesnt bring ratings, make Cena main event''. Even if Punk was waayyy more socially relevant than Cena, even if he had all these endorsements seeking him, WWE will ignore it just to protect Cena. Cena's role in WWE is far too overprotected, oversaturated and he is being overworked and the expectations have been set way too high for him.

Also, another problem is the refusal to turn him heel. It's absolutely redundant. He has never been the most over person in the company, even if he was the top merchandise seller. Every night there is at least one person who gets more of an ovation than him. In the 2010's decade especially people have grown weary of him. Before, there were plenty of nights where he'd get a big reaction, but there's no excuse to not turn Cena heel.

The age old argument of keeping Cena face of the company has been ''who else is going to do it?" Infamously (to me at least) Vince McMahon this week went on record as saying no one's reached for the brass ring since Cena. I think that's bullshit. Not only have people done it, they've gotten more over than Cena doing it. Randy Orton at one point became as, if not more popular than Cena 5-6 years ago AS A HEEL. Hell as a personal example, my little cousin who was a John Cena fanatic was disappointed one day in 09 when i got him a John Cena shirt and told me ''I like randy orton better now.'' Because Cenas gimmick is not cool. It's not cool to dress the way Cena does, act like he does and be the face of the WWE. Randy Orton was/is cool. Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler are also guys who have proven they would bust their ass as much as Cena does for the business and can do as well at their job if not better than Cena, but they are either turned heel or written off. Others like Dean Ambrose, Ryback, Bray Wyatt and lately, Roman Reigns prove they can get a  strong fan response and could potentially become a number 1 heel or face, but WWE does not capitalize on anyone. WWE has only capitalized on Cena as the number 1 guy and have held him firmly in that spot, and its only because Lesnar left. So I'm not saying Ryback can do what John Cena can do, I'm saying nobody who's gotten a buzz similar to the one Cena had before he got the # 1 spot was ever given the chance.

Cena's role is counterproductive because he serves as a vaccuum who everyone who has a buzz is fed to and becomes irrelevant. Its not fair to him, to the other guys, and it fucks up the company. Bottomline, John Cena is not very talented. He is a midcard level talent. In the last 10 years there were plenty of guys who are as good if not better on the mic than Cena (Punk, Edge, Wyatt, Ambrose), and way more who were superior in the ring (Bryan, Punk, Orton). 

Another thing is the people who have ALWAYS invested the most into the pro wrestling business has been grown men. A recent study shows that the primary consumer of WWE product are grown men 18-35. They're the ones who buy the shit, even if its for their kids. But before it was for the kids, they were actually fans who were pouring in money to Rock and Austin. It appealed to teenagers and men, and women and kids followed suit. This is what happens for every show. Breaking Bad, Game Of Thrones, Walking Dead are all shows designed to appeal to teens and men because of its edginess. Television has advanced, but WWE has only regressed. Grown men can see if a guy is a bad wrestler because they see guys with pure skill doing real wrestling in the octagon. Grown men can see if a fucking STF is put on the right way and not a fucking foot away from the guys face, or if a guy knows how to hit a dropkick the right way, and whos truly athletic, and if a guy cant do that grown men acknowledge they should NOT be booked as the ''greatest of all time''. All these people left WWE to watch UFC, real fighting, all at the same time (2005-2007) , why? Because Cena in the ring wasn't nearly what Rock, Austin, Bret were when it pertains to being the total package. Cena's a better wrestler than Hogan, but Hogans style as for the times, Cena's is not. It's not realistic to be ehh and occasionally have a stroke of genius and be the top guy. You have to legitimately be the best now. That's why Stone Cold got the response he got, because hes the greatest of all time.

Cena immensely lowered the bar, and he's getting credit for carrying the bar. Unfortunately its not good enough, especially when all these other opportunities have been ignored just to keep him where he is. He's good for business, hes a B+ player, but hes not best for business.

Red Team

We can all agree upon this statement: John Cena is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace a WWE ring. That statement cannot be negated, in terms of the overall standpoint. The man has accomplished all there is to be accomplished. Cena, ever since his debut roughly almost a decade ago, has been vilified for being the bloke to have no athleticism, the mic skills, the intriguing or intimidating moveset in his arsenal, but Cena continued to disregard all those criticism and he himself has elevated the WWE to a transcendent point. This is why Cena is at the pinnacle of where he is currently standing at the moment.


I can recall watching old matches from the 80's, 90's, and mostly of the 00's, seeing performers such as Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair Sting, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Ted DiBiase Sr, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, the list goes on and on and on. Those caliber of wrestlers helped place in our minds a congruent description about how the WWF at that time was considered. It was wrestling, utter and pure wrestling. People at the time would be covered with face paint, cheering and yelling at the top of their lungs with joy, right next to their trailers, because they were excited to attend the shows of Titans, or Slam, or the other shows within that time frame. Even though Ric Flair was the apparent "face of the WWF" of the 80s, and the 90s being equally shared to two of the most productive and alarming talents, The Rock and Stone Cold, they weren't being barred as the guys that would carry the company towards the present and into the unknown future. The fact that they won numerous World Championships and main-evented tons of Pay-Per-Views, doesn't mean that they were so overly-exaggerated to be the "GOAT's" of all-time. It was because of what they had in them. To pick the two most talked pointers, the reason why Stone Cold and The Rock were hugely successful was simply because they were unique. They had the eloquent mic skills, they can make your eyes twitch when they pull off moves that you clearly didn't expect.

Even some would say that the gimmicks they had at the time were almost as if they were "natural", and not forged to undergo with. That was the traits that the average pioneer wrestling fan of the 80s, 90s, and the 00s were looking for. SCSA and The Rock were the dynamic duos that gave the WWE the spark to continue glowing into the present and the future. They weren't billed as the faces of the company by Vince, Shane, or any other McMahon. It was the fans that knew who they were billed to become. The merchandise that were produced from those two combined, easily outstretches any other individual in the WWE today (with the obvious exception of Cena), they sold out venues, conferences, etc, but the average majority of those venues that were sold-out weren't children, or any other teen of age, but they were full-blooded wrestling fans that expected this type of wrestling to transition in their day. They wanted that raw excitement, the aggression, the passion and the energy that gets exerted week in and week out, so that they themselves can find the benefits of paying money to go see their desired wrestlers perform on the shows. The Rock and Stone Cold, no doubt, were the two greats that ever graced the ring.

As far as Cena goes, there is a negation to all of that. He may have made his debut against Kurt Angle. He may have lost his debut match, and heading to the backstage was greeted by The Undertaker, who gave him pep-talk, but he surely exceeded everyone's expectations. 12-time WWE Champion, 3-time World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time Royal Rumble Winner, main-eventing almost every match entirely within the WWE. His legacy is complete, and he will always be remembered in the company for ages to come. This is where the bullet enters the wounds now. Cena may have sold out venues, shows, made abundant ratings, and a whole lot of other stuff, but it didn't prove to be a "realistic" or a "flowing" occasion. Cena, back in 2002-2006, with his Thuganomics gimmick, THEN, it was a completely different view back then. Even though his moveset at the time was decent, the "pure" wrestling fans at that time didn't take that into consideration, because they were envisioning a wrestler that could be a powerhouse and a "total package", just like the previous greats of The Rock and Stone Cold. That view, was completely shunned around 2009, when in my opinion, the last reservation for the die-hard wrestling fans made their extinction from the WWE. They saw that once he changed his gimmick, once he made that drastic decision to accept the role as to become the face of the company, things changed. Sure, it may have been interesting to see how Cena was built to work around storylines. It may have been interesting to see Cena pull off some insane moves from out of nowhere in the middle of his matches. It may have been interesting for him to have a new change or a dialect to his mic skills. The fact of the matter that it has been a routine for almost a decade now. It has become tiring and a slander. I mean, the ball wasn't on Cena's court if he wanted to change his gimmick to become a "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect" heroic character. It was the WWE's. Somewhere along the line, the WWE didn't think of Cena turning into such a gigantic figure everywhere. Some may say that with the Chris Benoit saga, the company wanted to turn into a new direction. They wanted to transform into PG. It has often been the excuse as to why Cena has been pushed to the limit he is at right now. That with the PG now being put to play, and the slowly accumulation of children and teens to finally view "unbarbaric" wrestling content, the WWE invested on towards John Cena, because of his figure. They saw a passion in his eyes in which he could continue pursuing the job for years and years to come. They saw him as the "pass the torch" type of guy to let future stars come before him to establish their own history as to how their careers started to phase out. Cena may be no Rock or Stone Cold, but he is a Cena. He is a different guy with a different aurora, and he cannot be outmatched by any other competitor of any sought. He may be stressed to become a "heel", he can be stressed to "change his gimmick", but a majority of people have been subjected to have appreciation towards this man because he has devoted himself for this company entirely. The WWE could have revolved themselves around guys like Triple H and Randy Orton, but they didn't have the look and the physique to have some sought of presence and charm that would attract the "new and grooming fans" of the WWE. Cena cleanly fitted every bill of the department. At times where storylines develop, such as Kane/Cena, Heyman/Cena, even leading to the time around 2012 where Cena ambushed and demolished Jack Swagger, that was supposed to hint a potential heel turn. Even though the following week, Cena would come out to the ring and express his vow to pledge his full allegiance to those who believed in him, the fans would still be amazed, because the week before, they got their minds thinking. They thought of what the possible outcomes could be. Whether he would turn heel, change his gimmick, introduce a stable from out of nowhere, there were no walls in front of their overflowing conscience. That is why Cena is the man that he is in this company, because whether he is heavily boo'd, it isn't because they hate Cena with a passion. They probably all respect Cena for what he has done, for what he has achieved, and for what he has transformed WWE to be, but they just want to see a new thing emerge. They want to see a new shade of Cena, but with the WWE knowing that he is the source for all the good things happening to the company in a long, long time, they can't relinquish him from being the man of the company, but they can build a new top crop and to help turn into a shade in which the other wrestling fans would want to see. A shade like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, the aggressive and the mic working crop. At the end of the day, Cena isn't trying to do this all for himself, he is devoting himself to do all of this to entertain people, whether in a good or a negative way.

Has there ever been a superstar who splits the fan so much? It’s hard to think of any other. Statistically he’s right up there as one of the top few, maybe even the very best. Of course numbers can only tell so much and in this case barely a fraction. There are many, many pieces to the argument when it comes to Cena in basically any aspect of the industry; his commitment to the promotion, his work in the ring as a wrestler, the attributes that define him and anything else one could think of. If there is anything people with a strand of sanity or isn’t salty beyond belief can agree on is that his efforts to promote the WWE’s various campaigns from breast cancer awareness, Make A Wish and Be A Star as well as his efforts when it comes to general public relations is nothing short of remarkable and nothing we’ve seen before. Not even the greats that came before him were able to carry that work load and I’d like to see an argument that isn’t filled with straw clutching against that statement. In my mind, the time he gets, the championships, the historical moments are deserved. However, while a lot of the issues, the backlash stems from his booking, the way his feuds with talent ends and the time he is granted, I believe its people’s lack of understanding and in some way their feeling of nostalgia that greatly intensify this situation.
 
Is it fair to compare Cena to past greats? To Taker? To Austin? To Rock? To Michaels? To Hart? To even Hogan himself? No, it’s quite simply not fair. Times change, attitudes change and what appeals now, what appeals then and what will appeal in the future will never be the same. The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin greatly appeal to us because it’s what we grew up with. Believe it or not there’s an audience right now that has grown up with Cena. Is it wrong that they enjoy his work? Does that make them “uneducated”? Absolutely not.


Like Hogan, John Cena has become more than just a character on a television show. He’s become a brand, an identity that has the attention of all types of media basically at the snap of his fingers. You want something promoted? John Cena is a guy you would want promoting it. When Hulk Hogan went to WCW his name alone, the brand, the identity that comes with it was enough to bring in the crowd. WCW didn’t need Hogan selling his image to a particular audience to help the product grow, he pulled the crowd regardless. So when Hogan turned heel, the impact was massive but in no way harmful. In the modern day, if TNA found some wealthy buyer and took it to new heights, Cena found his way out of the WWE and the two came together, would the impact that Hulk Hogan had on jumping across be replicated? Abso-fucking-lutely. The crowd would come. Regardless of how people see him, they like him, they hate him or they just don’t care would tune in. No longer would TNA need to use Cena’s image, his presence would be enough. Only then would he be free to turn heel. Right now, his work when it comes to public relations is simply too much to throw away. It would be detrimental until they find someone so committed to company to fill that role. No matter how much you may hate him, you can’t discredit his work outside the ring for the company; no one has EVER done as much as him and that’s not a bias remark, that’s a fact.
 
One of the major criticisms of the WWE is that they should be embracing pro wrestling. Allow me to put it this way, The Walking Dead is a zombie show that doesn’t focus on the zombies. Breaking Bad was a show about drugs yet it was never the sole focus of the show. The WWE is a wrestling show that focuses on telling a story and developing characters. Regardless of how bad the product may be and I’m one who can’t even watch thirty minutes without ending the stream, it’s still their focus. The wrestling aspect? Is just a way to carry the product on. It’s something that we enjoy, but we need to realise that it will never be the main focus of the show. Think of your favourite WWF/E moments over the years, how many are of how well they sold, how well they executed particular moves? It’s the story. It’s the moments that lead to climaxes and resolutions. That’s the WWE then, the WWE now and the WWE well until it dies. I don’t recongise personally that Cena is up there with the legends. I don’t rate his in ring ability that high though I do give him a bit more credit than the five moves of doom garbage. His mic skills *can* be quality, his work leading into Wrestlemania 28 was absolutely brilliant. But the idea that because he isn’t so excellent in the ring, that he isn’t of the level of Bryan, Orton, Rollins, Ambrose etc that he’s destroying pro wrestling? He could be destroying sports entertainment and for the record I absolutely support that term over pro wrestling when it comes to the WWE but he’s only destroying pro wrestling to those who can’t separate and recongise the difference between the product the WWE and to a much, much lesser extent TNA to Ring of Honor, NJPW and other independent promotions. To me, I accept that Cena will be recongised, it’s their vision, their desire and there’s nothing that’s going to change that.
 
Wrestling fans can’t grasp something very, very important; they’re no longer the target demographic. For a decade at least they were but the company was built on the foundations of being a family product, targeted towards a younger audience. If it wasn’t for WCW forcing them to adjust to get back to their number one spot, it would never have changed its approach. Hogan appealed to the target audience then just like Cena appeals to the target audience now. They were KIDS. If Hulk Hogan was in his prime right now, when we know so much of the person behind the persona, Hulk Hogan would be far from realistic; he would be far from appealing to an older audience. It’s unfortunate that people who were 5-10 years old in the 80’s look back at the product then with rose coloured glasses, incapable of actually being able to see that what appeals to kids now appealed to them then. They grew up with the product coincidently changing as they got older, changing with their attitudes. These now grown men aren’t going to be interested in seeing Cena, they’re not going to buy what he’s trying to sell because just like Hogan did to them, Cena isn’t trying to sell it to them.
 
And guess what? Unless the product decides to bump its rating up and look for new avenues of revenue, if Roman Reigns is the one to fill in for Cena, in ten years we’ll be right here going on about the same tired “problems” that consistent with Cena. The WWE for the foreseeable future will remain PG, their product is going to remain targeting towards an audience that isn’t above the age of 13. Some new face whether it’s Reigns or someone else isn’t going to appeal to the older audience after a year. I mean fuck, people are already lining up the whole “superman” stuff despite that actually being the core of their product. In what world is the man you promote time and time again as the face going to made to look weak? Brock Lesnar is a very rare occasion that will most likely lead to a conclusion that would benefit a younger superstar rather than Cena. Is it so hard for people to understand that the idea of having the face of your company lose clean, made to look weak is an absolutely rubbish one? Why use the guy that only comes out on top of his storylines half the time to promote something outside? I guess the reality that Austin and Rock were perhaps the only two constant winners out of the entire Attitude Era escapes the minds of fans because it’s in the past and they don’t have the capacity to recall it at all. How funny it is when the rose coloured glasses are removed huh? It brings me back to the point that the WWE is all about storytelling and appeal to a particular demographic. As long as they achieve that (which they do, shock horror I know), they have no reason to change it until Cena can go no more.
 

This argument should be whether or not Cena is fit to be in the position he should be, but the ideas and the perspectives as to why he should be will never be recognised and/or entertained by people who remain somewhat stubborn and complacent on the matter. Until progress is made in convincing people that many of the problems stem from their own desires and taste rather than the impact the man has made, we’ll still have people calling for his head.

The deadline is up at 12am tonight so if anyone still hasn't put up a debate you better hurry.

I absolutely love the sands of time argument that people try to use against Cena. "Oh, Rock and Stone Cold outsold Cena in merchandise and they've been there as much as he blah blah". Well, no shit. Wrestling, as a whole, isn't as cool as it used to be in the Attitude Era. Condemning Cena all because of the era he is in, is honestly, just jack shit. If it were Edge, Randy Orton, CM Punk, etc... the same argument is used against them as well. It's stupid and it doesn't have any merit behind it. Cena is being penalized for what WWE used to be, without any recognition that there is no way Cena or any ONE man (Including the likes of Rock/Austin) can bring modern-day televised wrestling into what the product used to be. WWE made Rock and Austin bigger stars than they actually were, ditto with Cena. Difference being, WWE isn't, nor will ever be back to the level they once were. So of course it's natural to say Cena can't sell as many tickets, merchandise, and buys as they. WWE didn't get draws by just one man then, but they sure as hell have to rely on mostly one man now. Rock and Austin were helped by star names like Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Badass Taker, DX, Goldberg, Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg, amazing tag team division headlined by Edge/Christian, Hardy Boys, The Dudleys... etc etc. Either really, really strong gimmicks with edge, or amazing gimmick matches to ease the draw. What does John Cena get? Nevermind the tag division, but the midcard division has been near non-existent in his time too, while having the likes of Sheamus, Khali, older HBK, HHH, and UNdertaker and one-hit wonders to help him in his time on top of the mountain. Yeah, great argument, people. Not only is the Attitude Era more edgy, but the roster simply had more depth of talent, then.

But that brings me to the now... and hell yes I'm going to use the "who else" argument. How is it a crime to use something ever so obvious and true? It's THIS simple - WWE has gotten with the times and have tried to alter their business model to stay sufficient with their competition. John Cena is that perfect image they are looking for, regardless of how we feel about it. Don't like the direction of the company, fine, just don't blame it on John Cena. Someone had to be it, it just so happens he was the ideal fit for what they were looking for. A muscular guy like Hogan who had the same charasmatic traits as Rock on the microphone. I guarantee you a guy like Daniel Bryan or Randy Orton in Cena's shoes would have the ever-so-same stale character after 10 years, anyway. That's just what fan favorites are - stale. People often times, like to say Cena buries people, or as long as he's in the match - the focus is mainly on just him. That is so damn untrue. Who is the GUY who has put over Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, AND Brock Lesnar to their rise as "THE GUY" for a summer? Look no other, than to John Cena himself. And it's not a coincidence either. The top feuds in WWE the past decade (Excluding WMs due to being unique - but even if you did, Rock/Cena outshines them all anyway) John Cena is involved in ALL of them. Cena - Edge (Edge's placement of being a main stay in the mainevent started due to Cena's popularity and face character in 05/06.) Cena - CM Punk (Definitely the most polarizing and talked about of the entire era. Made CM Punk THE GUY.)

Now tell me... when Randy Orton was in "Age of Orton" mode in 2008... during his very, very long 2008 reign, tell me, what was so damn memorable about it? What was memorable about any of his reigns? Can't even remember who he lost it to, and you people want to crown him as "the guy"? At least with Cena you can be proud of his feuds with Edge, HBK, Bryan, Punk, Brock and HHH over the years. Perhaps Orton has HHH to his credit as well, but that is IT. Yeah, great "Face of the company" there guys. Someone, who admittedly is a better technical wrestler than Cena, but can't draw in the
interest when he's the world champion? Yeah, get real. Couldn't draw interest to his reigns when he was on his first few, at least Cena can be remembered for his amazing work with Edge and Triple H during his first couple runs.

To anybody that questions the choice, I want to take you back to 2005 or 2006, when WWE NEEDS a new face of the company. When there is a bit of transition in the company, where Rock, Stone Cold and Jericho are out the door... and in comes Batista, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Who DO you pick? Who, bias aside, are you picking? Are you picking a Randy Orton that can't even make the best of Evolution? Are you taking Batista, who doesn't match up to Cena in either regard - wrestling or charisma - but in all fairness is a great choice for # 2? Or are you choosing John Cena - someone the fans adored and tuned into very closely every damn time he touched a microphone? In 2014, it may be easy for you to say otherwise, after seeing the monopoly John Cena has become. But in 2005, you are going to be hard-pressed choosing anyone BUT John Cena to be THE guy. Again, the sands of time, not working in Cena's favor in terms of this argument.

What is happening in WWE's declining numbers, declining fan interest, poor show quality... is simply, not a John Cena problem. It is a WWE problem. And I GUARANTEE YOU, Rock or Stone Cold would be watered down in his role, too. Hell, Rock was watered down in his time back. Arrive. Make corny joke. Leave. That's your hero, EAW. That is this guy "Cena can't match up to because of Raw ratings". If you think I'm wrong, that's fine, but just know your excuse runs dry when Roman Reigns gets the torch from John Cena. It's going to be the same problem - a WWE problem. But you will SEE that John Cena kept this company afloat... John Cena kept fans of all ages interested, to either love him or hate him. Nobody simply gives a shit about Reigns other than pure loyalists. Just like nobody would have given a shit about Edge's Ultimate Opportunist gimmick if the John Cena character wasn't the one being screwed over. Yeah. I said it. Edge NEEDED a character like John Cena to get over. John Cena has made a career out of elevating guys like CM Punk, Bryan, Edge, etc etc to that level, and you guys are trying to tell me that Cena is the one that isn't worthy? Please. Not only is John Cena fit for the job, he's the only one worthy of the job. It's just sad how it's going to take him being gone for you guys to realize that Rock/Austin aren't his competition, rather his peers in legend status. But that's alright. Reigns will be your punishment. Now that is a disaster worth seeing... and a comeback party calling for John Cena that is inevitable.

But at the end of the day - you have to look at the basics of the question itself: "Is John Cena good for the company?" The simple answer is yes - even if you wish to turn this question into who should be the # 1 guy. He's durable (Bryan). He's not an asshole backstage (CM Punk). He's polarizing (Randy Orton). He's present (Rock/Jericho). And he sure as hell is the only one for quite a workload. If you want the best wrestler to be the face of your company, then go watch the Indys. If you want someone to carry your company to a mainstream audience, take John Cena and run away with the proceeds he gives you. End of story. Simple as that. Next question. I win.