[Green]

There's been debate for years over whether Cena should turn, but could you argue that in some ways he already has?

The definition of a heel is basically a wrestler the audience dislikes. For whatever reason, Cena plays a character who is greatly disliked by a vast portion of the audience. In a sense, he is a classic heel. Fans are desperate to see him beaten. Even Dolph Ziggler or Sheamus gets audible cheers when facing him. You could say Cena more than anyone else gets people over.

My view is that Cena currently plays a dual role. He is a face to one part of the audience, and a heel to the other.

Question is, when people say Cena should 'turn heel', how exactly do they imagine his character changing? And how would that new character make him a more effective heel than he already is?

 

[CharlieSheen]

Cena is the biggest heel in IWC history

 

[Green]

He is man. This idea of a heel having to be a moral antagonist is too simplistic. Just take a look at some of the comments on this forum. Some of Cena's haters are the biggest marks I've ever seen.

 

[CM12Punk]

No. It is just planting seeds for a future Rock/Cena match.

 

[MDollaz]

Well here's the thing. In or der to effectively turn John Cena heel, you have to ensure that neither the women and kids or the 18 and up demographic can stomach the guy. By doing what the IWC is usually calling for would only serve to reverse the roles where women and kids would boo, teenagers and men would cheer. So there has to be some absolutely despicable unredeeming act that would effectively turn him heel. It has to be [email protected] at the Beach or Lebron & The Decision epic.

 

[Target 02]

He has done many heel tactics in the past, look no further than tying Batista's feet together with duct-tape. That's a heel thing to do. What superface would do that?

 

[SAL]

Well, the simple change to heel tactics would be a huge shift from his current "hustle loyalty respect" gimmick. I think what the "TURN HEEL CENA" crowd really wants is a change to the character. I for one think Cena can be far more interesting than he's been allowed to be for the last 4 years. Right now he doesn't really have a gimmick, he's just a guy, and his identity is based on the reactions he gets. I think the guy's good enough to do something better than that.

 

[tonytheknight]

in wwe's eye cena isnt a true heel until he uses heelish tactics in a feud with a top babyface like (taker,morrison,reyjr,kofi,etc)

 

[radiatedrich]

He is man. This idea of a heel having to be a moral antagonist is too simplistic. Just take a look at some of the comments on this forum. Some of Cena's haters are the biggest marks I've ever seen.

I agree with this, and actually a LOT of heels in pro wrestling are anything but moral antagonists. For example, Muhammad Hassan was simply an American Muslim who made some justified complaints about discrimination after 9/11, yet he was booed simply for being different. Chris Jericho was an honest, rational man who pointed out the moral hypocrisy of the fans booing him for using underhanded tactics while cheering people like Shawn Michaels for doing the same thing.

Conclusion? Heels are more moralistic than faces, and both heels and faces are more moralistic than marks.

 

[Green]

I agree with this, and actually a LOT of heels in pro wrestling are anything but moral antagonists. For example, Muhammad Hassan was simply an American Muslim who made some justified complaints about discrimination after 9/11, yet he was booed simply for being different. Chris Jericho was an honest, rational man who pointed out the moral hypocrisy of the fans booing him for using underhanded tactics while cheering people like Shawn Michaels for doing the same thing.

Conclusion? Heels are more moralistic than faces, and both heels and faces are more moralistic than marks.

Yes, I honestly think its Cena's current character which makes him as effective as he is. People despise him. Thats hard to acheive. I'm not sure whether turning him into a generic cowardly character would benefit anything.

 

[radiatedrich]

Yes, I honestly think its Cena's current character which makes him as effective as he is. People despise him. Thats hard to acheive. I'm not sure whether turning him into a generic cowardly character would benefit anything.

And that's why I think Cena is absolutely perfect the way he is now. Ever so subtly, he is one of the greatest heels of all time while simultaneously being one of the greatest faces of all time. A "real" heel turn would still be a great moment, but I don't believe it's something that MUST be done like so many people seem to think.