Mr. Monday Morning
04-06-2007, 08:09 PM
So yeah
Was on another forum, was discussing parallels between Cena now and Sting circa 96-97 just before he disappeared and started doing the Crow gimmick. Suppositioned that it wouldn't be that hard to book something similar, came up with this, had to post it somewhere.
NOTE: I know some of this makes no sense, and further to the point this will never happen (you'll see why but basically it would more than likely lose them a ton of money). Feel free to tear it to shreds, whatever, I don't really care much either way. Hell, suggest your own booking if you agree with the similarities (or not)
Hey, nearly 10,000.
Of course I'm not a booker so this is basically a cobbled together mishmash of other angles from recent years, but something like this I think could work;
Assuming the program between Cena and HBK lasts a while, keep Shaun fairly face. Vince tries to shoot down Shaun's chances week after week in an attempt to destroy DX once and for all with HHH still gone. Others in the back become suspicious of whether Cena is working with McMahon, and openly question whether he would make 'a deal with the devil' to keep his title. Until finally, when it comes down to Shaun's last chance, McMahon costs Cena the title - seemingly by accident. Shaun, of course, is innocent, and grants Cena a rematch the next night.
On Raw, the crowd is electric for the new champ, and firmly behind him. Cena cuts a promo promising the crowd that he will win the title back in a fair fight, but for once the negativity they give to him seems to get through somewhat. Without the title at his side, he's somehow more vulnerable.
Come the title match, Cena has it won, only for Vince to cost him once again, only this time, yes, Shaun was in on it all along. Regardless of his DX status, regardless of his history with Vince and everything else, he turned to McMahon to help him get what he wants the most, the title (a la Austin at WM17 - yes I know that never really worked out too well but different character, different circumstance). He was knocked out of this business for 4 years, and it ate away at him every day. Eventually his time to retire will come, and he can't go quietly, can't go without holding onto the title one more time. If he's going to go out of this business, he's going to go out on top, if anyone can stop him. They brutalise Cena, Pillmanising his ankle and knocking him off TV for weeks.
Challengers come and go, but nobody can best HBK with Vince behind him. Then, one day, the return of HHH. Of course he won't stand for what HBK has done, turning his back on DX, turning his back on what they built together. The showdown builds, but never comes, as HHH reunites with HBK, reunites with McMahon, the AA to HBK's Flair. Things begin to look bleak, until the day Cena returns. A tag is booked, HBK/HHH vs Cena/Benoit (for example). At the crucial point, at the crucial time, Cena walks out on his partner.
On his way out of the building, an interviewer catches up to him, and he expains why - when he was champ, when he was there for the people, when he gave everything he had for them, they rejected him. He went and fought for them, by himself, but they couldn't bring themselves to believe in him, couldn't trust that he really was what he seemed to be - a genuine, true champion. Instead they jeered him, treated him with derision and disdain, and cheered the degenerates, the con artists, the men with no loyalty to anyone but themselves. And now they have the champion they deserve.
Time passes. Anyone who comes into HBK's way is given a choice; sign up, or ship out. Orton, Edge, Benoit, Batista, Kennedy, Van Dam, Punk, Lashley, Umaga - all either join forces, or are beaten into the ground. Intermittently there are reports of Cena being seen at the building, or spotted watching in a bar somewhere. He avoids interviews, avoids the limelight. Attempts to track him down are unsuccessful. Eventually the point is reached where there is no-one left, where Michaels cannot be beaten. There is no shining white knight, there is no hero to save the day.
Having made his mark, having etched his legacy in stone as the greatest champion of the modern era, having beaten all there is to beat, he will retire, and take the title with him, there being nobody else fit to hold it. It will be the end of the WWE as an active wrestling company, the company he built for the last 20 (or so) years. Vince at this point does not care, content to grow old and live off intellectual property rights, and the profits of the vast video library. He has beaten his competition into the dust, he has made his mark as the greatest entrepreneur the wrestling business has ever seen, he has enough money to live in superior wealth the rest of his life. His children have never earned their inheritance, have never proved worthy, and do not deserve to profit from the fruits of his labour anymore.
The date is set, a special is arranged, and so the last Raw ever, the last WWE TV show ever, is announced. The TV companies can work out what to put in the slots next week, Vince doesn't care, he can afford the severance fees such a move will cause. The last ECW show winds down, and the set and ring are publically dismantled and trashed beyond repair. Same for Smackdown. The shows are put together in an almost sombre atmosphere, as if nobody can quite believe what is happening.
So, as the ceremony commences, the fans sit, stunned. The entire roster lines the stage and around the ring. The audience waits for something spectacular to happen, waiting for someone to stop proceedings, for an interjection, anything. Nothing comes. The ceremony finishes, having seen the greatest moments in WWE history, speeches from Vince, Shaun, and other figures. Then, through the crowd comes a man. The man. John Cena. Vince thanks for him for accepting his invitation to attend, but unfortunately he's too late, and has missed the ceremony. There is only 5 minutes left until the WWE closes its doors for good. Cena stares down HBK, and without a word, he decks him, and a huge arena-wide brawl erupts, as the show closes out.
In the aftermath, on WWE.com an irate Vince threatens to sue Cena, but since there is no need for the wrestlers and so he is finished anyway, what difference does it make. He's interrupted in the middle however by a courier delivering a letter, stating that Shane and Stephanie have used their stake in the company to persuade the board to arrange one last episode of Raw, and a final PPV where Cena will face HBK for the title. If Cena wins, Vince and Shaun must retire forever. If HBK wins, the company as it is now ceases to be, and he goes down in history as the final WWE champion, undefeated.
The TV show sees very little of HBK and Vince, and only fleeting glimpses of Cena, mostly with other wrestlers in the back coming up to him, wishing him good luck, reminding him of what's on the line, pleading with him to save their jobs, etc. He blanks or ignores them for the most part, keeping to himself. With the last remaining air time, he speaks for the first time in months.
Growing up, he was a fan of this business. It was all he wanted to do. When he rose to the top, when he was at his highest, it and the people chewed him up and spat him out. He spent a long time questioning why, questioning whether he had what it took, questioning whether he really wanted to ever come back. Whether he really had the love for it that he always thought he had. And then he saw that the company was going to die. And it struck him in a way that nothing could have, if it wasn't something that might as well be a part of him, he loved it so dearly. If others can accept the company dieing, that's their choice. He won't let it go without a fight, without trying to save it. He can't let it die while doing nothing , because it will always haunt him. He needs to know whether he deserves to be a champion; whether he can save the company, what it means to him, what it truly means to anyone who has ever said that they have a love for it. He will fight for what he loves, and he will fight for those who claim the same love as him, even if they don't want him to.
Come the PPV, and Cena wins. A new era begins, completely overhauled (at least aesthetically - new show names, new sets, new rosters, everything) and the next wave of talent beings their rise.
Was on another forum, was discussing parallels between Cena now and Sting circa 96-97 just before he disappeared and started doing the Crow gimmick. Suppositioned that it wouldn't be that hard to book something similar, came up with this, had to post it somewhere.
NOTE: I know some of this makes no sense, and further to the point this will never happen (you'll see why but basically it would more than likely lose them a ton of money). Feel free to tear it to shreds, whatever, I don't really care much either way. Hell, suggest your own booking if you agree with the similarities (or not)
Hey, nearly 10,000.
Of course I'm not a booker so this is basically a cobbled together mishmash of other angles from recent years, but something like this I think could work;
Assuming the program between Cena and HBK lasts a while, keep Shaun fairly face. Vince tries to shoot down Shaun's chances week after week in an attempt to destroy DX once and for all with HHH still gone. Others in the back become suspicious of whether Cena is working with McMahon, and openly question whether he would make 'a deal with the devil' to keep his title. Until finally, when it comes down to Shaun's last chance, McMahon costs Cena the title - seemingly by accident. Shaun, of course, is innocent, and grants Cena a rematch the next night.
On Raw, the crowd is electric for the new champ, and firmly behind him. Cena cuts a promo promising the crowd that he will win the title back in a fair fight, but for once the negativity they give to him seems to get through somewhat. Without the title at his side, he's somehow more vulnerable.
Come the title match, Cena has it won, only for Vince to cost him once again, only this time, yes, Shaun was in on it all along. Regardless of his DX status, regardless of his history with Vince and everything else, he turned to McMahon to help him get what he wants the most, the title (a la Austin at WM17 - yes I know that never really worked out too well but different character, different circumstance). He was knocked out of this business for 4 years, and it ate away at him every day. Eventually his time to retire will come, and he can't go quietly, can't go without holding onto the title one more time. If he's going to go out of this business, he's going to go out on top, if anyone can stop him. They brutalise Cena, Pillmanising his ankle and knocking him off TV for weeks.
Challengers come and go, but nobody can best HBK with Vince behind him. Then, one day, the return of HHH. Of course he won't stand for what HBK has done, turning his back on DX, turning his back on what they built together. The showdown builds, but never comes, as HHH reunites with HBK, reunites with McMahon, the AA to HBK's Flair. Things begin to look bleak, until the day Cena returns. A tag is booked, HBK/HHH vs Cena/Benoit (for example). At the crucial point, at the crucial time, Cena walks out on his partner.
On his way out of the building, an interviewer catches up to him, and he expains why - when he was champ, when he was there for the people, when he gave everything he had for them, they rejected him. He went and fought for them, by himself, but they couldn't bring themselves to believe in him, couldn't trust that he really was what he seemed to be - a genuine, true champion. Instead they jeered him, treated him with derision and disdain, and cheered the degenerates, the con artists, the men with no loyalty to anyone but themselves. And now they have the champion they deserve.
Time passes. Anyone who comes into HBK's way is given a choice; sign up, or ship out. Orton, Edge, Benoit, Batista, Kennedy, Van Dam, Punk, Lashley, Umaga - all either join forces, or are beaten into the ground. Intermittently there are reports of Cena being seen at the building, or spotted watching in a bar somewhere. He avoids interviews, avoids the limelight. Attempts to track him down are unsuccessful. Eventually the point is reached where there is no-one left, where Michaels cannot be beaten. There is no shining white knight, there is no hero to save the day.
Having made his mark, having etched his legacy in stone as the greatest champion of the modern era, having beaten all there is to beat, he will retire, and take the title with him, there being nobody else fit to hold it. It will be the end of the WWE as an active wrestling company, the company he built for the last 20 (or so) years. Vince at this point does not care, content to grow old and live off intellectual property rights, and the profits of the vast video library. He has beaten his competition into the dust, he has made his mark as the greatest entrepreneur the wrestling business has ever seen, he has enough money to live in superior wealth the rest of his life. His children have never earned their inheritance, have never proved worthy, and do not deserve to profit from the fruits of his labour anymore.
The date is set, a special is arranged, and so the last Raw ever, the last WWE TV show ever, is announced. The TV companies can work out what to put in the slots next week, Vince doesn't care, he can afford the severance fees such a move will cause. The last ECW show winds down, and the set and ring are publically dismantled and trashed beyond repair. Same for Smackdown. The shows are put together in an almost sombre atmosphere, as if nobody can quite believe what is happening.
So, as the ceremony commences, the fans sit, stunned. The entire roster lines the stage and around the ring. The audience waits for something spectacular to happen, waiting for someone to stop proceedings, for an interjection, anything. Nothing comes. The ceremony finishes, having seen the greatest moments in WWE history, speeches from Vince, Shaun, and other figures. Then, through the crowd comes a man. The man. John Cena. Vince thanks for him for accepting his invitation to attend, but unfortunately he's too late, and has missed the ceremony. There is only 5 minutes left until the WWE closes its doors for good. Cena stares down HBK, and without a word, he decks him, and a huge arena-wide brawl erupts, as the show closes out.
In the aftermath, on WWE.com an irate Vince threatens to sue Cena, but since there is no need for the wrestlers and so he is finished anyway, what difference does it make. He's interrupted in the middle however by a courier delivering a letter, stating that Shane and Stephanie have used their stake in the company to persuade the board to arrange one last episode of Raw, and a final PPV where Cena will face HBK for the title. If Cena wins, Vince and Shaun must retire forever. If HBK wins, the company as it is now ceases to be, and he goes down in history as the final WWE champion, undefeated.
The TV show sees very little of HBK and Vince, and only fleeting glimpses of Cena, mostly with other wrestlers in the back coming up to him, wishing him good luck, reminding him of what's on the line, pleading with him to save their jobs, etc. He blanks or ignores them for the most part, keeping to himself. With the last remaining air time, he speaks for the first time in months.
Growing up, he was a fan of this business. It was all he wanted to do. When he rose to the top, when he was at his highest, it and the people chewed him up and spat him out. He spent a long time questioning why, questioning whether he had what it took, questioning whether he really wanted to ever come back. Whether he really had the love for it that he always thought he had. And then he saw that the company was going to die. And it struck him in a way that nothing could have, if it wasn't something that might as well be a part of him, he loved it so dearly. If others can accept the company dieing, that's their choice. He won't let it go without a fight, without trying to save it. He can't let it die while doing nothing , because it will always haunt him. He needs to know whether he deserves to be a champion; whether he can save the company, what it means to him, what it truly means to anyone who has ever said that they have a love for it. He will fight for what he loves, and he will fight for those who claim the same love as him, even if they don't want him to.
Come the PPV, and Cena wins. A new era begins, completely overhauled (at least aesthetically - new show names, new sets, new rosters, everything) and the next wave of talent beings their rise.