QUESTION - What happened to all of those John Cena 6-7 year old fans from 2006/2007?

[Heyman]

QUESTION - What happened to all of those John Cena 6-7 year old fans from 2006/2007?


These little kids that were fans of John Cena's 8-9 years ago........what happened to them?


Did they




Continue being John Cena fans
Stop watching WWE
Still Secretly love Cena but now chant "Cena Sucks!" as to avoid the stigma of being a "non-kid" John Cena fan
Genuinely dislike John Cena now



Is there any way of measuring this? The reason why I ask is because I'm wondering if the notion of, "Only kids loving John Cena" is a perpetuated myth?

[DAMN iNATOR]

It's definitely not a myth, and if Bayley ever makes the main roster, she will be the Diva equivalent of him, and as such may end up having a career rivaling or even outdoing that of Lita or Trish.

Note I didn't say outright that would happen, just that it could.

As for Cena, I do think some probably continue into their early teens as Ceba fans, and probably slightly less carry that over into their early adult years before turning on him, if they ever do.

[ron the dial]

i'm a grown man and i love cena. i did join in on the "john cena sucks" chants during his entrance at extreme rules because it was fun.

[Rollermacka]

They are all backyarders and play wrestle in EzekielKane's little backyard company.....

[Fignuts]

I think Cena is great, those kids probaly still do.

[Emperor Smeat]

Majority moved on from wrestling based on a wrestling ratings and viewer chart I semi-remember reading about last year. Wrestling Observer had something about that problem in the past as well with the explanation being MMA took a chunk as part of their boom popularity years ago and a large chunk just stopped watching wrestling.

Cena's been great for the WWE at grabbing the children's market but horrible at keeping them and getting other age markets interested.

[Damian Rey]

As mentioned, a few went on to mma, though I'm sure the others who stuck around just grew up, much like the kids who eventually booed Hogan when he showed up in wcw.

[#1-norm-fan]

It's definitely a myth. Even the internet doesn't really hate Cena like it used to. But at this point, I think the Cena hate is overblown by live reactions because "Cena Sucks" is just a "thing" now and people will do it regardless of their feelings just to be part of the crowd.

[The CyNick]

Never understood why anyone would hate Cena

[NormanSmiley]

Cause nobody else gets cena's spot with him there. So cena haters blame him for nobody else getting put above him. Or some people probably dont like him for him always smiling and joking in feuds

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Never understood why anyone would hate Cena

He hasn't evolved his character enough. Or, Vince hasn't evolved his character enough. There's no doubting his success though, and the fucker can work with the best of them. But some people want more than some happy smiley babyface in jorts.

[NormanSmiley]

Gorgeous dale with the hot tag!

[DAMN iNATOR]

He hasn't evolved his character enough. Or, Vince hasn't evolved his character enough. There's no doubting his success though, and the fucker can work with the best of them. But some people want more than some happy smiley babyface in jorts.

You forgot that most of his jokes suck, too.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Well not everyone has the power of the entire Nation of Damnation behind them, writing all of their jokes.

[Wishbone]

Many have moved on. Those that haven't have probably either grown out of his shtick, or still like him and just go along with the crowd because it's fun. It's also worth noting that the Cena hate is drastically overblown on the net. Most wrestling fans I've met in real life don't hold any real hatred toward him (myself included).

Also I honestly look at Cena the way I look at Superman. I don't like him from a character standpoint, but I like what he stands for. He's boring as sin to watch, but the role he plays is a necessary one and the WWE landscape wouldn't be the same without their resident Superman.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Can't fucking stand him. Seriously. I really miss the days when I could hang out with my group at the bar for PPVs and all belt out the now-famous "JOHN CENA SUCKS!!!" chant during his entrance.

Ahh, memories.

[Shadrick]

They've really toned down the Cena dominance over the last few years. Have definitely made his character much more bearable and enjoyable.

[Maluco]

He is fantastic, but at the same time his character is stale and his run at the top has been too long. He should be one of the top guys, but he is out there all alone. Bad booking has isolated him and the numbers show that people aren't interested anymore.

They need something new and fresh coming out of SS

[Sixx]

I'm not a fan of his character, but other than that he seems like a really cool guy. And he can be funny, I've only watched John Cena scenes from Trainwreck and loved them.

[Heyman]

Majority moved on from wrestling based on a wrestling ratings and viewer chart I semi-remember reading about last year. Wrestling Observer had something about that problem in the past as well with the explanation being MMA took a chunk as part of their boom popularity years ago and a large chunk just stopped watching wrestling.

Cena's been great for the WWE at grabbing the children's market but horrible at keeping them and getting other age markets interested.



I appreciate everyone's responses in this thread. :cool:


Smelly Meatball - I especially like your insight and think that's pretty interesting. Your last sentence, in particular, interests me.




Lets assume the following:


1) John Cena has about 3-5 years left in the tank as the top guy.


2) Roman Reigns will be the next 'face of the WWE"




What would be a better strategy for the WWE?


A) As was the case with Cena, have Roman Reigns be targeted towards the child demographic since they are the primary target audience and largest demographic in the WWE. One potential pitfall against this strategy however, is that the WWE has shifted away from the PG era and so it may not be as conducive to target the child demographic as it was with Cena back in 2005.


B) Have Reigns be targeted towards the 'teen' demographic. In other words, have Cena still be "the guy" that caters towards kids, but position a guy like Reigns in such a way that he appeals to the 'teen' demographic. In other words, Reigns becomes "the guy" that kids naturally gravitate towards as they enter their adolescence.


My personal line of thinking is to go with Option 'A', as many kids stop watching wrestling after the age of 12 anyways (as seems to have been the case over the last 10 years or so).




-Make Reigns your next "Top Star"
-As the WWE did with Cena back in 2005, have Reigns be targeted towards the 'child' demographic.

[The CyNick]

He hasn't evolved his character enough. Or, Vince hasn't evolved his character enough. There's no doubting his success though, and the fucker can work with the best of them. But some people want more than some happy smiley babyface in jorts.

Would you prefer a smiling babyface in yellow trunks?

Is that what the hate is about? Jorts? In a business where men run around in underwear, you would think Jorts would be welcomed.

[The CyNick]

Cause nobody else gets cena's spot with him there. So cena haters blame him for nobody else getting put above him. Or some people probably dont like him for him always smiling and joking in feuds

Who should have replaced Cena as the top guy in the company? Who outshined Cena since Cena has been on top?

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Would you prefer a smiling babyface in yellow trunks?

Is that what the hate is about? Jorts? In a business where men run around in underwear, you would think Jorts would be welcomed.

hahahahaha oh for fuck sake, if you take it that literally I can't be bothered today CyNick. I expect better of you my friend.

[Heyman]

Who should have replaced Cena as the top guy in the company? Who outshined Cena since Cena has been on top?



By the way CyNick, I am warming up to the idea of Roman Reigns being the next 'face' of the company. He may not be the most ideal option, but I think he is the best option unfortunately (unless the WWE miraculously makes Ambrose look like a million bucks.......then it's up for grabs).


I barely watch WWE these days and so when I watched Summerslam last night, I know what you mean by Cesaro not quite having that 'it' factor.


As far as Reigns go - how would you push him as the top guy?


Would you target him towards kids as the WWE did with John Cena, or would you try and gear Reigns towards the teen/adult demographic?

[The CyNick]

hahahahaha oh for fuck sake, if you take it that literally I can't be bothered today CyNick. I expect better of you my friend.

Because I am VERY serious.

[The CyNick]

By the way CyNick, I am warming up to the idea of Roman Reigns being the next 'face' of the company. He may not be the most ideal option, but I think he is the best option unfortunately (unless the WWE miraculously makes Ambrose look like a million bucks.......then it's up for grabs).


I barely watch WWE these days and so when I watched Summerslam last night, I know what you mean by Cesaro not quite having that 'it' factor.


As far as Reigns go - how would you push him as the top guy?


Would you target him towards kids as the WWE did with John Cena, or would you try and gear Reigns towards the teen/adult demographic?

Ive always believed catering to kids is the best way to go. An 8 year old kid cant go to a WWE event by himself, he needs at least one parent to go with him. Thats 2 tickets sold for 1 fan. I also think kids are easier to market to (toys, shirts, wristbands, etc).

I think there will always be a group of fans in their 30s and above who will watch wrestling no matter what (Im in that category). You dont need to cater to those people, they just need a few good matches now and then, and they will be happy.

So if it were me, I would want Roman to be the next smiling babyface...this time in black baggy pants to make Dale happy.

I think they tried to do the right thing with him last year, but they screwed up with the whole Daniel Bryan thing. Reigns got backlash because the fans were pissed that Daniel Bryan was being cast aside. Even though if you look at it logically, WWE was smart not to put all their eggs in Daniel's basket based on his history of injuries.

What they are doing now is still to protect him, but not shoot him to the moon. Will be interesting come Mania time, if he's the chosen one again, or if they go in a different direction. I fear if they were to say put Reigns and Lesnar in this year's Rumble, and Reigns won, he would get the same backlash.

I'm all in on Lesnar, he would be my choice to run with the ball for the foreseeable future. I would keep booking Reigns strong, and then at some point get back to Lesnar v Reigns. But that might be Mania 33. And he might not even be the right guy ever. Cena shows no signs of slowing down, so I dont think there should be a rush to shoehorn in a new top babyface.

[Heyman]

I'm all in on Lesnar, he would be my choice to run with the ball for the foreseeable future. I would keep booking Reigns strong, and then at some point get back to Lesnar v Reigns. But that might be Mania 33. And he might not even be the right guy ever. Cena shows no signs of slowing down, so I dont think there should be a rush to shoehorn in a new top babyface.



Good post.


What I would do is as follows:


1) Have Lesnar defeat Taker at Mania and retire him once and for all. Lesnar gets another notch under his belt as being the guy to have retired Undertaker. Give Taker a Ric Flair-like send off on RAW the next night.


2) Have Roman Reigns defeat either John Cena or Seth Rollins to win the title at Mania.


3) Push Reigns hard in 2016, while also making Lesnar look unbeatable in 2016 during the times he's here (i.e. destroying Cena again, beating shit out of Reigns' buddy Ambrose).


4) Wrestlemania 2017 - Reigns goes up against Lesnar and defeats him cleanly.


As far as Cena goes, I'd pretty much have him in a similar role to what he's in now, in that, he wins the mass majority of his matches as the US/IC champion, but cleanly puts over whoever is ready to ascend to that next role. So - perhaps in 2016 sometime, we can see a guy like Kevin Owens defeat John Cena 2-3 times in a row (a la Triple H going over Foley).

[The CyNick]

Well the thing about Cena is it almost feels like they are planting the seeds for Cena to win the 16th World Title at Mania.

[Heyman]

Well the thing about Cena is it almost feels like they are planting the seeds for Cena to win the 16th World Title at Mania.



Maybe. I haven't watched enough shows to know if that's actually what they're doing. If they go that route however, then it will be interesting to see who Cena goes up against at Mania.'


I don't think they do Cena/Rollins because it's been done a number of times now, and I'm not sure if Cena/Sheamus will really create the necessary interest.


Reigns/Cena would be interesting. Reigns or Cena winning the title from Sting/Rollins at some point would be interesting, and then the two face off with one another at Mania.


Reigns going cleanly over Cena is what I'd do (a.k.a. "passing of the torch."). Cena wins his 16th title either before or after Wrestlemania 2016.

[Wishbone]

Marketing to kids and making your content dumb are too completely different things though. You don't need a smiling dumb ass with zero depth to appeal to kids. The easiest way isn't always the right way. It's the same reason cartoons have often been crap over the last decade or so.

Kids are every bit as capable of enjoying good storytelling and characters as adults are. You can market a slightly darker character like a Reigns or Ambrose and still have kids falling over themselves to buy his merchandise. Hell, we've seen it in the wrestling world with Stone Cold Steve Austin and even the Rock.

And you don't need to get as "edgy" as Rock and Austin did either. The attitude era doesn't need to come back. My point is just that a guy doesn't need to be Ronald McDonald in jorts to appeal to kids. Batman is far darker and more entertaining as a character than Superman yet he still appeals to kids more than Superman has in decades.

Fact is writing compelling stories and having a face of the company that isn't just a smiling goofball wouldn't stop kids from watching and enjoying the product. In fact it would probably draw more in and keep them longer than giving them a one dimensional clown.

[Heyman]

Good post Wishbone, but I'd argue that Cena isn't 100% a "smiling babyface" either. He has enough darkness in him to be well-rounded, in terms of endearing himself to kids. Hence - his success.

[Wishbone]

Good post Wishbone, but I'd argue that Cena isn't 100% a "smiling babyface" either. He has enough darkness in him to be well-rounded, in terms of endearing himself to kids. Hence - his success.

I'd really argue that that isn't the case. Outside what he did on Monday to Jon Stewart what has he done that's "dark"? Even after Rollins basically destroyed his face he just came back with "I'm not gonna hurt you I'm just gonna take your title".

And I don't mean to be a Cena hater here cause I'm not, but he's hardly "well rounded". He has little depth outside being the guy that always does the right thing and never gives up. He has no weaknesses, he doesn't let anything bother him save for someone punting his father and even then he still forgave Orton multiple times, I mean he's just not a compelling character at all. He really is the embodiment of "cookie cutter" just like Hogan was in the 90's.

[#1-norm-fan]

He once made this face...

https://theabdominalstretch.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/john-cena-angry-face-jpeg.jpg

[DAMN iNATOR]

He once made this face...

https://theabdominalstretch.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/john-cena-angry-face-jpeg.jpg

That was the result of some bad Mexican food he'd had before the show.

[Wishbone]

That was the result of some bad Mexican food he'd had before the show.

Won't lie I laughed a lot at that reply. :lol:

[Wishbone]

He once made this face...

https://theabdominalstretch.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/john-cena-angry-face-jpeg.jpg

Also that face does look more "pushing a giant, rectum destroying log" than "I'm angry! Hulk smash!". What's weird is that I remember thinking it looked really bad ass when I saw it the first time... Maybe context really is everything.

[Bobholly138]

Since he started the US title open challenge I have enjoyed Cena more than I ever have. To me he is a good mid carder. But should have never been in the main event scene for as long as he was.

[NormanSmiley]

Marketing to kids and making your content dumb are too completely different things though. You don't need a smiling dumb ass with zero depth to appeal to kids. The easiest way isn't always the right way.




Fact is writing compelling stories and having a face of the company that isn't just a smiling goofball wouldn't stop kids from watching and enjoying the product. In fact it would probably draw more in and keep them longer than giving them a one dimensional clown.


BINGO!!! and cynick i had this crazy idea that while you have cena there you create other top guys around him so that you have options, austin rock angle HHH foley and taker all coexisted. all were top stars, writing gave them things to do while not being in the main event. lazy writing and resting on cena being the go to create the issue wishbone summed up