The WWE is a company fueled by opinions, ranging from everyone’s favorite Superstars, matches, moments and more, but there are some indisputable facts that are just universal.
There are no arguments in a discussion of whether or not Shawn Michaels is one of the best in-ring performers ever, or if The Rock is the biggest star to conquer both professional wrestling and Hollywood.
Likewise, it is inarguable that the top of the food chain in the WWE for well over a decade has been John Cena—the franchise player who has been the face of the company for an entire generation.
Cena has long left his mark on the sports entertainment industry and would have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer years ago, but just because his career is winding down doesn’t mean he should be counted out.
Rather, Cena still has all the tools necessary to have as bombastic a career as he’s had before, provided the WWE sets him up to triumph.
We all would be surprised if Cena wasn’t successful, but it’s one thing to coast along as a main event player and another thing to go back to the absolute pinnacle of his profession in all facets.
With a few key elements in mind, the WWE can make sure Cena’s next run can be a legendary one.
Focus on Quality Feuds and Matches
For years, Cena was criticized by the WWE Universe for having the same exact feud with every single opponent.
Some heel would be built up as a major threat by beating Cena down, prompting him to say he’s the underdog despite nobody thinking he would lose, and before long, he’d be fighting back from a beatdown to hit the Attitude Adjustment and stand victorious.
This became incredibly boring, and it’s no surprise much of his programs seem to blur together as being forgettable outside of a few highlight reel moments.
However, when Cena won the United States Championship from Rusev in 2015, he changed his tune by having a recurring open challenge to defend his title.
This saw some particularly engaging matches come out of left field against Stardust, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and more, who would normally never get a chance to shine.
In doing so, it showcased that Cena had something to give back, and if he were paired up with some hungry stars, he could be much more entertaining than the cookie-cutter storyline template the WWE forced him to wrestle by from 2006 onward.
The first thing the WWE needs to do to ensure Cena has a great run this time around is to give him the right people to work with. People he feels he can not only have passionate feuds with, but deliver in the ring against, too.
As crazy of a concept as it seems, sometimes just letting somebody do the job you hired them to do without micromanaging can lead to a wider range of freedom and expression of creativity.
Capitalize on American Pride
Even ignoring the United States Championship and the open challenge concept, one of the most obvious aspects to take advantage of in Cena’s upcoming run will have to be his status as a symbol of American pride.
Somewhere down the line—whether it’s at SummerSlam or later in the year—Cena absolutely must feud with Jinder Mahal, preferably for the WWE Championship.
In an ideal scenario, as far as Cena’s run goes, Mahal would retain the title against Randy Orton at Battleground in the Punjabi Prison before Cena would step in to dethrone him at SummerSlam in August.
This story just writes itself, as Mahal’s shtick as of late has revolved almost entirely around bad-mouthing the American people who Cena will instinctively go to bat for, as he defends them even when they’re booing him out of a building.
It’s old-school, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still work. People still get upset when a babyface turns heel on his tag team partner, which is one of the oldest tricks in the book that we’ve seen happen recently with Big Cass, Goldust and Tommaso Ciampa.
Bonus points could be awarded if this is also used as a means to bring Hulk Hogan back into the WWE as someone on Cena’s side, not just because that helps reintroduce The Hulkster to fans, but it also keeps the storyline going that Mahal has no respect for the legends of the WWE’s past, as evidenced by his actions at Money in the Bank.
Cena standing alongside Hogan as the two biggest American icons in the WWE just makes sense, and it helps solidify his status as being another name on par with Hogan on that Mount Rushmore of sports entertainment history.
This is also an easy means to have the fans support Cena, as his standing as the true hero of the story with no gray areas to get confused about will make it easier for the crowd to continue cheering for him in future storylines that come out of this feud.
The 17-time Champion
Not only does Cena need to feud with Mahal, he also should be the one to beat him for the WWE Championship, which will fulfill a destiny that will automatically make his run legendary, as it means Cena will surpass Ric Flair’s record of world title wins.
This one is self-explanatory and doesn’t require much dissection. Breaking a historic record such as this will be monumental, and there’s no debate on that subject, as it’s another one of the indisputable facts in wrestling.
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