WWE: Was John Cena’s SummerSlam Beatdown A Changing Of The Guard In WWE?
John Cena has been the man in WWE for 10 years now, a mark that no other WWE Superstar has done since Hulk Hogan in the 80s. It is commendable that he can become a major star and stay massively popular. This has been both a blessing and a curse for Cena; WWE put so much into him that they pretty much forgot about creating other guys to be on the same level as him. They literally created a Hulk Hogan type in an era where you need far more than one main guy.
This has led to Cena being overworked and overused. Most fans who have an issue with Cena mainly start with the fact that he “always wins” or “is always in the title picture.” It is clear that these fans have a point, but WWE hasn’t done as much about it until 2013. WWE began a quest to find “who was going to be the face of WWE,” and it was clear that the company was trying to tell us that they were moving to create new stars.
WWE did this years ago, and the result turned out well for them. Stars like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, Kane, and Undertaker were all part of this move to use the new crop of guys in the main event scene. While WWE used some older guys to help things move along like Bret Hart, the WWE mainly wanted to use the young guys.
It took a bit of time for them to be used, and some came along faster than others. This worked out well for WWE, as it allowed them to cater to certain types of guys. All were stars, which meant that as long as they were used each week on WWE programming and at every PPV, they would all move up regardless of how they were used.
WWE liked to put veterans with the young guys at the time, which allowed them to work with people who made them look good. However, they were also able to have notable rivalries with them before they allowed them to be put with another guy at the same level. This is why a guy like Steve Austin worked with Bret Hart.
Vince McMahon himself got involved, and we ended up having a Corporation angle used on TV weekly for some time.
Now WWE is seemingly doing the exact same thing. They have a new Corporation called The Authority of which all members get physical in the ring when need be.
WWE needs to create new stars now more than ever as John Cena is entering the last years of his WWE career. His last full-time wrestling career, at least. Due to this, they have started to slowly build up the new generation in guys like Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins. They still have a use for the older guys on the roster such as Cena or Randy Orton. However, the main focus is on the guys who will be part of WWE’s future, and WWE has shown us that they are committed in pushing up the younger talent. The issue is, while they do this, they also have to use a guy like Cena. He is still a draw after all.
Here’s the thing: They have to make the older generation look weaker at some point. This is why John Cena had to be beaten down at SummerSlam by Brock Lesnar. Lesnar will continue his run of dominance until a new guy can take him out, putting that guy over. Roman Reigns is the man WWE seems to be tapping to do this and become the next face of the company. However, others are also going to be used in a major way.
Dean Ambrose is starring in a WWE Film which could be released late next year. Seth Rollins is Mr. Money in the Bank. Daniel Bryan is already a multi-time World Champion and had a huge WrestleMania moment. Upon his return, he will surely be used in a major way.
Cena eventually cannot look like Superman. Even Superman had to hang up the cape. The thing is, so did Batman and many others. Flash ran himself out of existence! Remind you of anyone?
That being said, WWE realizes there is a need for a changing of the guard in the company. Now more than ever, as Cena limps into Night of Champions nursing numerous nagging injuries. Meanwhile, others will be showing the WWE fans what they can expect for the next decade.
If WWE can have an era like they did with the Attitude Era, not in content, but in stars… it is possible WWE could be a bigger draw now than it was then. Mainly because in today’s day and age, WWE stars are treated like Hollywood stars. This is a stretch from how they were treated in the 90’s originally. WWE could be even bigger. However, it all starts with John Cena.
The way is by having him help lead but not always be at the front. He has to “take one for the team” at times as well. As beating Cena will be seen as a major thing. The same has to be done with all other vets too. WWE is changing, and it seems like it’s for the better.
[IMG Credit: Google]
