I would’ve loved to be there when they called this spot
Photo Credit: wwe.com
Top to bottom, last night’s RAW was the best for me in a very long time. I could complain about Antonio Cesaro jobbing to Randy Orton and no dance contests, but for the most part, it was an amazing show and I’m really looking forward to Old School RAW to keep the momentum going.
One thing us wrestling nerds are going to have to watch out for soon though: it’s going to be really hard to boo John Cena if he keeps having matches like that this year.
Say what you will about Cena, and I’ve said it all too. His promos are pandering, he never seems to care about losing (when it actually happens), all of this is still true. But the guy can frickin’ GO when the bell rings.
Generally in sports, some of the biggest names notoriously have crumbled under the pressure. Look at Tony Romo or A-Rod – right or wrong they have been labeled as chokers.
Cena follows the same love/hate line as those athletes, but without the choking. When it’s time for the big match, he pulls out all the stops. Yes, maybe his promos could use less grinning in-between the matches, but when it’s game time, he always steps up.
His wrestling could be described as “meh” at best. But, given his effort last night, he’s TRYING, which is all you can really ask for. He hears the 5 Moves of Doom comments, which resulted in unseen powerbombs and hurricanranas last night. Even if you still think he sucks, you have to at least respect his effort.
He’ll never be a technician like Dean Malenko or Bret Hart, but he shouldn’t be asked to be either. He’s SuperCena, which can get annoying, but if his matches are this caliber than it might just be all right with me.
The Punk/Cena match from last night was better than most matches we’ve seen on PPV over the last year. I would’ve like to see Punk win (or Undertaker come out) but if you look at your Twitter feed, people loved the match – and they gave it all away for free!
I’m not saying I’ll stop rolling my eyes at Cena’s lame promos or insane win/loss record. What I am saying, is that if you’re a wrestling fan, a true fan of the excitement that only prowrestling can produce for people like us, you’re gonna have to find a new chant.
To quote his opponent at Wrestlemania, “Cena is a lot of things, but sucks ain’t one of them” right now.
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Last night’s performance by Cena opened the door to the only angle between him and Rock that wasn’t used last year and the only one in my opinion that can make this year’s lead up to the main event memorable: respect. No cheesy lines, no smirking to the camera, no Rock concerts, no rapping, just Rock acknowledging that Cena is a hell of a worker and Cena acknowledging that Rock is an all-time icon. That way there’s none of the uncomfortable tension that lead up to last year’s match and if — and when — Cena goes over, it will feel well-earned, maybe even to the smarks.