Phantom
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| #1 Posted on 25.3.04 2246.03 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2247.03 | I thought the plan was that they WEREN'T going to water down his act after turning him babyface? His promos are getting weaker with each passing week, which was the entire reason the fans turned him face in the first place, but now that they've been "sanitized for your protection," I'm eagerly awaiting a heel turn from him again before I start to outright hate him. Promote this thread! | | geemoney
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| #2 Posted on 25.3.04 2247.09 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2247.15 | And the "Deez Nutz" catchphrase ain't helping. | OlFuzzyBastard
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| #3 Posted on 25.3.04 2303.48 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2304.58 | He raps so slow these days - drawing out the crowd reaction and wasting time with boring "hometown sports team" pops - that I can't even remember what he's rhyming anymore. He's gotten distressingly lame, I'm sorry to say. | desperate_living
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| #4 Posted on 25.3.04 2324.38 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2324.48 | but it's not his fault. all the tv and radio stations have new decency rules implemented and look at what Howard Stern is going through, along with other risque shows. im surprised they didnt move him to RAW instead so he would have more freedom after 10PM. Cena's character started dwindling last December. I miss raps like the one he did on Funaki. | ShotGunShep
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| #5 Posted on 25.3.04 2327.32 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2327.38 | He is getting duller by the week, and unfortunately his in ring ability hasn't changed at all. He does need to speed up his raps(like when he actually used a beat way back in the day), but he slows it down so the crowd can respond.
Go watch a battle rap on BET or MTV, I get lost so damned quickly, and I bet most of you would too. He should run with this for a while, heel turn in a couple of months and then move away from the rap gimmick for good(well pretty much for good ) | Stilton
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| #6 Posted on 25.3.04 2328.21 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2328.53 | Originally posted by desperate_living but it's not his fault. all the tv and radio stations have new decency rules implemented and look at what Howard Stern is going through, along with other risque shows.
Blame Janet Jackson for the FCC bringing the hammer down.
(Not that I thought what she did at the Superbowl was all that bad... but... you know... shirt happens.)
(That's right, I said "shirt".)
(edited by Stilton on 26.3.04 0029) | AssDroid!
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| #7 Posted on 25.3.04 2334.11 Reposted on: 25.3.11 2334.43 | With the FCC crackdowns, I don't think turning him heel would do a whole lot, since he would still have to keep his raps toned down. The best bet would be to move him to RAW since he'd have more freedom, like someone said. | Phantom
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| #8 Posted on 26.3.04 0018.34 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0018.36 | Honestly, I'd turn him heel now, while he still gets a babyface pop for his raps. And as a heel, I'd have him drop the entire gimmick. Some of the best heel turns have come simply because the heel doesn't give the fans what they want. Look at Austin-as-a-Chickenshit, for example. | headlock
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| #9 Posted on 26.3.04 0023.11 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0023.43 | I think a few of you are being hard on Cena. I don't know how many people in a wrestling audience actually listen to rap or hip hop.
Cena's "raps" are more like spoking poems anyway. He says them slow, yes, to let the crowd react, but, also because he's not rapping, he's reciting a poem.
If you've seen his YJ Stinger commercial or his Smackdown/house show promos or even his "Thuganomics" theme music than you've seen/heard him rap. That's rap. Or, hip-hop, whatever.
I don't see him turning heel anytime soon. He's very popular and is extremely over. And, his merchandise sells well. Especially with old school fans who appreciate seeing the old WWF logo in WWE form on his "word-life" gear (hey, that's the only reason I got them).
Anyway, I think Cena's character will evolve as he ages and matures. Right now he's a "cartoon character". When he's ready for the main event (3 years ?), he'll get more gritty, more raw.
Than we'll all see, the real JOHN CENA!!!!
...just my thoughts...
| Jericholic53
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| #10 Posted on 26.3.04 0024.30 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0024.57 | Originally posted by ShotGunShep Go watch a battle rap on BET or MTV, I get lost so damned quickly, and I bet most of you would too.
I understand your point as it pretains to Cena, and BET's Freestyle Friday has produced some talented people (Jin, Shaheed the Posterboy) but C'MON, MTV's wannabe version is so weak, and the majority of the rappers that tried out for that show were really off and whack.
Sorry, a little off topic there. | Stilton
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| #11 Posted on 26.3.04 0042.34 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0042.39 | Originally posted by headlock I think a few of you are being hard on Cena. I don't know how many people in a wrestling audience actually listen to rap or hip hop.
Cena's "raps" are more like spoking poems anyway. He says them slow, yes, to let the crowd react, but, also because he's not rapping, he's reciting a poem.
I believe this type of spoken-word poetry is called Slam poetry. That could actually work with his gimmick: John Cena, the Slam Master! (It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?) Slam poetry is getting huge in the urban hip hop scene. Could be a whole untapped audience for wrestling....maybe.
(edited by Stilton on 26.3.04 0152) | dMp
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| #12 Posted on 26.3.04 0259.42 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0301.33 | I don't believe the problem is watering down for the FCC, or the fact that he doesn't really rap.
The problem is simply face=play to the crowd. The way he enters so often now ("Yo yo Yo YO! YO! YO! YO! YO! YO! YO! YO!"along with a goofy strut)is lame, instead of doing a cool rap (borderline or not doesn't matter) he now does funny little voices and emotes. Basically the whole deal of playing to the crowd has made him lame ass boring as hell in my book. The best thing he has going right now is his ring work (*boggle*) which at least didn't get worse since his face turn
I don't expect the people to turn on him though. He's still way over, and the gimmick just yells 'cool merchandise' like some of you mentioned already. | tsmstu
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| #13 Posted on 26.3.04 0414.42 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0414.45 | i agree that he is getting stale...
does he HAVE to rap every sentance he speaks on tv?
Can't he still be a rapper without rapping every time he talks?
Does Method Man always rap when ever he talks? Does ANY rapper? I think John Cena is the only 24/7 in the history of the word rap.
He should do promos on the way to the ring as raps, but all non ring entrance trash talking could just be "Cool and funny" without rhyming...
www.stustone.com | Joe E. Nitro
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| #14 Posted on 26.3.04 0720.56 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0721.02 | Give the man a few frisbees to throw out to the crowd and you've got yourself a modern day Lanny Poffo. It's time to move Cena's gimmick along now, or else he'll end up like the Thong Wearing Dancing Samoan.
| SKLOKAZOID
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| #15 Posted on 26.3.04 0748.25 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0752.41 | Originally posted by EastCoastJoe Give the man a few frisbees to throw out to the crowd and you've got yourself a modern day Lanny Poffo. It's time to move Cena's gimmick along now, or else he'll end up like the Thong Wearing Dancing Samoan.
That's kinda my problem with his gimmick these days. It reminds me too much of The Genius, especially the slow prose form of speech style.
Like ANY gimmick, Cena's "Rapmaster" gimmick will get stale if it doesn't evolve. The thing is that they HAVE evolved it to fit his character as a face, and it has completely lost the edge that got him over to begin with. I think the FCC crackdown does have a lot to do with it, but playing to the crowd the way he does hurts also.
Bradshaw's gimmick last night that he debuted was brilliant and is off to an incredible start, but let's say they ever turned that guy face... wouldn't that lose its edge, too? Every gimmick runs its course at some point. | Mayhem
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| #16 Posted on 26.3.04 0840.54 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0841.12 | He does have an album coming out this year so I think he's gonna continue on the same path for a while ... it's all about making the $$$ ... and from the looks of the crowd, his merchandise is the hottest selling thing right now. | The Amazing Salami
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| #17 Posted on 26.3.04 0858.33 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0858.50 | Originally posted by Jericholic53 the majority of the rappers that tried out for that show were really off and whack.
Dude, you had a good thing going but went and ruined your post by using a phrase like "off and whack."
I mean, I definitely would not go to a guy that said something was "off and whack" to get my advice on what battle rap shows had REAL street credibility.
And John Cena, SLAMMASTER, doesn't really have a ring to it at all...not even a bad ring, much less a nice one.
(edited by The Amazing Salami on 26.3.04 0658) | svt4real
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| #18 Posted on 26.3.04 0910.29 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0911.20 | Originally posted by AssDroid! With the FCC crackdowns, I don't think turning him heel would do a whole lot, since he would still have to keep his raps toned down. The best bet would be to move him to RAW since he'd have more freedom, like someone said.
yep his rap on monday night rocked | JrBernal83
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| #19 Posted on 26.3.04 0928.57 Reposted on: 26.3.11 0929.02 | How is Cena getting DULE? He is one of the best stars in the WWE today! He is not letting his sucess get to his head like some of the Wrestlers. i wouldnt doubt if he is Champ by the end of the year. To me I think that he and Orton are going to carry the company for the next 5+years | samoflange
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| #20 Posted on 26.3.04 1034.56 Reposted on: 26.3.11 1035.43 | I really don't understand why Cena was not moved to RAW. That was, to me, the most obvious result of the draft/lottery. And this isn't even about allowing him more freedom in his promos, its about the company he would be with.
He and Benoit have history together, he and Jericho would have great interactions, and he would be gold going up against Evolution. He could get under Kane's skin by talking about his past with Taker, and saying how much tougher the Deadman is than Kane. And finally, Cena and Austin having backstage interactions would be the highlight of any show.
Cena has been all over the Smackdown roster, and I think he needs to be released on RAW to see what he can do with a fresh set of foils. A guy who's this over doesn't need to be developed further, he is stagnant right now because he has done so much on Smackdown already. None of the recent Smackdown acquisitions are the kinds of guys who Cena needs to be around right now. He needs fresh, big names to catapault himself to that next level, RAW is where they are, and RAW is where he should be. |
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