Sunday 6 November 2011

Cena, Rock, Survivor Series - Why It Fails By Shaun Nichols

The Rock's return should be a major event and I should be looking forward to it, but I have to be honest I'm not. I fail to see why the WWE think it's a good idea to put Cena and The Rock together in a match. The Rock's return to PPV will definitely mean a boost to PPV business and it may even double what last years event did. However that would be the same or even better if they kept Cena and The Rock away from one another.
The fans made it clear on the post-Wrestlemania Raw that they do not want to see The Rock being friends with John Cena, when The Rock did attempt to put over Cena by endorsing him all that happened was that the fans booed The Rock. Quite the result when you think that all The Rock was trying to do was make the WWE's biggest star even more popular. The fans do not want them to be on the same side, they do not want them to be friends but what they do want to see is The Rock give John Cena an ass kicking of a lifetime.
So apparently having learned this lesson to keep the two of them apart. We got the occasional promo from both guys trying to bury the other and reminding the fans that they will finally meet at next year's Wrestlemania. Great that's what they should be doing.
Then in a move that frankly defies belief if you give a damn about booking logic the WWE decide that John Cena should team with The Rock at the Survivor Series. During the summer if you have been watching Raw regularly you will have noticed that John Cena can beat Miz and R-Truth on his own. The Miz and R-Tuth have in no way been made into ruthless kick ass heels, they have not been booked strongly and were acknowledged on TV that they were brought back to the company because they are good ass kissers in a backstage segment with John Lauranitis. Well that makes me want to take them seriously.
In the handicap match that led to this PPV main event, John Cena was comfortably beating up both men until R-Truth in desperation had to resort to using a foreign object to lead to the DQ loss. So this leads to an obvious question, if Miz and Truth can't beat Cena cleanly 2 on 1 then why does Cena feel the need to call for help from a man that he doesn't even like because he feels that no-one else is cut out to help him. It's ridiculous he could partner Jim Ross and they would still be favourites to beat Miz and R-Truth.
The following week The Rock does a promo where he teases that he won't team with Cena but then because the fans want him to then he will because he's all about pleasing the fans. He then says that he thinks that The Miz and R-Truth badly need to get the asses kicked. Why? I can't remember them cutting promos against The Rock, its a real stretch to understand The Rock's motivation for aiding his enemy against two wrestlers who he doesn't seem to have any issues with.
It's also a really big leap of faith to accept that The Rock was convinced to do the match because his fans want him to team with Cena. When he did his taped promo the fans in the arena reacted biggest when he said that he wouldn't team with Cena. Here was a man with principles, a man that didn't want to stand with Cena but rather beat him up. And then he said he would team with Cena and the arena just sighed. Sort of excited to get to see The Rock return to the ring but not exactly thrilled with the match that they would get to see the Great One in.
To further build to this very anti-climatic PPV showdown, Cena yet again defeated The Miz by making him tap to the STF despite an attempt by R-Truth to interfere a couple of minutes earlier. After the match R-Truth tried again and Cena left him laying as well. So as Raw drew to a close we get to see Cena standing tall as he stands over both Miz and R-Truth and we ask the question again why does he need The Rock to help him? On commentary Jerry Lawler said that the only way Miz and R-Truth can win is if Cena and The Rock can't get along and basically cost themselves the match. Great way to sell me a PPV main event?
The only possible way that this match could be saved would be for either Cena or The Rock to turn on the other. But unfortunately circumstances indicate this isn't possible. The fans are not going to turn on The Rock if he attacks Cena and anyway The Rock has to be a babyface at Wrestlemania as it will be held in his hometown. The WWE will not turn Cena, despite the 'Cena Sux' chants, he is clearly the company's biggest star and he moves the majority of the merchandise. So they may tease problems but they will win and The Rock will disappear for a few months and as a fan watching I'll think what a waste of time. It will not make me any more excited to see Cena-Rock at Mania, they will have made The Miz and R-Truth yet again look like goofs and then wonder why we don't them take them seriously.

2 comments:

  1. I think its great this match is taking place
    its a great way to sell for the big match at Mania
    not only that
    but Rock teaming with Cena is better than not having Rock at one of the Big four ppvs.

    care to disagree mate?
    hit me up on twitter
    @azansaigol

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you think it's great that this match is taking place than that's fine for you. Personally I think it does nothing for Wrestlemania next year as I explained in the blog. The booking makes no sense and does no one in the match any favours at all. As for twitter it's not something that I use, an approach that Matt Hardy & Kurt Angle should clearly have adopted.

    ReplyDelete