So, it's 9:30 the following morning, and I still can't quite wrap my head around the end of Raw last night.
The way things go in WWE, events are forgotten within a week of happening, and we're supposed to expect the crowd to care about something that was announced a year ago? Especially when it involves a guy who, though they haven't outright said it, will likely be disappearing from TV for at least 8-9 months? I'd through out the phrase 'strike while the iron is hot', but WWE doesn't seem to know that particular cliche.
In theory, we should be excited about a 'year-long' build. Except we know better. It won't be a year of Rock/Cena, it'll be 6-7 months without the Rock, and Cena will just randomly do other things, giving the same damn promos he always does. Difference is, now it's in a godawful red t-shirt.
One of bigger issues is that it makes Cena irrelevant for a year. For a business that *should* be organic, this is a clear assertion that John Cena won't change anything about his persona in the next year. On top of it, nothing will matter. We know that no matter what happens, his run from the Rumble to Mania will be about this match. He'll literally just be jerking off until that point.
Let's also take a moment to realize what kind of risk they've taken. Cena, while generally okay, isn't injury-proof. What happens if he ends up on the shelf within the next year? Protecting someone one the run-up to Mania is one thing, but he has an entire year before this match. Again, what happens if Cena gets injured?
The flipside of this is... ok, well, we've announced the 'main event'. I assume they're penciling this in as the marquee match and putting it on last. We're looking at a finite shelf life for at least two high-profile members of the roster, HHH and Taker... what if one of them decides that next year is it? Even without it, should Taker's 20-0 match go on anywhere but last?
My biggest issue with this is that WWE has made it clear that they don't give a shit about 'the people'. For a feud that consistently name-checks them, they play no part in it. The crowd has never turned on Cena like this. Sure, there's been some boos throughout the years, but never so loud as to sound like the overwhelming majority. A guy that cost Cena his title match blatantly last night gets the biggest pop in the company. These are all warning signs, which WWE has chosen to blow past. I know, I know, we're all aware of this, but two points... first, Cena is simply ignoring the crowd and giving smile-time promos that are getting the complete opposite reaction then intended. The longer he keeps pretending it isn't happening, the more he looks like an idiot. Second, the ending with the Corre last night was a clear statement that WWE is building this as a 'mega-face/mega-face' match. The intended reaction there was that Rock and Cena would hit their moves, each get cheers, and do the little 'respect' handshake. Problem is, the crowd booed Cena, or at least most of them did.
I mean, WWE has never given a shit about what the fans think, but I'm hard pressed to come up with a time where it was quite as blatant as it is with this feud. I'm also going to make an assertion here that it's shaken Cena up a bit. Watching Mania, watching Raw, even watching the HoF ceremony... there's a 'spark' missing from Cena. He seems kind of depressed and listless, or at least like he stopped giving a shit. It was strange when he smiled at Rock last night, as it was the only genuine emotion in the entire segment from him. There's something off, and I have to wonder whether if it's a personal issue, or if the crowd turning on him is bothering him more than he'd like to let on.
Anyway, like I said, I don't understand this decision at all. On paper it probably seemed like a good idea, but I'm curious to see how it works out in real life.
I've never really written a short post about 'entertainments', have I?