3 Reasons why John Cena's Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick might not work well with the WWE Universe
When Elias came inside the ring with a guitar in his hands, fans anticipated an interference. The speculation was more for The Undertaker considering a WrestleMania without The Deadman is never the same. Fans are used to seeing 'Taker walk out at the biggest stage of all and enthral the audience by his mere presence.
The other superstar fans were expecting to interfere was The Rock, simply because he is the most electrifying man in the history of sports entertainment and who doesn't want to see The Rock at WrestleMania? What turned out wasn't something that was not expected but certainly left the entire WWE Universe in shock.
John Cena returned with his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick and had his own WrestleMania moment. Cena returned in his 14-year-old gimmick from back in 2002. It was a great segment that gave way to nostalgia.
Cena's return as Doctor of Thuganomics is certainly great but comes with a lot of expectations and possibilities (even though it was a one-time thing). The catch here is, most of them don't align well with the WWE storylines. Without further ado, here are 3 reasons why the gimmick might not work well with the WWE Universe if it becomes permanent:
#3 The PG Era
There was a heated exchange of words between Elias and John Cena. The former had the upper hand in everything that happened inside that ring. Cena was back in a gimmick everybody had loved. There was nostalgia. Cena gave justice to the character by not ruining things, and there was savagery that can only be expected from the Doctor of Thuganomics. John Cena also reffered to his finisher as the FU and not AA.
WWE dropped FU and STFU after jumping into the PG Era but seems like WWE has just given up on what they say and show these days. There are wrestlers breaking kayfabe, having Twitter brawls, going personal and now John Cena's return in his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick adds to the recent trend that WWE has adopted.
Cena's return calls for celebration for WWE fans. But it will be interesting to see how he manages to carry his gimmick from an era that is so different from today. At least for the WWE. The WWE Universe will expect the same Doctor of Thuganomics who was all but savagery, and the PG Era might act as a limitation to the character. Yes, the gimmick is in the wrong era.