John Cena's booking leaves no room for the evolution of new stars in WWE
John Cena is back on top again with the United States Championship and his U.S. title open challenge continues on WWE programming. Every time it happens, the call goes out to anyone wanting to step up and take a shot at the belt and the top guy holding it. It’s a great way to up the value of the strap and keeps Cena in the role of the fighting champion that never backs down from a challenge.
But it’s also kept him in the role of the top guy that is practically unstoppable. He rarely loses and when he does, he almost always comes back to win the feud. In a company full of veteran talents taking turns with the primary title, this is not necessarily an issue. But in a company attempting to build for the future, it has become a problem. Cena is preventing the evolution of other stars in WWE.
It seems an easy prospect to bash the face of that company. It’s something that has happened from the moment Cena took over and it appears as though it will never end. But while many of the attacks come on a personal basis toward Cena, the fact is it’s more about his nearly indestructible persona that is really not benefitting anyone besides himself.
The latest victim of Cena’s incredibly impressive booking was Kevin Owens. Owens burst onto the main roster with no warning and he did so to the adulation of fans that had been waiting for something new to come along. Owens was tough, he was confident and he had no problem confronting Cena on his own turf. Owens was a veteran of the business but he was fresh at the same time; fans could not get enough of him.
But Owens’ win over Cena at the Elimination Chamber was the only one he had, as he lost the next two. He talked a great game and looked good doing it but in the end, he was unable to get the job done. While it may have been unrealistic to expect a newcomer like KO to win the feud against Cena, it was a bit surprising that he lost in such convincing fashion. Many fans felt he represented the future but that notion was lessened to a great degree thanks to losing against John.
Seth Rollins has been proven to be underneath John as well, as every time the two face off in a straight up match, Cena wins. The point that Cena has Rollins’ number has been driven home so often that it’s evident the clock is ticking for the champ. If Seth is injured or WWE suddenly decides to change plans, Cena will undoubtedly step right in and the move will be completely plausible because he’s already proven the belt is his anyway.