Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
It would come as a surprise to likely no one that WWE is resistant toward
turning John Cena heel. Cena has been playing the good guy for well over 10
years. His character was later modified to drop the rapper gimmick as WWE moved
into its more kid-friendly TV-PG era.
According to a source, WWE is resistant to the idea of Cena turning heel
because of the belief that it is not financially viable. As of now, WWE live
events featuring Cena average about $60,000 more than live events without Cena.
In cities WWE has done before, house shows that feature Cena always do better
business than events where he does not appear.
In addition, John Cena’s merchandise is reportedly outselling the entire WWE
roster combined after CM Punk left the company and Daniel Bryan being currently
out of action. On the flip side, one could probably argue that Cena turning heel
and still being a fixture on the shows would not necessarily cause merchandise
or house show ticket sales to plummet. When Hulk Hogan turned heel in 1996 it
helped revitalize his career and the WCW product, since it became a big turning
point for the nWo storyline.
The other problem with the over-reliance on Cena and the lack of building up
new main eventers is that it presents a huge problem when Cena is out of action
or eventually retires. Cena is 37 and has already dealt with many serious
injuries. How many more “miraculous” recoveries can his body take? When Cena is
off TV, WWE rarely treats anyone with similar significance. The only reason
Daniel Bryan received his push is because the WWE fanbase forced it to happen
and rejected Batista’s return. Who is to really say a Cena heel turn would be a
financial flop unless you try it? It could allow another budding face to rise to
the occasion as an equally powerful star.
