RAW Deal: A true American hero

Joe 'the Grappler' Marsalis

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RAW Deal: A true American hero
John Cena secretly turns heel, teaching the WWE's impressionable audience that the way to get what you want is to impose yourself physically and show no mercy

PITTSBURGH, PA, USA—Americans present at the Consol Energy Center this Monday didn’t realize it, but John Cena turned heel right in front of their eyes.

John Cena the Patriot warned Rusev of the repercussions of talking smack about America that night. Rusev has freedom of speech, says Cena; freedom to say what he wanted to say about the country that gave him the opportunity of a lifetime. But Cena isn’t the government. Cena also has the right, as a private individual—according to him—to shut him up if he says one slanderous word about America. That’s all it’s gonna take for Cena. One slanderous word. 

So far, all right. It’s every jingoistic pro wrestling character in the history of pro wrestling. It’s still somewhat excusable. 

Rusev comes out for his match against Curtis Axel, the guy who challenged him last week on SmackDown! As per usual, it’s a squash that emphasizes Rusev’s monstrous dominance. And as per usual, Rusev cuts his typical anti-America promo, using Curtis Axel’s delusions of grandeur as a framing device. It’s, obviously, to bait Cena to come out so he could dish out some more pain.

And Cena does come out. It’s Angry Cena. No trace of a joke on his face. He runs down the ramp, into the ring, and goes SuperCena on Rusev. Rusev doesn’t even have a chance this time. Cena locks on the STF—not even the Lazy Cena STF that sees him wrap his biceps around the opponent’s neck, but the Serious Cena STF that sees him lock it on properly, with his forearm pushing back on the opponent’s jaw. 

Rusev passes out. 

Referees come in to break the hold. Cena lets go. He walks toward ringside to grab a bottle of water. He sprays the contents onto the downed Rusev to wake him up—so that he could lock the STF on again. 

That’s astounding, even for Cena. 

Cena locks it on harder, hard enough for Rusev to finally tap out. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a historic first. Cena doesn’t let go, though. It’s at this point where, if it wasn’t already clear to the viewer, it becomes truly obvious where this is all going. Rusev uses both hands to tap out. Cena doesn’t budge. The referees can’t make him break the hold. Lana finally relents in Rusev’s place. 

“Okay, John!” she harps, fearing for her charge’s wellbeing. “We’ll give you the WrestleMania match!” 

Cena still doesn’t budge. Lana has to repeat the declaration twice. Cena doesn’t break it after the first time. At the third repetition, Lana specifically mentions that it’s a United States Championshp match. 

Cena finally lets go. There is an eerie look on his face. It’s a look of vindictiveness. Satisfied vindictiveness. He stood up, half-smiling with full viciousness. There is no outward trace of malice on his face, but his look is not conflicted. It’s surefooted, in fact. John Cena got what he wanted. John Cena just played everyone. 

The worst part? Everyone was cheering. They thought it was still about United States versus Russia. In fact, while this segment was happening, I was going to complain about it reverting to USA vs. Russia. But they were blind to the fact that by letting go at that precise moment Lana said the Wrestlemania match was for the United States Championship, it was no longer about the Bastion of Democracy seeking justice against the Tyrants of the World.  John Cena played the Patriot card—the ‘MURRICA card—and bullied his way to a championship shot. It was John Cena looking out for John Cena. 

Cena, before the entire confrontation, sums his motivations up as fighting for America. But in a way, in a truly ironic twist, isn’t Cena pretty much America? The same America that went to war against Iraq over presumed cache of weapons of mass destruction, but is really only there to try and take control of their resources? The same America its citizens blindly cheer because they watch it and think it is administering justice, much in the same way Pittsburgh was cheering Cena because they thought he was fighting for their collective integrity. 

They’ll never admit Cena turned heel because they’ll never see anything villainous in what he did. 

Here’s the thing. This version of Cena—take no prisoners, “compromised to a permanent end,” “The Patriot” Mel Gibson John Cena—would be infinitely interesting and totally unproblematic if it was outwardly specified that Cena turned heel. (You would know it when the announcers start pointing out and reacting to how evil he’s become.) However, since he’s still being talked about as the hero, the role model, the defender of America, this is a highly flawed portrayal of Cena. It’s unsurprising because Vince McMahon is unashamedly Republican and conservative, but that doesn’t make it any more correct.

What’s worse than the jingoism is the dangerous notion Cena and the WWE’s teaching their impressionable audience is that the way to get what you want is to impose yourself physically, unrelentingly. To show no mercy, even when you are (supposed to be) the pinnacle of morality; even when you have shown, in the past, that you have never given into your inner monster, even in the face of a hated rival. This is what their hero has become. 

There may not be a backlash, but if the WWE wants to avoid one at all, they have to do either one of two things: stop Cena from being #ScumbagCena (which is the easy, yet unrewarding choice), or completely rebrand him as a villain (the high-risk, high-reward choice). But hey, the latter might not be such a bad idea, especially if he’s being gradually weaned from the main event.  

The Cena Era is, for all intents and purposes, pretty much over. But let’s not ruin everything on his way out.

Do you listen to podcasts? Would you want to listen to a local podcast about pro wrestling? If the answers to most of those questions—especially that last one—are yes, then you should check out the cleverly-named Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast—featuring Mellow 94.7 DJ and PWR General Manager Stan Sy, wrestling writer Romeo Moran, and all-around multimedia person (and voice of the PWR) Raf Camus! On the latest episode of the podcast, they talk to English Only, Please writer and huge wrestling fan (especially of PWR’s Kanto Terror) Anj Pessumal! Listen to it here!

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