It's the year 2012 and John Cena is still rising above hate.
You'd think WWE would want to change it up every once in a while and create something different for its loyal fanbase that's been putting up with the top star in the promotion pushing the same tired lines for the past five years or so. But you would be wrong.
Last night (Jan. 2, 2012) on Raw, Cena cut yet another cartoony, pandering promo designed to endear him to the younger audience that finds him so appealing. It was also likely at least partially designed to make the older fans, like myself, continue to despise him.
Hey, we're going to anyway.
Cena took to Twitter after Raw and continued pushing his message:
"2012 started as 2011 ended. Hate dominating the landscape. I have a feeling these next few months will be the greatest of all challenges. I can see what Kane is trying to do...and I certainly know where I stand with Dwayne. I won't falter. Stand 4 something or fall 4 everything."
I suppose it makes sense to have Cena involved in the campy, supernatural angle they ran with Kane last night. After all, he's been booked as the old school babyface superhero who saves the day no matter the odds and no matter the evil he's up against.
And that's why, after watching last night, I turned the corner on the storyline that showed so much promise. It didn't take long. One week, actually. But it seems obvious that WWE has no plans to turn Cena heel; not now and not ever.
Really, there's only one scenario at this point that could see him finally turn: if he was the one pushing for it. Somehow it seems unlikely he would ever do such a thing, especially after we learned that he was the one nixing the idea to sell t-shirts that say "CENA SUCKS."
And so we'll continue to run in the same circle, with Raw feeling like a repeat each time Cena comes out. He'll pander to the crowd, someone will step up to challenge him, oftentimes a character cast as a monster, and he'll overcome the odds in the end to reign supreme.
How much longer can this last?