Jim Ross Blasts WWE for Failing to Build Around John Cena

In a recent piece for FoxSports.com entitled “Cena a polarizing figure because of WWE’s failure to build around him,” WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross went in-depth on why fan reactions continue to be mixed for WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena.

Here’s a small blurb from his piece:

Wrestling fans have their favorites who they want to supplant incumbent hero Cena within the WWE hierarchy. However, thus far no fan favorite has been able to accomplish that feat. Is it John Cena’s fault that WWE hasn’t created a superstar, fan favorite to rival Cena and remove some of the burden from their top star?

Is Cena the culprit why WWE can’t develop a viable hero or, more importantly, heroes to supplant the 15-time champion who has pulled the wagon for more than a decade? Obviously not, as that burden belongs to the promotion and to a lesser degree to the talents who are put into the position to hopefully become “The Man.”

Ironically, Cena is not booed as fervently at non-televised live events as he is on TV, which might indicate that those in the male demo who jeer John on television are doing so because they feel that it’s what is expected of them. In other words, some fans seemingly feel that it’s become “cool” to boo Cena on TV.

Another point to consider is that many fans still long for the TV-14 Attitude Era of WWE programming instead of today’s PG product that WWE produces and that John Cena represents more than any talent on the roster.

An argument can be made that by booing Cena some fans feel that they can change the WWE’s presentation by sending a message that they as consumers don’t like the current, PG product.

To view the piece in its entirety, click here.

Cena will defend his title against Brock Lesnar on Aug. 17 at WWE “SummerSlam.”

Editor’s Note

WWE had something special with Daniel Bryan before neck and shoulder injuries put him on the sidelines. Roman Reigns is a safe bet to be the next “top guy” for the company, but questions still linger over his ability to stand on his own two feet in a post-Shield world. Cena can’t be in the spot he’s in forever, but as Ross points out, WWE continues to drop the ball in building stars to reach that mark.

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