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Post by Cap on Jul 18, 2019 15:39:30 GMT -5
Not always my cup of tea, but when he streaks he is an all timer in my book. His best stuff really does represent the best of the WWE style in the modern era. His matches with Umaga and Bryan are both on my list and are VERY different. His matches with Brock, Punk, Styles, Owens are all matches/feuds I consider great.
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Post by bossrock on Jul 19, 2019 18:44:28 GMT -5
Cena is someone who would absolutely make my GWE ballot whether the voting would be today or 3 years from now, but where exactly he would fall is something I always go back and forth on. He had a terrific year in 2007 working with a wide range of opponents and elevating lesser workers to some truly great matches. But while I have a huge blindspot for 2010-late 2013 WWE, he seems to have just a handful of truly excellent matches per year surrounded by matches that rank from decent to downright bad since then. Some of that has been due to the opponents he's worked with, but I honestly feel like some of it has been due to his desire to try and prove the "You can't wrestle" and "Five Moves of Doom" fans wrong by trying to work a more indie-riffic style, which is not helped by his terrible execution.
But his status as a big match worker is undeniable. He had two out of the five WWE matches that made my ballot (Umaga and Bryan). The A.J. series also points to his longevity in being able to deliver in a big match situation. So while I think volume hurts him, his peaks are pretty damn high.
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Post by Cap on Jul 20, 2019 7:58:55 GMT -5
Yeah, indie-Jon isn't my favorite, but when he strikes that balance I am here for it. I think he did that in like the Bryan match and first KO match (for example) and then he leaned a little hard into it. From a match standpoint, I think its hard to argue against him on the whole. He has consistency issues, but so few guys have taken that main event style in the wwe and really honed it and done more with it than him.
My biggest issue with Cena is his promos. His style is sort of the worst type of byproduct of the Attitude Era promo. Its all for the laugh/pop and just focuses on insult more than building up anything. He has some good promos, but his go to promo is not usually something that gets me into a match unless he is in there with someone who is his equal or better and can steer the ship (Punk, maybe Bryan).
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Post by bossrock on Jul 20, 2019 14:16:23 GMT -5
My biggest issue with Cena is his promos. His style is sort of the worst type of byproduct of the Attitude Era promo. Its all for the laugh/pop and just focuses on insult more than building up anything. He has some good promos, but his go to promo is not usually something that gets me into a match unless he is in there with someone who is his equal or better and can steer the ship (Punk, maybe Bryan). I definitely have an issue with his later-year promos when it comes to relying on cheap insults. But his level of crowd control and ability to improvise is almost unmatched in this day and age. Although that's also a pretty big indictment of most wrestlers' promo abilities.
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Post by elliott on Jul 28, 2019 20:23:27 GMT -5
I know he has a shit ton of great matches but I think the variety of his absolute best matches is really impressive. vs Brock Extreme Rules vs Umaga Rumble vs Bryan SummerSlam
Those are 3 of the best WWE matches ever and are all worked radically differently.
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