In case you missed John Cena’s in-ring, show-closing promo from Monday Night Raw that was intended to hype up this Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV event, here it is:
http://youtu.be/lyDhZY033tA
CB’s Slant: This was just brutal to watch the first time and equally as painful to re-watch now. Cena did an AWFUL job delivering the Royal Rumble go home promo, and the worst offense isn’t even the embarrassing, uninspiring material that he (and/or Creative) came up with to say. Instead, it’s what Cena didn’t say in those seven minutes that really irritated me.
Cena could have gone full serious mode — which he actually does well from time to time — and simply resold us all on the Rumble by retelling us his own story that dates back to last year’s WrestleMania when he lost to The Rock, and even before that. John could have talked about not having the WWE title for over a year, how losing to Rocky really did throw him for a loop and how jealous he is of CM Punk for two things: 1. Being the longest-reigning champion of the modern era; and 2. Getting a shot at The Rock, something Cena would love to get a second chance at one day.
Cena then could have sold the importance of the 30-Man Rumble match and why he needs this even more than he needed to beat The Rock at WrestleMania 28. Because this year, it’s not about putting on a show and cracking jokes and cooking up some rhymes. Why? Because 2012 humbled him, because he sees a guy like Ryback being so hungry and a guy like Dolph Ziggler making a career out of getting in his way and a group like The Shield raising Hell just because they can … and so it’s time he raises some Hell of his own and it starts this Sunday at the Royal Rumble.
But of course, instead of all of that, we got hangover jokes and yoga poses as innuendo and World of Warcraft references that nobody cares about or is inspired by.
At the end of the day, I don’t know why this promo happened at the end of Raw on Monday night. Maybe it’s because suckers like me watch the Rumble every year no matter what, or perhaps it was a genuine unintended miscalculation on their part.
Either way, it was a horrible way to try and sell anyone on this Sunday’s show.
Like so many other times in the past 400-plus days, they might have well have let CM Punk — the Best in The World — close the show.
That’s all from me — CB.
What did you think of Cena’s promo? How would you have booked the Raw go home segment? Sound off in the comments section below.
