John Cena

With all of the blockbuster headlines, emerging promotions, revealing podcasts and talent out there, 2019 is shaping up to be wildest year on record in the wrestling world.

Vince McMahon's WWE remains king of the proverbial kayfabe castle. In recent years, the company has focused on global brand dominance. That strategy paid off financially, as the company's stock jumped from $11.26 per share in January 2009 to over $70 per share in June 2019.

Revenue has also followed suit. According to Macro Trend, the company's year-over-year earnings ending in March 2019 increased by 15.58 percent.

"Vince dreamed of getting Coke and a car," a former WWE creative staffer explained to Bleacher Report. "He got it."

McMahon's company is a household name. And like Coca-Cola, name recognition has led to bigger infusions of cash.

But while McMahon's fiscal dreams have come to fruition, the product that got him here has struggled to combat poor television ratings, low attendance, a rival upstart promotion and growing backlash from fans.

              

Sinking Ratings

In 2014, Raw was hovering between 3.6 and 4 million viewers per week, according to Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats and data provided by Wrestle Zone's Mike Killam. Today, we've seen numbers gravitate around 2.24 million and lower.

WWE's ratings situation isn't good news for anyone. It has even garnered unwanted attention from corporate America, despite the company's recent efforts to bolster its product.

NBCUniversal, home to Raw through the USA Network, and Fox—the soon-to-be new home of SmackDown—have both expressed concern, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Fox seems especially wary after shelling out more than $1 billion to host SmackDown for the next five years, according to the Hollywood Reporter's Marisa Guthrie. Pro Sports Extra's Brad Shepard reported Fox executives recently held a meeting with WWE's leadership team to "address any concerns and changes."

"WWE has been tracking downward in the ratings since I was at WWE in 2007," Major League Wrestling CEO Court Bauer told Alfred Konuwa of Forbes. "Fans are sophisticated. They're selective."

In April 2019, McMahon blamed the ratings dip on temporary talent absences, according to Chuck Carroll of CBS New York. Roman Reigns took a leave of absence to undergo treatment for leukemia, while other mid-card Superstars were recovering from injuries.

But with WWE's talent pool now mostly back intact, ratings have still continued to slide.

         

Live Attendance

Ratings aren't WWE's only issue. Audience attendance levels are also dipping.

"Maybe" 6,000 people attended the latest pay-per-view, Stomping Grounds, according to Defy Wrestling's Matt Farmer. "Probably smallest PPV crowd in a long time," he added.  

One theory around shrinking attendances is the lack of mainstream stars left in WWE.

John Cena, the company's last tried-and-true crossover name, barely wrestles anymore. At 54 years old, The Undertaker is a shell of his old self, as his clash with Goldberg at WWE's Super ShowDown demonstrated.

Bleacher Report spoke with a former WWE Creative staffer who believes the company inflicted this damage on itself by not investing in long-term talent.

"This is where the erosion of making the talents of 2008-2014 hurts them," they said. "Name a star who is over from that era who was actually made in that era. The Shield guys were the major breakthrough."

Compounding this issue is how WWE seems to squash a good thing when it comes to star-making.

This issue was never more obvious than with the rise and fall of Bray Wyatt. After being built up in 2016 and finally winning the WWE Championship at the 2017 Elimination Chamber, for reasons we can't explain, he gave the title up a few months later at WrestleMania 33 to Randy Orton.

This not only crushed his momentum but also ripped away the menacing star power he had built up over the past six months.

Looking back at Wyatt and the entire original brand split of 2016 and you'll see examples of this. From the SmackDown side, Dean Ambrose, Cena, AJ Styles and others were all creating "must-see" moments. The blue brand's product was hot, and ratings—while not staggering—were better than they are today.

"Last night's SmackDown on the USA Network averaged 1.833 million viewers, the lowest number for the show since the 2016 brand split and its move to airing live on Tuesday nights," Paul Fontaine of the Wrestling Observer wrote, referring to the last show in April 2019.

Between futile storylines and stalled momentum, this genuine lack of star-building has helped cripple ratings and live attendance.

          

All Elite Wrestling: Threat or Fiction?

Sometimes outside forces can invoke the biggest wake-up calls.

All Elite Wrestling's attempt to emerge as a mainstream alternative for fans—the company recently signed a deal with WarnerMedia to host original weekly programming on TNT—could force WWE to push its boundaries and improve. 

"Wrestling fans have wanted—and needed—something different, authentic and better for far too long," AEW owner Tony Khan said, per Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari. "AEW is answering the call."

AEW already boasts more than 660,000 followers on Instagram. Compare that to an established brand like Impact Wrestling, which has around 432,000 followers, and you'll begin to see why wrestling fans have high hopes for the new promotion.

AEW has also attained star power thanks to Khan's deep pockets and is letting longtime wrestlers have a say in creative. Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks have all generated significant attention for the company.

By allowing talent to be fostered organically through creative angles and decisions, AEW hopes its product will remain fresh and cutting-edge. So far, it's worked.

AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view drew between 98,500 and 113,000 buys worldwide, per the Wrestling Observer (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.), without a weekly television program to help boost ratings.

It's easy to fall in love with the idea of AEW for all of the reasons stated above. However, it's important to remember WWE remains at its peak financially.

While WWE should remain wary of AEW, a startup promotion isn't likely to end its tenure as the top dog in professional wrestling.

         

Creative Solutions

With sagging ratings, low attendance and the threat of AEW on the horizon, is there any hope for a WWE Creative turnaround?

WWE recently hired Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff to take on executive director roles with the company—Heyman will oversee Raw while Bischoff will lead SmackDown—according to Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso. That could be a step in the right direction.

Both men have a decorated pedigree not only running rival promotions but working within the confines of WWE itself. Plus, with a 73-year-old McMahon leading the charge to bring back the XFL, perhaps hiring two former show-runners will be his way of easing out of every creative decision WWE makes.

Bischoff and Heyman can't be the only change.

"When WWE gets weird and creative with its product, it wins," David Bixenspan wrote at Deadspin.

Bixenspan nailed the crux of the matter.

Look at WWE programming today. The two best things going for the company can be classified as weird and creative.

Wyatt's compelling Firefly Fun House gimmick has become must-watch TV, with videos generating millions of views on YouTube alone, while WWE's 24/7 Championship has also provided fans with a breath of fresh air. A source within WWE reportedly told Pro Sports Extra's Brad Shepard that R-Truth is the company's "biggest draw on all platforms."

YouTube content starring Truth routinely receives millions of views, which is amazing for someone who is perceived to be at the mid-card level.

Innovation from guys like Truth and Wyatt begs the question: How does this type of creativity not translate to the main event scene?  It seems like McMahon wants to protect the brand and not take any huge risks at the top, which has led to frustration among fans.

There's been no better example of destroying the main event picture than the re-emergence of Dean Ambrose, or as he's called today, Jon Moxley.

Making his shocking debut at AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, Moxley closed the show by decimating Jericho and Omega. In a span of 10 minutes, he set a tone, lit the crowd on fire and pushed his character into hyperdrive.

Why didn't WWE use this approach when he came back off a lengthy injury in 2018?

Moxley vented about his WWE return on the Talk is Jericho podcast: "Basically, their idea for me coming back was exactly what everyone expected, no shock, nothing different, just good ol' Lunatic Fringe, again."

He then pulled back the curtain and opened up about McMahon and the creative team: "I think Vince is the problem. Not so much Vince, but the structure he built around himself."

The former WWE Creative staffer we talked to verified this way of thinking: "I think Dean's comments are in line with the system that is in place. WWE television is written and produced the same as it was in 2000."

Limited creative freedom awarded to talent and staff has resulted in marquee feuds fizzling out, repetitive matches taking place and storylines that seem to go nowhere or never reach a logical conclusion.

"I think it's the erosion of the product mattering," the former WWE Creative member said. "Payoffs don't matter anymore. Take the recent wild-card rule, introduced by Mr. McMahon as evidence. We were told it was four wild cards. Now it's not even a real thing. It's just whatever fits."

It's time to make creative matter again. WWE could even pull a few pages out of Triple H's NXT brand. It should nurture homegrown talent and give them a pivotal role when they're called up to the main roster.

At this point, who doesn't believe Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole could lead Raw into the future?

To turn declining attendances around and boost TV ratings, WWE must move forward in a cohesive manner and allow its talent to dictate the product.

John Cena is a man of his word. 

The San Diego Padres and Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune shared interviews with the professional wrestler in which he explained his friendship with pitcher Logan Allen and why the two made a $1 bet:

Tonight, @Logan__Allen earns his dollar from @JohnCena as he makes his Major League debut.

Tomorrow, the dollar gets paid in person. #onedollarbet pic.twitter.com/HKecAkSuS4

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 18, 2019

.@JohnCena paid his dollar bet to @Logan__Allen today on the mound before the #Padres game. Cena spoke beforehand about what the dollar represented and why he's maintained a friendship with Allen, whom he met during a random encounter at a restaurant two years ago: pic.twitter.com/xKYuctthU1

— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) June 19, 2019

Cena spoke with Allen for hours at a steakhouse after they initially met and bet the southpaw he wouldn't reach the major leagues. Allen did just that during Tuesday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers, throwing seven shutout innings and even tallying a hit and run scored on the offensive end.

"I really wanted to pay the bet," Cena said while explaining he stayed in touch with Allen—who warmed up to the wrestler's entrance theme The Time Is Now on Tuesday.

Cena was in attendance for Tuesday's game and then paid Allen the $1 on the mound at Petco Park prior to Wednesday's contest. He wrote, "To Logan, I was wrong" on the front and signed it while saying "The hard work starts now" on the back.

If Tuesday's performance was any indication, Allen figures to be in the major leagues for the foreseeable future. He was the Padres' No. 7 prospect at the start of the 2019 campaign, per MLB.com.

Between Jon Moxley's debut at Double or Nothing in May and rumors that CM Punk will join as well, it feels like WWE could have a real competitor on its hands in All Elite Wrestling, especially as the new promotion continues to sign more notable names.

Everyone from Brock Lesnar to Goldberg has reportedly expressed interest in joining the upstart promotion at one point or another. Even if they used their talks with AEW as leverage while negotiating new deals with WWE, it's clear WWE sees AEW as a threat and will do anything to prevent its top talent from leaving for there.

Needless to say, there is virtually no chance of this specific Superstar ending up in AEW because of how he's been positioned as the face of WWE for so long, but what if John Cena shocked the wrestling world and wrestled in AEW?

Cena's status with WWE is in question, at least as an on-air character.

Mind you, there has been zero indication he has contemplated leaving the company, and there isn't any reason to believe he will. He likely still gets paid millions for just being under contract despite not having been a regular on WWE TV in years.

Aside from a one-off appearance at WrestleMania 35 (where he dusted off his old Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick), the 16-time WWE world champion hasn't been seen on SmackDown Live or Raw since before the Royal Rumble in January. He was pulled from the pay-per-view because of an "injury" when in reality he had prior movie commitments.

Cena has been the epitome of a part-timer for the better part of the past four years. His work as United States champion and later feud with AJ Styles were stellar, but nothing else he has done in that time has lit the world on fire.

Fans often speculate what another run for Cena in WWE would look like, and outside of surpassing his and Ric Flair's shared record of 16 world title wins, there isn't much left for him to do. He's feuded with practically everyone on the active roster, young and old, and none of the newer stars feel worthy of a rivalry with him.

The WWE Universe may miss Cena, but it's not like Raw or SmackDown would be any better off with him around full time again. He has essentially become the equivalent to what Hulk Hogan was to WWE by 1993, which is why a move to AEW would be the best thing for him creatively in an alternate universe.

AEW picking up the one guy that embodies sports entertainment to a T would be pure irony. If Cena wanted in on the promotion, surely it wouldn't turn him down because of how huge of a star he is. But he would feel out of place on a roster with Cody, Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Pentagon Jr. and other elite athletes.

The new promotion must refrain from signing too many ex-WWE guys. Although Cena isn't going anywhere anytime soon, his arrival in AEW would send the wrong message for what it is trying to accomplish unless he were to change up his character and everything he's ever represented over the course of his career.

On the other hand, considering he's already faced almost every main event player under the WWE banner, journeying over to AEW would provide him with a fresh batch of exciting opponents to work with.

Cena vs. Omega has been a dream match for many for several years. Let's also not forget Cena has history with Moxley and that Jericho and has always jelled with him.

Just imagine Cena standing across the squared circle from The Young Bucks to either team or do battle with them. Cody would push Cena to his limit, while Pentagon Jr. would test the mettle of the Face That Runs the Place in a hardcore match for the ages.

The possibilities would be endless from an in-ring standpoint if Cena were to head to AEW, and from a business standpoint, WWE have no choice but to put forth a more compelling product than it has lately.

This is all pie in the sky until the day comes when a headliner in WWE decides that AEW would be a better fit for them and jumps to the opposition. Moxley is a strong start for AEW, but someone such as Cena or Randy Orton would be an even bigger difference-maker.

In the meantime, Cena finds himself busier than ever between becoming the newly appointed host of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Nickelodeon and joining the cast of Fast & Furious 9. Therefore, all we can do is speculate for what the future might hold for him in wrestling.

However, with Cena recently telling TMZ that he's been thinking about retiring from the ring sooner rather than later, the time is now for him to start crossing items off his bucket list and exploring other unprecedented endeavors, starting with AEW.

                  

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

John Cena addressed the possibility of retiring from WWE as an in-ring performer during an interview with TMZ Sports on Monday.

Cena was asked about the sloppy—and at times dangerous—match between the 54-year-old Undertaker and 52-year-old Goldberg at WWE Super ShowDown in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last week:

While he wouldn't offer an opinion on whether the veterans should retire, he revealed that he was considering it himself: "I think an individual's career is up to the individual. ... I've been having the same conversation with myself and I'm only 42. It's something we gotta address each day, and that's individually specific. When those people are ready to stop, they'll stop."

Cena only works for WWE in a part-time capacity currently because of his burgeoning career as an actor. While he was long viewed as the company's workhorse and franchise player, he has had just two matches in 2019 and has not wrestled for WWE since January.

He did appear at WrestleMania 35 in April to interrupt Elias' musical performance and rap in a throwback to his Dr. of Thuganomics character.

On the occasions that the 16-time world champion does perform for WWE, he has shown he can still get the job done in the ring and on the mic. The same can't necessarily be said for The Undertaker and Goldberg.

The Deadman has wrestled just a handful of matches over the past several years, and he wasn't even used at WrestleMania this year despite being synonymous with the event. His past four matches have occurred at international super-shows, with three of them taking place in Saudi Arabia.

As for Goldberg, Super ShowDown represented his first match since losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 more than two years ago.

Goldberg bled during the match, seemed to take a bump on his head from The Undertaker's Tombstone and nearly dropped The Phenom on his head while attempting to execute a Jackhammer.

The former WCW star tweeted the following about his performance after the match:

https://twitter.com/Goldberg/status/1137146190456401920

Since WWE's deal with Saudi Arabia began last year, it has become a trend for legends to compete in matches. That includes The Undertaker and Goldberg, as well as Triple H, Kane and even Shawn Michaels, who came out of retirement for one match last year.

If Saudi Arabia continues to request aging stars, WWE may have to make adjustments by putting them in the ring with younger performers who can help carry them to passable matches.

Cena doesn't have to worry about that conundrum quite yet, although his comments clearly suggest he is looking ahead to life after wrestling.

                     

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