WWE’s strategy for antagonist John Cena was among the subjects discussed by JBL in his recent appearance on the “Something To Wrestle With” podcast, also touching on the current state of TNA Wrestling, and more.
Here are key takeaways from the podcast discourse:
His views on how WWE should further develop John Cena’s character as an antagonist: “I love that you chose the term ‘seminal moment’, because that’s exactly the expression I resort to, not that it gives validation to the term. I refer to it as such because you need to have a seminal moment for a massive turn of a heel. And I mean one that involves two prominent figures expected to headline pay-per-views. I refer not to minor characters, but rather significant pivotal moments.
“Every antagonist who has risen beyond the genre — which Cena has achieved. Cena did it prior to becoming a heel, and now he’s an antagonist who has outdone the constraints of the genre — they necessitate a seminal moment, a reason for escalation. Whether that escalation comes with an explanation, or some other cause, a seminal moment is crucial. And I concur with your belief that this moment has yet to occur. I anticipate it happening very soon, possibly even today. I think it’s expected to be a significant moment. But it’s vital. For a principal antagonist to match up with a principal protagonist, that seminal moment is necessary. It is of prime importance in a storyline.”
On the current situation of TNA: “They’re making all the right decisions. It’s remarkable. They’re filling up arenas consistently. A certain instance comes to mind where I was conversing with Mayor Bloomberg, with whom I’m somewhat acquainted. During one big event in New York, he told me, ‘It sold out in an hour.’ When I congratulated him, he replied, ‘Congratulations? It was priced wrong. Selling out in an hour?’
“If you sell out in a day, your venue is either undersized or your ticket prices are cheap. So, TNA’s venues are inadequate, which is actually a good predicament to have. They’re selling out. They’ve had as many as 4000 attendees at an event in El Paso. They’re working splendidly. Although I hate to bring it up, it differs starkly from AEW. AEW had to downsize from large arenas to smaller ones whereas, TNA is heading in the opposite direction.”