Jake “The Snake” Roberts doesn’t think that John Cena has the “It” factor.
The wrestling world is still reeling over John Cena turning heel. For over 20 years, Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect was the face of the WWE, but with times changing, the former WWE Champion is no longer the top dog of the promotion. The turn was shocking, but necessary as Cody Rhodes is currently the face of the promotion.
It appears that the goal for the Cena/Rhodes feud is to put over the third generation star, and rightfully so. Speaking on his Snake Pit podcast, Jake Roberts accessed John Cena turning heel and he agrees that it was the right move.
"Yeah, absolutely. Sure, why not? It’s time for it for a couple reasons. Number one, Cody’s your top babyface now. So you gotta get those other guys out of there, so he’s the only one. To turn him heel, he’s gonna wind up putting Cody over, which is what they want," Roberts said.
But Jake Roberts makes a shocking statement; the WWE Hall of Famer doesn’t feel that John Cena has the “It” factor. Roberts acknowledges the hard work that the former WWE Champion has done for the company, but he’s never felt that personal connection with Cena.
“I don’t think he did. I don’t feel it. Nothing personal. But I just always struggle with him. He just doesn’t have that magic in him, man. His interviews are okay, and his work was good, very good. But he didn’t have that oomph. He had to work really hard."
Jake Roberts isn't the first man to criticize Cena and it’s doubtful he’ll be the last. There’s no denying that Cena certainly has a Hall of Fame career, but many people weren't too fond of the 47-year-old before his memorable United States Championship run. Though Roberts does give some depth on why he feels Cena doesn’t have the “It” factor, it would've been great if he elaborated further on why Cena didn’t have that magic as the former WWE Champion always had the gift of gab.
Nevertheless, it should be interesting to see how the build to WrestleMania goes. WWE was off to a hot start with the John Cena heel turn, but the company still has a month to keep that same momentum going. Let’s hope they can create the same magic that Roman Reigns and Cody had during their WrestleMania builds.