Look within.....
Right, let's get something straight from the off. The hypothesis I am about to offer is not necessarily what I think WILL happen, nor is it what I WANT to happen. It certainly isn't what I think SHOULD happen.
But it COULD happen. It really could.
Recently, the hottest talking point in wrestling has been the series of quirky videos involving a small boy in a classroom talking about a major return on January 2. The smart money seems to be on Undertaker, returning for his annual run towards Wrestlemania, or Chris Jericho, who has been gone for some time and has been rumoured for a comeback.
I talked at length on my latest One Sided Ring Podcast about who I felt could be candidates, after I had seen the first video. You can listen to that podcast here - http://robmcnichol.podbean.com/2011/11/28/the-one-sided-ringring/ or on iTunes. The podcast also contains an interview with Ken Anderson.
But since I have seen all three something else has been whirring in my mind. Are we all missing the point? Is the wording so cryptic that it does not mean that someone we haven't seen for a while will return but instead, someone we are familiar with might have a change of heart?
What if this is the foreshadowing of a John Cena turn?
The first of these videos, entitled "It Begins2012" was advertised during Raw on November 21. The following week, when Raw pointed to the second of the videos (cleverly entitled: "Second2012") was the week when Rowdy Roddy Piper confronted John Cena about fans booing him. The commentators played this angle up on this week's show, suggesting that something in creative is putting this angle in motion, not just a one-week thing with Hot Rod.
My point is that although surely the videos will have been produced ahead of time, is it a coincidence that the two seemingly separate angles started only a few days apart?
Let's have a look at each video, shall we, and I'll point out what could be hinting at Cena turning heel on January 2.
"Come my people and shut thy doors about thee" - is this a reference to Cena addressing the unit of fans he has built up that are still loyal to him?
"A power shall come to punish the meek for their inequity" - Maybe this is Cena saying that he is going to punish those who didn't back him, after all he did for them in doing the right thing and being a good hero.
"A familiar force shall arrive to claim what is his." - He certainly is a familiar force. Is claiming 'what is his' the WWE title? Or maybe his dignity?
"The end of the world as you know it" is a line I'll come back to after all three videos.
Let's have a look at the next one.
To be honest, there is less in this one than either of the other two, but here goes.
"to claim what others have taken" could be a reference to the title belt or perhaps Rock 'taking' Cena's popularity.
"Those who are unjust, destruction will come upon them and they shall not escape" - More talk about those that have let him down.
Here's number three:
"Behold the power will come vengeance to render his anger with fury. The deception the meek have perpetrated will be castigated." More talk of getting back at fans booing him?
"The second day of 2012 the prophet will emerge and destroy the weak." Here is where the theory starts to gain traction. What if the 'return' is simply another part of Cena's psyche? What if it is a return of 'ruthless aggression' Cena? 'Emerging to destroy the weak' suddenly sounds to me like a man transforming his character. The 'heel' part of John Cena will finally emerge, after he has been holding it back, and the 'weak' it will destroy is 'babyface John Cena'. The weak is the 'Hustle, Loyalty, Respect' part of Cena,
The third video is called "Look within". That led me to thinking that the videos are not the heralding of someone who is missing but the metamorphosis of one we are familiar with. It could convey that we, looking for clues, must look within - and that the person in question has to 'look within' themselves and find their true self.
Going back to the first video, it is called 'It begins'. The most talked about subject for years in WWE has been the Cena heel turn. Perhaps that was signifying that this was the week it began - the following week was the Piper's Pit episode previously mentioned.
"The end of the world as we know it" - or perhaps the end of the universe as we know it? The WWE world that we know right now is dominated by Cena and his ethos. If he turns heel it means Punk takes over as number one baby. It could be the end of the 'PG world'.
Look, I don't think I really believe that this is the aim of the video. I still hold the impression that it's meant for Jericho, but if things fall through they can relate it to Taker.
But if you want to look closely enough, as I have done, you can find clues for Vince, Shane, Steph, HHH, Batista, Brock Lesnar, JBL, the NWO or many others. That's why the videos are so terrific, because they have so many possible answers.
I've read some of the comments under the videos on Youtube, and people have heard Cena's name mentioned, seen DX logos on the kid's buttons, heard a part of Vince's music, noticed faces in the clouds, deformities in the girl's face, seen the letters NWO written down. They have worked out the Roman numerals of DX and worked out how to do a sum which gets you to the year the Walls of Jericho came down. One person even posted that "It Begins" is an anagram of "I BE STING".
You can find what you like in these videos. I still think that if clues are to taken then more point to Shane than anyone, but he ain't coming back, so I don't think it's him.
Anyway, roll on Monday when we get to see a new video - and all of our theories go out of the window once again. I love it.
