The Conjuring: Last Rites Turns the Horror Franchise into a Schmaltzy Soap Opera

The Conjuring: Next RiTES has full spoilers in this post. It all ends with a ceremony. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren ( Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga ) dance together in the final moments of The Conjuring: Last Rites, surrounded by [ …][ …]

The article The Conjuring: Next Customs Turns the Horror Franchise into a Schmaltzy Soap Opera appeared initially on Den of Geek.

John Cena has embodied a mythology that is typically reserved for comic book characters since 2002. Then his wrestling retirement work has felt less like a goodnight and more like the ultimate act of a story that has spanned across different timescales. It’s a major event that makes it difficult for anyone who has traveled with him to enjoy anything he’s done and who he was for the professional wrestling industry as WWE continues to recreate itself.

What makes the schedule exciting is the sarcasm of Cena closing the door on his work as WWE’s enduring hero, while having begun a fresh start as another one in an entirely new world. When James Gunn portrayed the boxer as Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, in The Suicide Squad, he placed Cena in a position he had already prepared for. That’s because his profession mirrored the very people that he was tasked to describe. In the WWE, he embodied the same paradox and richness as Peacemaker does in the DC Universe. &nbsp,

cnx. powershell. cnx ( playerId:” 106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530″ ) is the function of the player. render ( “0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796” ), }),

Cena’s on-screen emergence in Hollywood reinforced what wrestlers was presently reporting out in the wild about him. In WWE’s situation, it was him holding up the company on his back when tradition fans were turning away from the solution. Christopher Smith’s relentless pursuit of justice was what ultimately led to his atonement, in DC. And like WWE, James Gunn saw something in Cena’s skill to be a principal character as he sought to modify the notion of DC, helping move Cena into the kind of critically-acclaimed professional that had been just out of achieve as he pursued Hollywood.

Cena’s in-ring occupation was defined by Peacemaker’s contradictions, his sincerity and sincerity that clashed with murder and absurdity. His pension run and Peacemaker path aren’t independent stories. They are the exact tale told in various media. He was the WWE’s misunderstood warrior and is now the DC Universe’s misunderstood hero also. Both have nature stories. Cena’s began a few short decades after the earth entered into the year 2000 in a squared-circle. &nbsp,

The New Millenium’s Superhero

The jobs in the wrestling business are just as unpredictable as those outside of it. Stars may increase or die almost immediately. It might have been possible to take the title of Cena’s June 2002 film album against Kurt Angle straight from a visual novel’s cover. Fans watched a comfortable quarterback cry “ruthless anger” before putting on a now-legendary meet with one of the company’s most painted performers. Nobody could have imagined that Cena would become the agency’s most recognizable standard-bearer for the next 20 years, despite the fact that this all but spelled their faith in him. It was a powerful advantages.

What made his appearance more poignant was its schedule. The September 11 attacks were less than a year after that album, when wrestling, like much of the United States, was looking for hope and a sense of national ethos. WWE leaned heavily on patriotic story throughout 2001 and 2002 and is notably known as the second public meeting spread after the problems. Despite the country’s overall history of horror, the search for a new and innovative face that could change into their vessel of British resilience. &nbsp,

Cena fit that description, and his clean-cut appearance may be combined with a martial welcome, the phrase” Hurry, Loyalty, Respect,” which embodied the core principles of America, and was presented as an outsider who would never,” Never Give Up.” He also regularly started wearing colour items and was booked in functions that cast him as the experience of National perseverance. In many ways, he was perceived as the company’s man by WWE. He was a strong contrast of the dying Attitude Century when the organization wanted to tone down their edge in the midst of crisis and rebrand into a company that was centered around stability and wish through a major character.

Cena continues to serve as the tidal centre of WWE to this day. He survived swings in command, social changes, and admirer rebellions, carrying the business on his backside during its most delicate transitions. He was their outlet, their lightning rod, and much more than a trustworthy hand. He was the side.

Cena’s pension circle replaces nostalgia. It is a solution. Every single time instantly connects as one in a long-running humorous book, similar to the final matter. This completes the hero account wrestlers had been writing about him in plain view since the outset.

The PG Era‘s Hero

In 2008, when WWE totally embraced PG software, the business needed more than a hero. They needed someone who could resist attention and exhibit security. Cena became that figure, clean and eternally promotable, the company’s most apparent experience.

That change was significant. The Attitude Era took rights with raunchiness, body, swearing, and antiheroes like Stone Cold Steve Austin and then, that additional was gone. A more family-friendly narrative and partnership-focused perception from the top of the business replaced it. This brought in partnerships with companies like Mattel and Post Consumer Brands. One of the loudest lover rebellions in wrestling history was caused by sponsorship deals and a rapid rise in conventional charm. Die-hards rejected the tamer solution typified by Cena, and audiences responded in people. They returned his shirt to him and carried signs that read,” If Cena Wins, We Riot,” with them. They cheered the poor men, hijacked his adverts, and filled fields with slogans like,” You can’t fight”. The man they regarded as the savior of this innovative way was the target of the fanfare. &nbsp,

Anti-Cena mood wasn’t antiquated. It was popular and he took the brunt of every gripe that had been building between the market and the company. The people opted for dignity over rebellion. Below the area, this was a turbulent time, but Cena was still there, standing as a regular through it all. &nbsp,

Very few individuals in current pleasure may say they worked seven days a week. Cena did. For more than a decade, he lived a rewarding routine that saw him fight more than 250 nights a year, travel abroad, look at live events, headline television and pay-per-views, and still maintain first morning talk shows and late-night interviews. He also rose to the position of Make-A-Wish’s most popular celebrity, granting more than 650 wishes and setting a record that no other person has ever achieved. His life was relentless, structured almost entirely around WWE’s demands, and yet he carried that responsibility without faltering. He never once expressed his frustration. He always showed up. He persevered despite his injuries and performed as promised.

His presence was not only cultural, but financial. Cena worked part-time in 2018, only second to Roman Reigns in sales. He headlined more pay-per-views than anyone else in company history and was a ratings stabilizer when Monday Night Raw was averaging around 3.5 million weekly viewers. With live event gates and merchandise sales heavily influenced by Cena’s drawing power, WWE’s annual revenue increased from about$ 485 million in 2007 to$ 729 million in 2016.

Streaming numbers proved his drawing power too. The 2021 return to face Roman Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam made it the most watched SummerSlam ever on Peacock at the time. His 2023 SmackDown comeback in September led to one of the brand&#8217, s largest viewership surges of that year. The presence of Cena led to significant business gains.

Fans, however, didn’t appreciate how those numbers translated into their experience and often did not care to see the superhero either. What was happening on camera wasn’t the edge or shock that they demanded. At that very moment, antiheroes were dominating pop culture and Cena’s squeaky-clean persona was unwelcome. Events rang with” Cena sucks” chants. He faced continuous criticism of his wrestling ability and his infamous” Five Moves of Doom” and promos that sounded almost too good. He never swayed. He walked into the fire every night, in the midst of a brutal and grueling schedule that preceded his appearances and waited for him afterwards. When the world believed they wanted him to change and be something different, he became Superman made flesh onscreen and off of it as well.

His rivalry with Randy Orton became the backbone of the PG Era, a battle of morality against rebellion that proved WWE could endure when anchored by one man who refused to compromise. He made a necessary part of the brand. He took up a mantle, one that presented itself as desirable, but was paired with an incredible cost. Because of this, he shouldn’t retire. It’s the end of one of the greatest stories ever told in a professional sport. Few people have ever had the opportunity to leave gracefully in shoes like these.

John Cena’s Comic Book Saga

Cena’s career has been full of matchups that are larger-than-life. His rivalry with Edge was chaos against order. His conflict with CM Punk was a first for revolution. His battles with The Rock were staged like crossover summer blockbusters. Each pair brought significant stakes with them, and they each made a significant contribution to his larger mythology.

The nickname” Super Cena” was not wrong. Even though they resisted it, the archetype Cena portrayed was still accurately identified by the audience. They wanted him, but only on their terms. However, Cena’s presence still managed to keep the group together. He was a total performer who was shouldering complex burdens: headlining pay-per-views, filming charity spots, handling endless media, and wrestling night after night with the same effort. He was significant for both his endurance and his championship success. And he never became nasty and resentful after fulfilling his duties time and time again. He simply continued. That is the essence of a hero and someone who deserves their endless flowers.

Cena’s reputation has been defined by years of rejection. Now, arenas thunder in gratitude. The same fans who once criticized him for being too flawless now acknowledge that he had a unique talent that they may never see displayed.

Cena’s final appearances have electrified crowds because of the weight of finality. The image of him saluting at the top of the ramp has lost some of its appeal. They are the last frames of a story that has been building for as long as some can even remember. Every word he has spoken has a different landing, tinged with hints of both his legacy and his farewell.

Wrestlepalooza, WWE’s first under the TKO banner, highlights Cena’s place in the company and the need to have someone ready to be their franchise player who provides continuity while Cena provides closure. His final opponent’s speculation now feels less like booking chatter and more like myths are being written in real time. If Orton is the rival who defines his arc, if Roman Reigns is the franchise who succeeded him, or if a younger talent is chosen to stand across from him, the choice will symbolize more than a match. It will mark the passing of the torch to the new standard bearer and generational talent for the next 20 years, and hopefully the final page.

Cena’s last appearance on the Friday Night Smackdown brand is on the same show and in the same building where he made his debut against Kurt Angle in 2002: Chicago’s Allstate Arena. The setting represents the hero’s journey’s final transformation that has taken place over the years. The return there more than two decades later, at the close of his career, transforms September 5, 2025 into something larger than nostalgia. Cena and his audience can share the experience of together closure in sacred space.

As this chapter closes, Cena doesn’t just leave behind championships or catchphrases. The last great wrestling story of the PG Era, an entire era of professional wrestling that he carried with sheer endurance, consistency, and sacrifice, comes to an end with his retirement. And for once, in both WWE and Hollywood, the world seems ready to admit they had been watching a superhero all along.

The first post on Den of Geek was John Cena’s retirement: the final chapter of a superhero story.