Since Stone Cold Steve Austin retired from the ring, the stunner has been more or less a sacred move. Aside from the occasional comedy spot from a Eugene or Santino type, nobody’s been allowed to use the maneuver. Well, that has finally changed, as John Cena has started using a springboard stunner as a new set-up for the Attitude Adjustment because, y’know, Cena really needed that extra credibility. Maybe they could give him the Rock Bottom and Tombstone while they’re at it.
On his most recent podcast, Austin addressed Cena’s stunner (which will henceforth be known as the Poopy Stunner), and he didn’t seem terribly pleased about it. Austin brought up the Poopy Stunner with his guests and joked about it being “gimmick infringement,” but he then got a little more serious in his critique…
“Obviously it’s reminiscent of the Stone Cold Stunner. Here’s my biggest beef with it – it’s such a dynamic move, and requires such precision and timing. When you hit that move, why don’t you establish it, and get a couple three-counts out of it? Then when Rusev or whoever kicks out, it means something. So, he could have another ace up his sleeve if he’d actually beat people with it. If he had looked further down the road than the short term, he would have had a real, valid, badass finish, rather than just a set-up, which now means nothing.”
Austin makes a good point, although he forgot to add “it looks completely dorky when Cena does it.” What do you think of Stunning John Cena? If WWE is willing to dust off the stunner, who should be given the move?
Hustle, Loyalty, Awkward Springboards.
