5 stars who should become AEW's version of John Cena

AEW is on the lookout for the next big face of their young promotion, a wrestler who can lead them into the new decade as their franchise player whether it is drawing ticket sales, expanding the fanbase or marketing the company to the mainstream. Some would say that's the role that John Cena has occupied for the WWE throughout the 2000s.

Cena is a joint-record 16 time world champion in the WWE. He is the only person to have matched Ric Flair's long-term achievement and it's only a matter of time before he's the one to break it. He is a generational superstar who was the biggest attraction of the Ruthless Aggression and PG Era who divided fans for his enduring character who never turned despite overwhelming derision. Whether you like him or hate him, fans still respect the work ethic, passion and loyalty Cena has shown to the pro wrestling business.

While he is more of a part-time wrestler at this point, Cena is still a huge draw and his connection with the fans remains strong. Just this year alone, Cena returned to a hero's welcome and put over Roman Reigns at SummerSlam as a way to give back to the business. While he is a bonafide Hollywood superstar now, acting in movies such as F9 and Suicide Squad, his ties to the WWE will forever remain.

AEW is still a relatively new company but creating a star on the level of John Cena will definitely bring the promotion to the next level. Here we look at 5 AEW wrestlers who share the most similar traits to Big Match John.

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#5. AEW Champion Hangman Page

AEW's current world champion is "Hangman" Adam Page. The former Elite member has grown into his own, especially in 2021, finally beating Kenny Omega at the conclusion of a multi-year storyline. The Anxious Milennial Cowboy has already proven to be a fighting champion, going to a 60 minute time limit draw with Bryan Danielson on AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming. Going into the new year, Page is easily the biggest babyface in the company and his star will only continue to skyrocket.

At only 30 years old, Adam Page is around the same age as John Cena was when he won his first world championship in WWE. Like Page, Cena's title coronation was the culmination of a proper long-term booking that launched Cena from SmackDown's midcard to the main event stage of WrestleMania.

It remains to be seen whether Page can have the same longevity as Cena as the top guy, but it seems that AEW is positioning him to have that role. He certainly has the same star-making tools to become the most popular wrestler of his generation, just like Cena.

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#4. AEW wrestler who names Cena as a major influence, Preston Vance

AEW young star Preston Vance is better known as "10" of the Dark Order, one of the most popular factions in the company. He is a powerhouse in the ring with an impressive physique who sports all-American good looks beyond his signature mask. Preston ‘Number 10’ Vance can now instantly be recognized by his signature mask.

Vance, who previously signed with NXT, revealed that he had never wrestled under a mask before joining AEW. The 29-year-old explained in an interview with Dynamite Download that this is why he hated wearing it in the promotion. He also claimed that he didn’t understand his character at first, but now absolutely loves this part of his persona:

“When I got signed, I hated the mask, absolutely hated it. I didn’t understand the character, but I wasn’t going to say no, obviously. I didn’t understand. On the Indies, I never wore a mask; I wasn’t this dark creepy person... Whether you’re a heel or babyface, you’re either a real life super hero or a real life villain. It’s really cool.”

Speaking of heroes, Vance considers John Cena the biggest influence in his pro wrestling career. As a recent podcast guest on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, AEW star Preston Vance talked about who had the greatest impact on his wrestling career. The member of the Dark Order cites John Cena as his biggest inspiration due to the open-mindedness and love from the fans towards Cena. The AEW wrestler also admires what Cena does outside the ring:

"I'm a huge fan and I always have been and it's not even so much about like what he does in the ring. It's all the cool stuff he does outside of the ring. I think he has like the most Make-A-Wishes... When I started training, I remember one of my trainers told me, he's like, 'The stuff you do inside the ring is about 5% of the business. Now I understand that." said Preston Vance (H/T - Fightful)"

While Vance might idolize John Cena, it remains to be seen whether he can eventually become AEW's version of the superstar. He hasn't had the chance to prove himself on the mic or as a singles wrestler but he already has the physical attributes to start with. There will be opportunities in AEW and it's up to the Dark Order member to to take it. If nothing else, Vance does share one more thing in common with Cena. The former WWE champion also sported a luchador mask as well at for a brief point in his career as "Juan Cena".

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#3. AEW's young rookie Brian Pillman Jr

AEW youngster Brian Pillman Jr. is a second generation star who bears the name of one of the most popular wrestlers of the 90s. While he is proud of his lineage, the 28-year-old is also looking to make his own mark in the wrestling business. During a 2020 conversation with The Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast, Brian Pillman Jr. discussed his philosophy when it comes to how his genetics play a part in his ring style:

"I think I’m at an advantage there just because I was very smart in that I didn’t study my dad’s work a lot," Pillman explained, "I try to avoid it for fear that I would pick up on too many things...When it comes to his moves in the ring resembling those of his famous father, Pillman concedes, "[it] just so happens to look that way because of our genetics…our body language in the ring and stuff like that."

While the connection between Brian Pillman Jr. and John Cena is not obvious at first glance, you might be surprised to know that both wrestlers had a run at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Cena's history in OVW is of course well-documented and he even won the OVW Heavyweight Champion for a brief period before debuting in WWE.

But what may not be common knowledge is that Brian Pillman Jr. is also a former OVW Heavyweight Champion. In fact, he held the company's top title as recently as January 2021, when he finally had to vacate the championship due to his growing commitments with AEW.

Another interesting tidbit is that John Cena wrestled on a Brian Pillman Memorial Show back in 2001 as a young rookie still sporting the "Prototype" gimmick while training at OVW. It's a fascinating piece of coincidence and certainly makes for interesting trivia if the young Pillman and Cena ever cross paths in the future.

Other than a seeming love for muscle cars and being a varsity-wearing jock, AEW's Brian Pillman Jr. attitude and current rookie standing felt similar to Cena when he challenged Kurt Angle on his debut. AEW will do well to provide more opportunities for Brian Pillman Jr. to succeed. He is currently part of a tag team with Griff Garrison at AEW and seems to be competing in the tag division for the time being. But at only 28-years-old, the sky's the limit for the young wrestler to become a Cena-like star for AEW in the next decade.

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#2. AEW's resident rapper Max Caster

AEW has its own resident rapper in "Platinum" Max Caster. One half of tag team The Acclaimed, along with Anthony Bowens, the 32-year-old regularly comes to the ring dropping diss bars on his opponents before his matches. The AEW wrestler is legit when it comes to his rapping and music-making abilities. He posts weekly "Freestyle Friday" videos, his Shook Crew ring entrances often include musical performances, and he is also the beat-maker behind the ring entrances of multiple wrestlers. In an interview with Sportskeeda last year, Caster explained his philosophy in melding wrestling and music:

"Sometimes you need that hook to bring people in, and that's what I do with the music. I love making music, I love putting out these songs. I want a true competition, I want people to fight me in the rin... The best decision is putting it out there, I'm the guy who puts out a freestyle on social media every Friday. I'm the guy who makes diss tracks. I'm the guy who when I get a big match opportunity, I'm gonna go out of my way to get that match a lot of hype behind it. That's just kind of the deal with "Platinum Max" now."

John Cena, of course, rose to superstardom on the back of his insanely popular Dr. Thunganomics gimmick. He's had verbal jabs with the likes of Kurt Angle, Big Show, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, which resulted in hilarious segments on Smackdown throughout his mid-card run. His rapping definitely helped Cena win over the audience and pushed him to main event status.

Whether Max Caster's rapping ability is on the same level as John Cena is subjective, but it's clear that the AEW crowd enjoy his bars. If he keeps getting a reaction from the audience, AEW might be compelled to put him on the same trajectory as Cena. Caster's rapping gimmick certainly makes him stand out from the AEW roster just like Cena did during his time in WWE. You could say, in this regard, he is already AEW's John Cena from a rapping gimmick perspective.

#1. AEW's most polarizing star Cody Rhodes

AEW EVP and now 3-time TNT champion Cody Rhodes is currently one of the most divisive characters in the company. From beloved babyface to polarizing tweener, Cody Rhodes' role in All Elite Wrestling has drastically shifted since the launch of the promotion two years ago.

The chorus amount of boos in the arenas when Cody makes his overproduced entrance is becoming increasingly pronounced. His falling out with the AEW faithful was only inevitable. Just this year alone, he's had underwhelming feuds with Anthony Agogo, QT Marshall and even Malakai Black to a certain extent.

John Cena suffered from a similar issue for a good chunk of his WWE career, and now Cody is quickly becoming his AEW equivalent from that standpoint. Both wrestlers have remained a good guy character despite the audience begging for a heel turn. An interesting connection between Rhodes and Cena is that the current AEW EVP used to drive the former WWE champion around back in the day. In an interview with the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Cody said:

"He's killing it. John's a great guy. I drove John around for a year - super valuable learning experience. He was going through a cowboy phase when I drove him around. He was into Coors Original, the Banquet beer, and he was such a diligent, hard-working guy. He was up at 6:00 a.m. every day squatting, nearing the 500-600 pound level. He was just an absolute Olympic lifting monster."

Whether it's by coincidence or design, Cody seems to be patterning his career as a babyface after John Cena's run on top. He has refused to cross over to the dark side and instead doubles down on his heroic traits. By remaining steadfast in his moral code, perhaps Cody might transcend a pretend hero and become a real one to his fans. He's certainly AEW's version of John Cena from a crowd reaction standpoint. It will be interesting to see if he will waver in 2022 now that he is a TNT champion once more to the groan of the fans.