Today, John Cena is the biggest professional wrestler – or sports entertainer if you’re Vince McMahon – in the world. Despite taking more and more time off from active in-ring duties for movies, his upcoming wedding, and being the WWE’s brand ambassador to the outside world, he’s still very much The Face That Runs the Place.
Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit that Big Match John has done a hell of a lot for the only wrestling promotion in which he has wrestled. For all of his faults and mistakes, the man is very very good at his job. He is a modern day Hulk Hogan who threatens to eclipse even the legendary Hulkster himself.
Also read: An open letter to the Doctor of Thuganomics, John Cena
But, what brought him to this stage? How did he go from being an unknown whippersnapper challenging Kurt Angle to equalling The Nature Boy Ric Flair’s record 16 World Titles? Well, there are some very definite moments that have brought him to his current state as the Leader of the Cenation.
So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 career turning moments for John Cena:
Please Note: These entries are listed chronologically and not by their importance to his career.
#5 His debut against Kurt Angle
As I mentioned in the intro to this article, John Cena made his debut as a nobody against Kurt Angle. Appearing on an episode of Friday Night Smackdown just days after Vince McMahon had demanded “Ruthless Aggression” on an episode of Monday Night Raw, the youngster echoed his boss as he answered Kurt Angle’s Open Challenge.
Although he lost, he put on a hell of a show and nearly got one over on the legendary Olympic Gold Medalist. It was a pivotal moment for Cena, who was making the jump up from WWE developmental to the main roster. There was no way he was going to be successful if he didn’t make an impact on his debut and that’s just what he did.
In his first ever test, Cena passes with flying colours to ensured his career changed for the better. If he had messed this up, there is no way in hell he would become the biggest WWE Superstar on planet Earth.
#4 The Doctor of Thuganomics
As the name John Cena quickly established itself as a regular on WWE programming, the man needed a gimmick to set him apart from the rest of the young, characterless babyfaces on the roster. Enter John Cena, The Doctor of Thuganomics.
Adopting the gimmick of a rapper, Cena quickly got himself over with audiences around the world with his crass language, sick rhymes, and devil may care attitude. It became such a massive hit with the WWE Universe that he was quickly pushed up the cards and given feuds with established names.
It was also during this time that he accomplished what will become our third point...
#3 Winning his first championship in the WWE
As John Cena’s popularity grew week after week with his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick often being part of the best segments of the show, he was given a run with the gold. It wasn’t the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship, but a mid-card belt in the form of the WWE United States Championship.
Winning the US Title established Cena as a big name player in the WWE and promoted him into the upper mid card. Sure, he wasn’t a main event player yet, but the fact that he was trusted with the US Championship meant he was being groomed for bigger and better things.
Which brings us very nicely to our penultimate point...
#2 Becoming WWE Champion
When John Cena finally won the WWE Championship, it was a widely celebrated event. After all, he was the bright young talent that fans wanted to see at the top of the WWE, and they were granted their wish. Thus began the change from the Doctor of Thuganomics to the Leader of the Cenation.
While the first few years of his reign at the top of every WWE card put out by the company was welcomed, fans soon started growing tired of his bland character that became less edgy and way more PG and kid friendly. The hardcore fans had had enough of Super Cena, and a vocal minority soon gave way to a divided fan base.
John Cena was equally loved and hated by the WWE Universe. And, it looked like things would stay this until his career ended when out of the blue something miraculous happened to define our final career changing moment for John Cena...
#1 The US Championship Open Challenge
This is what salvaged John Cena’s career in the eyes of most professional wrestling purists. The fact that he took on a lesser role with a mid card belt after more than a decade at the top and to add it to, the fact that he made the championship relevant with his US Championship Open Challenge.
Young Superstars from all across the company benefitted from taking part in the open challenge, and it proved that Cena had it in him to put on a great show even towards the tail end of his impressive career.
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