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On the 25 June 2002 taping of SmackDown, Kurt Angle issued an open challenge for anybody in the locker room to face him in a match. After a short delay, some generic music hit, an unknown rookie made his way to the ring, and the WWE Universe was introduced to John Cena for the very first time.
Angle asked the youngster to name one quality he possessed that made him think he had what it took to hang with the best in the business, to which Cena famously replied, “Ruthless aggression!” before slapping his opponent in the face.
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The two went on to have an impressive five-minute match, which Angle won via a unique pinfall, and the man we now know as “Big Match John” was later congratulated on his performance backstage by locker-room leader The Undertaker.
Fast forward 16 years and Cena has broken multiple WWE records, becoming one of the most well-known wrestlers of all time in the process, but there are still sections of fans who preferred his character a lot more when he first started out.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five things that the 16-time world champion does better as a WWE Superstar in 2018 than in 2002 and five things he does worse.
#10 Worse in 2018: WWE schedule
In 2008, full-time WWE Superstar John Cena criticised The Rock for claiming to love the wrestling business when, at the same time, he would disappear from WWE television for long spells and spend most of his time making movies.
Ten years later and, ironically, who now finds himself disappearing from WWE television for long spells and spending most of his time making movies? Cena, of course.
In fairness, he has since admitted that his comments about The Rock were “stupid”, but that doesn’t change the fact that his WWE schedule is a lot lighter now than it was when he debuted in 2002.
#9 Better in 2018: Quality of matches
Former WWE producer Bruce Prichard revealed on his Something To Wrestle podcast in 2017 that there were many people within the company who regarded Rico Costantino as a better wrestler than John Cena when the two were called up to the main roster from OVW in 2002.
So, needless to say, “Big Match John” has significantly improved as an in-ring competitor over the last 16 years, and he showed during his matches against AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2016 and the 2017 Royal Rumble that, on his day and with the right opponent, he can produce legitimate candidates for Match of the Year.
#8 Worse in 2018: Attire
John Cena’s generic attire in 2002 was the kind of thing you’d expect to see on a Create-a-Wrestler section of a WWE 2K video game – but it was still better than what he wears now.
The five-time WrestleMania main-eventer has worn jean shorts during his matches since December 2002, and he was described in 2016 by fellow WWE Superstar Sheamus as “the worst dressed wrestler ever”.
We have to agree with the Irishman on this one!
#7 Better in 2018: Selling tickets
The one positive about John Cena’s lighter schedule these days is that it feels like an even bigger deal now when the 16-time world champion graces the WWE Universe with his presence.
Whether people like or loathe him, it cannot be denied that the part-time WWE Superstar/part-time movie star is a huge box office attraction for WWE in 2018, which obviously wasn’t the case in 2002 when he was just starting out and fans simply saw him as another guy on the roster.
#6 Worse in 2018: Corny promos
When John Cena gets serious and is really trying to sell fans on an upcoming match (e.g. before his battles with AJ Styles and Roman Reigns), there are few people in WWE who can hype an event better than him.
The downside to Cena’s current-day persona, however, is when he turns the corniness levels up to 100 and cuts his promos in a goofy manner clearly aimed at children and nobody else.
This was best summed up in the weeks before WrestleMania 34 when he cut some truly brilliant promos about The Undertaker but, at the same time. he spoke in a cringeworthy way to promote the fact that he would attend the show as a fan if ‘Taker didn’t show up.
#5 Better in 2018: Entrance music
In 2002, John Cena used "Slam Smack" by R. Hardy as his entrance music during his first six months in WWE. The theme was very generic, not too dissimilar to what you’d expect to hear on a video game, and it was obvious right from the start that it wasn’t befitting of one of WWE’s hottest prospects.
Between March 2003 and March 2005, the memorable “Basic Thuganomics” soundtrack accompanied Cena to the ring, while he has used "The Time Is Now" for the last 13 years. It’s debatable which of those two is better but it’s pretty clear that both are superior to his original music!
#4 Worse in 2018: Big-match opponents
It’s only natural that WWE put John Cena in PPV matches with the best of the best – from Chris Jericho and The Undertaker to Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle – as he worked his way up the card during his first 18 months with the company.
Nowadays, while Cena is obviously a big attraction himself, he is no longer seen as a priority when it comes to big matches and he is often used to promote younger talent, such as when he faced Bray Wyatt and Rusev at back-to-back WrestleManias and when he took on Baron Corbin at SummerSlam in 2017.
He recently faced The Undertaker in a three-minute match at WrestleMania, of course, but the story was less about Cena and more about ‘Taker, and you could argue that it was his first major ‘Mania match since he fought The Rock in 2013.
#3 Better in 2018: Media interviews
Like most new WWE Superstars, John Cena’s media interviews weren’t exactly the best early on in his career. While it was good to see what the man behind the character was really like in those days, he often spoke with a hip-hop tone to his accent and it always sounded a little awkward.
Nowadays, Cena is the perfect representative for WWE in almost every media environment he’s placed in. Whether he’s presenting award shows, starring in comedy skits or promoting movies, he always embraces his wrestling roots and speaks passionately about his love for WWE at every opportunity.
#2 Worse in 2018: Gimmick
John Cena’s gimmick in 2002, a likeable rookie who transitioned into a rapper and labelled himself “The Doctor of Thuganomics”, was much more entertaining than what we see nowadays from the 16-time world champion.
While he remains one of the biggest stars in WWE, Cena has played the same good-guy character for well over a decade. It’s a persona that obviously appeals to younger members of the audience, but you cannot blame older viewers for getting tired of a character that has remained largely the same for so long.
#1 Better in 2018: Finisher
You know the spin-out powerbomb that John Cena does before the Five Knuckle Shuffle? Well, during his early days in WWE, he actually used that move – then known as The Proto-Bomb – as his finisher.
Fortunately, his move set has evolved over the years (cue a ‘Five Moves of Doom’ joke) and while he still uses the spin-out powerbomb frequently on WWE television, his go-to finisher over the last 15 years has been the Attitude Adjustment, formerly known as the FU, which we first saw when he executed it on Rikishi in March 2003.
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