Before sticking with the moniker of John Cena, the WWE legend was known as The Prototype. This robotic character was used by Cena in his early days in Ohio Valley Wrestling, and it's clear as day that keeping it for long wouldn't have fared well for him. While talking about The Prototype, Cena once stated that one wants to find a gimmick that makes fans notice them, and thus he decided to try it out with The Prototype.
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Oh, it was awful. You wanna find a gimmick so when you walk out, people notice you. It's trial and error with a lot of errors. My first try was The Prototype which was half man and half machine...and 100% c**p. I used the ability to talk rather monotone, and would say things authoritatively. And when things like, 'I will kick your a** at the Fairgrounds on Sunday,' I rewound and went, 'yadnuS no sdnuorgriaF eht ta **a ruoy kcik lliw I. I will kick your a** at the Fairgrounds on Sunday.'
Cena used the name for almost two years, before finally donning the moniker of John Cena. He wrestled under this name is his debut match on WWE SmackDown against WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. Today, Cena is one of the biggest names in pro wrestling, as well as Hollywood.
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About the author
Abhilash Mendhe
Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.
Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.
He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.
Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.
When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.