What’s the story?
One of the greatest debuts in WWE history went down when John Cena hit the main roster for the first time when he answered the open challenge of former Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle on an episode of SmackDown on 27th June 2002.
Cena gave Angle quite the fight and almost pulled away with the victory, but ultimately the veteran Angle emerged victorious. During a recent Q&A on Reddit, Angle praised on Cena for his evolution inside the ring.
In case you didn’t know...
Angle will finally be amongst his fellow greats where he belongs when he is inducted into the Hall Of Fame this year as a member of the talent-stacked Class of 2017.
Also read: WWE News: Lana sends out warning to Kurt Angle
The heart of the matter:
Here’s what Angle had to say about the evolution of Cena’s in-ring product:
"I really liked John. I talked to him and I had heard from some promoters out west that he had everything that it took to be a top tier guy. He had the look, he could wrestle.
He was a little robotic in the beginning. You know, he didn't have the magic touch. He wasn't one of those guys where everything looked solid. His punches were a little weak at the beginning and I'm not sure if they even got better.
I watch Cena now and he has had consistently some of the best matches in the last seven or eight years. He has seriously outgrown some of the, I guess, the theory that he can't work. He can work. He can wrestle.”
What’s next?
While it has yet to be announced who will induct Angle into the Hall Of Fame this year, Cena is a very likely candidate given their history and the magnitude of ‘The Leader of the Cenation’s’ debut against Angle.
Sportskeeda’s Take:
Even though fans have been divided on their opinion of John Cena, nobody can deny that the man has put on some great matches.
His match against CM Punk at Money In The Bank, Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, and any of his matches against AJ Styles are some of the greatest matches in WWE history.
Cena’s career may be winding down, but you can expect many more great matches from him before he hangs up the boots for good.
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