"Started as a generic wrestler" - John Cena opens up about the evolution of his character in WWE

John Cena recently opened up about the evolution of his on-screen character in WWE. Cena mentioned that he played a character of virtue throughout his career. He was often portrayed as the hero of the stories he was involved in.

The former WWE Champion is aware of the fact that he began his career as a 'generic wrestler', eventually adapting his iconic hip-hop persona. Cena's hip-hop gimmick was known as The Doctor of Thuganomics, a persona that took the company by storm during the Ruthless Aggression Era.

In an interview with The Pat McAfee Show, the star added that as years progressed, he morphed into a character symbolising heroism and hope.

“I’m playing a character that, you know, like I said, a character of virtue, a character that started as a generic wrestler, and then morphed into this hip-hop persona, then morphed into this character of virtue,” said Cena. (H/T- Wrestling Inc.)

Cena has established himself as the biggest babyface in modern WWE history. The Leader of Cenation's current gimmick saw him get over with a much younger fanbase.

The 16-time world champion developed a love-hate relationship with the WWE Universe. This was due to some of the fanbase feeling the superstar was overpushed and overhyped, while the younger audience connected with him.

John Cena is a multi time WWE World Champion

John Cena has had one of the most successful careers in WWE history. In 2001, Cena signed a developmental deal with WWF and was assigned to the company's then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

During his time on the brand, The Leader of Cenation wrestled under the name The Prototype and held the OVW Heavyweight Championship. Throughout 2001, the former WWE Champion received four tryouts for the main roster.

Cena made his main roster debut during the Ruthless Aggression Era back in 2002, as he feuded with Kurt Angle on SmackDown.

The 16-time world champion earned acclaim in Hollywood after his first movie, The Marine. Cena was also cast in Trainwreck and Bumblebee as well as popular franchises like The Suicide Squad and the Fast & Furious franchise's F9.

The multi-talented star has also contributed to the music industry. Cena is known for his love of hip-hop music, and he performed his fifth WWE theme song, "Basic Thuganomics".

Cena recorded his debut album ‘You can’t see me’ and was featured on a track by The Perceptionists with his cousin Tha Trademarc. The Leader of Cenation also made his appearance on T-Boz’s album, ‘Still Cool.’

In October 2014, John Cena was featured in two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa. The two songs, ‘All Day’, and ‘Breaks,’ were used on the soundtrack of the WWE 2K15 video game.