What was John Cena's gimmick when he debuted in WWE? Reflecting on the career altering moment

Tonight’s episode of SmackDown recapped John Cena’s iconic main roster debut from 20 years ago. The GOAT made his main roster debut against Hall of Famer Kurt Angle on the June 27, 2022, episode of the blue brand. The rest was history.

For those wondering about John Cena’s gimmick when he first started on the main roster, the future WWE Champion carried “The Prototype” character from Ohio Valley Wrestling to the main roster.

As The Prototype, Cena was supposed to replicate a robotic character. He also wrestled a traditional in-ring style, focusing on big power moves because he imitated a literal robot on screen. The Prototype ring name was shortened to "Mr. P" while Cena was in OVW.

Cena also found championship success in WWE’s developmental territory, capturing the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship with Rico Constantino. He also captured the OVW Heavyweight Championship on one occasion.

John Cena eventually dropped The Prototype gimmick a few months into his arrival on the main roster, replacing it with his iconic “Dr. of Thuganomics” character on the blue brand.

Why did John Cena change his gimmick in WWE?

John Cena’s OVW gimmick didn’t get him far on the main roster. He was told he’d be released in the budget cuts a few months into his main roster debut.

However, as the GOAT recalled in WWE’s Ruthless Aggression docuseries, a freestyle session on WWE’s tour bus got him noticed by Stephanie McMahon.

“I was on my last European tour, I think I was in mixed tag matches, this is how well it did NOT go. I was just there to maybe have one last time in the ring. I was on the way out. She (Stephanie) had a can of tuna fish and said, ‘rhyme about this’. And in two seconds I made a small rap about the tuna fish, the jetway, the plane we were about to go on, the destination. And then kinda closed it with a comment about Stephanie. She was like ‘would you like to do this on television’, I said ‘absolutely,’ Cena said. [H/T FirstSportz]

Watch the clip below:

The Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick would earn him his first world title at WrestleMania 21.