When you think of the Mount Rushmore of Sports Entertainment, there are only a select few people that spring to mind.
In a time where The Rock, Austin & Brock Lesnar all left for greener pastures, the WWE needed a saviour, somebody to grab and hold onto that 'brass ring' and along came John Felix Anthony Cena Jr.
Loveable, selfless, hard working and professional, John Cena is everything any human being, let alone WWE superstar should aspire to be. He's not a top guy, he's THE top guy.
A top guy sells out arenas every night, draws ratings every week, becomes a marketable brand and sells more merchandise than anyone else. John Cena's mantra shouldn't be Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, it should be Draw, Deliver, Maintain.
How does he compare to the other greats?
Well, he's a better in ring worker than Austin, Hogan and The Rock, if you disagree with that then you're not looking at this objectively. How many 5* matches have those guys had really? Hogan: none, Austin: possibly 3 at a stretch? & The Rock: probably 4 and Cena at WM28 was one of them. Cena has had countless classics, why? Because he is a man for the big event and knows that if he doesn't deliver, the PPV fails.
Hogan brought wrestling into the mainstream, while Austin changed the perception of pro wrestling to make it cool but Cena has done the hardest thing of them all, overcome the negative stereotype of pro wrestling today & taken it global. No other top guy in history has maintained the work rate that Cena has. With 15 years on the road, 11 years as THE man, Cena has done close to 200 house shows a year for over a decade. His run at the top certainly rivals Hogan's in the 80s.
Wrestle? Yes, he can wrestle
Smarks lambast him and say he can't wrestle but when you have amazing technicians like Alberto Del Rio saying Cena is the only man he lets lead his matches, then you certainly know he can wrestle. All your favourite wrestlers have also sung his praises; CM Punk, Daniel Bryan & Kevin Owens have ALL said he's a great wrestler. Fair enough he may not be the most technically gifted wrestler but he's the perfect sports entertainer. Despite the critics Cena has constantly upped his game every year in terms of promos, marketing and wrestling, yes wrestling. This is how he's managed to stay relevant and at the forefront of the company for so long.
I feel like people sometimes forget how much he has actually achieved, let's take a look:
- 15 world titles and counting. Equating to 1000+ days as champion.
- Movies he's been a part of have grossed approximately $285m worldwide.
- Countless hosting gigs at; ESPN, Today, ESPYS, Nickelodeon, Teen Choice, Fox.
- Leading all-time celebrity wish-giver, with over 500 wishes.
- Appeared at Wrestlemania 12 times, main eventing 5 times.
Even with all this success and countless accolades the 39-year old still goes above and beyond his call of duty just to further the WWE. Listen to this...... he's recently taken time out of his busy schedule to learn mandarin so he can negotiate business deals on behalf of the WWE in China, how can you not respect a man like this?
Rarely do you hear any backstage stories about Cena, why? Because he is a total professional. Back in the 80s, you heard rumours about the Hulkster refusing to take the pin, why? Because he was an egomaniac unlike John Cena.
Why do so many dislike him?
He's blamed by many for the introduction of the PG era but instead of trying to lash out at the haters, he's accepted full responsibility of being the face of an era. He deserves even more credit for fronting this massive transitional period even though he may not have even initially agreed with the direction of the company.
Let's also dispel the narrative that he hogs the spotlight. He doesn't control the show, he doesn't write the storylines, he doesn't decide whether he's in the main event or not, the money does. He draws the most so he headlines the most, it's not rocket science. It's not his fault that the WWE didn't build enough stars off of him for several years, Vince had tunnel vision and saw it as the Cena show. And when a company doesn't create enough top stars, one man will be perceived to be 'shoved down throats,' in the attitude era there were a plethora of top guys. So, of course, one main draw at the top was always going to draw resentment from the masses.
At the end of the day John Cena has given his life to our beloved company and taken it to new heights, whether you love him or hate him, you simply cannot ignore the impact of John Cena.
He will forever be the standard bearer of this century.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
