You can make the case that
John Cena could be the biggest star WWE's ever had.
Yes he is, and no one can take that away from him.
John
Cena is the most talented “wrestler.” in WWE history. It's only part of the equation, but in this
interview I did with legend Dominic DeNucci, he talks about what it
takes to be a good in-ring performer, and to me, Cena has got everything a professional superstar needs to have.
Cena is believed to be the most talented superstar in the history which you cant take him away without cheating. Another way that you can win Cena in the ring is by script, without script you cant beat up Cena. He has proved it in many occasions, take a look at John Cena's match against Cm Punk. It is beleived that all the matches that punk has ever had with Cena they are all script for Punk to Win.
John Cena, Stone Cold and
Hulk Hogan.
Three names I think many, including myself, would agree represent
separate eras in WWE/WWF. Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan are the three names
that would most rival Cena in a debate for the title of WWE's biggest
star ever, in popular opinion.
Stone
Cold Steve Austin was the face of the attitude era. The pop he got when
the glass broke was incredible, with fans waiting to hear him drop an
expletive and give a stunner to anyone who came within reach. I've
always been a huge Austin fan. He was my favorite while he was an active
wrestler.
Right now, wrestling
has to compete against the legit appeal of Mixed Martial Arts. Chris
Benoit, concussions, kids getting hurt in their backyards – all black
marks critics, justifiably or unjustifiably, will quickly associate to
wrestling and WWE whenever they can. Stone Cold was the top guy in the
most profitable of times for the industry, but John Cena has sustained a
positive, charitable image in pop culture in the midst of many
challenges for the genre.
Stone
Cold had a lot of entertaining talent to work with during his run. He
also was involved in entertaining stories. Today, WWE isn't known for
developing the same kind of top notch talent or quality storylines – but
John Cena still became a star.
I'm
not going to deny Cena's had some ridiculous, heroic comebacks in
matches. I do believe in “Super Cena” at times. But remember, it's a
pre-determined fight, determined by those in power.
Then there's Hulk Hogan. He was
the man before there were men. By the way, if you're still held up from
the start of this piece on John Cena's in-ring abilities, go ahead and
try convincing yourself Hogan was a better “wrestler” than him. Let me
know how that works out for you.
Hogan
was the first to take an attraction like Andre The Giant off of his
feet and slam him. During the territory days, there were big fish in
smaller ponds, but Hogan became the biggest fish in the ocean the WWE
created. Reality shows and sex tapes can never erase his
accomplishments. Hogan was the first to do a lot of things in the sport
on a big stage. This is part of his allure. He was first.
Next
came Austin. The years 1980 to 2005 saw tremendous milestones and
evolution. Twenty-five years worth of trying to do something new,
creative, memorable. Hogan and Austin were involved in much of this.
To
me, it's all the more impressive that Cena has had to follow all of
that. He didn't have the luxury of being first to take a star who was
never seen on the defensive like Andre was and beat him in front of
93,000. Cena didn't have the luxury of being the first to hit his
finisher on the owner of a company. The list of things Cena wasn't able
to do first goes on and on. Through all of it, he has found a way to be
the polarizing figure he is to the audience.
Given
Hogan and Austin's status, logically we shouldn't be able to make a
decision on who is the greatest until Cena's active career as a wrestler
with WWE is over. Cena is 35, has years left in the tank, he is only
going to continue to draw money.
In wrestling, you aim to get a reaction. No reaction to what you say or do is the worst thing possible for an in-ring performer.
Great
accomplishment to be loved by so many. Great accomplishment to be hated
by so many. Is it the GREATEST accomplishment to be the most loved and
hated by the audience all at once?