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John Cena is Becoming WWE’s Most Appreciated Star

By Rob Wolkenbrod

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Fans may not have loved John Cena before, but he is slowly becoming liked by everyone.

John Cena is arguably the most polarizing WWE star of the past decade. He has been the Guy, which some have loved and others have hated. This is due to the perception that WWE pushed him down the fans’ throats during this time, including headlining numerous pay-per-views and winning the world title 15 times. It’s why you will hear “Let’s go Cena” and “Cena sucks” chants in most arenas.

All good things must come to an end, though, and Mr. HLR isn’t a spring chicken anymore. He’s 39-years-old and clearly, is in the latter years of his career.

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In professional sports, when a star player’s career is winding down, their act becomes nostalgic. Look at Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, for example. His final moments in the NBA were craved, as he was given a farewell tour, which culminated in an awe-inspiring performance in the Black Mamba’s final game (he scored 60 points). Derek Jeter is another example, as fans appreciated the work he did for the New York Yankees for nearly two decades, whether they loved or hated him.

We may now be getting a taste of this again, except with John Cena in WWE.

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Cena is still at the top of WWE. He will be a focus of most PPVs that he’s on, and will probably have another title match or two. His role has been reduced in recent years, though, due to injuries and other commitments. In fact, the leader of the Cenation has been on WWE TV for only seven weeks since leaving for reality show filming in October 2015. It’s difficult to believe, but Cena isn’t appearing on TV as much as the Face That Runs the Place would.

Time away has proven to be an antidote for stale WWE stars. Limited exposure also helps, as seen on NXT. Cena was a constant presence in WWE from 2003-14, and had “go-away heat”, which is when fans boo someone because they have no interesting in watching them perform. They had no desire in seeing him headline yet another PPV or win another world title.

Cena’s exposure has been reduced since his return on May 30, and not-so-coincidentally, the boos have decreased. The “John Cena sucks” sing-a-long that usually goes with his theme hasn’t been as vocal as well. He even received a huge pop for saving Enzo Amore and Big Cass from The Club. While this may be due to the surprise factor since most did not expect Cena to appear (Cena did ESPYs hosting rehearsal in Los Angeles on Monday), the former Dr. of Thuganomics never gets full support pops like this.

The build-up to the positive reactions can even go back to Cena’s run with the U.S title. While the belt is mostly back to irrelevance, Cena arguably did some of his best work with the U.S. Open Challenge. This saw him work 20-plus minute matches on almost every Raw from the one after WrestleMania 31, to the Hell in a Cell PPV. Almost every time these matches delivered, making it difficult to not appreciate what he was doing in the ring. His work with Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens is most notable, including putting over the latter star in his first WWE PPV match.

Pro Wrestling Mag noted something similar on Twitter.

All this work, unlike previous years, is being appreciated by fans. You will hear the “wow, that was a great match”, which included Cena over and over again. This has caused the “you can’t wrestle” chants to disappear because there is simply no credibility to them. Cena may not be the best wrestler in WWE, but he surely isn’t a bad one by any means, and the WWE Universe is realizing that.

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One day, all this that Cena is doing for WWE will be gone in a flash. His polarizing presence will be gone, his passionate promo work will be non-existent, and his ability to give a bout a big-match feel will be trashed as well. Few people can pull off all three of those, and once Cena leaves, there is no one that can touch his characteristics. WWE may be grooming Roman Reigns to be that guy, but he can’t do a Cena-esque promo and is a polarizing figure, but not in the way Cena was. Instead, the Big Dog gets viciously booed and has the “go-away” heat from a vocal majority of fans.

So who does that leave? 39-year-old AJ Styles? Seth Rollins, the guy who WWE seems to be happy with as a heel? Both are terrific, but as of now, they don’t seem to be in line to take over Cena’s spot.

It’s not all about what happens in the ring, though.

Cena is WWE’s ultimate ambassador. He has provided the company some great public relations, including granting hundreds of Make-A-Wish requests. The Face of WWE has been a role model for these kids and stands far and above the rest in this department.

Then, there is Cena’s ability as a utilityman, which was on full display for the Bin Wang press conference. Who knew that Cena could speak Mandarin?

There are too many accolades to list for how much positive PR Cena has brought to WWE. It’s something that no one on the roster can rival, and why he’s irreplaceable.

It has taken over a decade, but fans are realizing all that John Cena has had to offer WWE. Reduced appearances and older age may have something to do with this, because they know that one day, this great thing will come to an end. That day will be a sad one, but in however long it takes to get to that point, fans will continue to show appreciation for Cena. Nostalgia with older, part-time WWE stars will also help this. Most people appreciate sentimental things, and slowly, Cena is becoming just that.

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So what’s the meaning of all this? John Cena isn’t a bad guy. John Cena isn’t a good guy. John Cena is the most appreciated guy.

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