Why John Cena Was One of the Most Hated Men in Wrestling

John Cena is now a respected wrestling legend. In this wrestling documentary, we look at how Cena first debuted for WWE in 2002, and after a difficult start he found success as The Doctor of Thuganomics. Soon WWE positioned John Cena as their figurehead, and he became WWE Champion. It wasn't long before WWE fans turned on Cena, making him one of the most hated men in wrestling. In this video we explore exactly why wrestling fans disliked Cena so much, and how he bounced back to become one of WWE's most important legends.
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#wwe #wrestling #johncena

[@sanfander]

why was cena hated? imagine rewatching an episode of anything over and over again for years with basically no change, that was cena for around 10 years

[@zackfair6791]

His gimmick is for children. Adults tend to dislike it when you push juvenile crap on them.

[@ir6237]

​@zackfair6791 Now imagine coming from the Attitude/Ruthless Aggression eras to John Cena's youth oriented character, and not just Cena, the entire WWE at the time. Just felt like a huge downgrade.

[@usernotfound00118]

vince never considered turning him heel which was such opportunity missed afer the world title victory 2005 till forever face

[@jamalwalker]

He should've been the heel versus punk he was already getting booed a lot why not just turn him heel ​@@usernotfound00118

[@jonedepth9164]

Also because Cena got over as a cutting edge heel who pulled no punches insulting his opponent on the way to the ring. He went from the guy calling Mysterio "a mini dominatrix" and Stephanie McMahon a hoe, and getting the crowd to fill in for him saying "fuck" to basically Hogan-Lite preaching "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect." It was a serious regression in how face characters are presented. There's a lot revisionism with him these days, and I think it's because younger fans are trying to convince themselves they grew up in a good era of wrestling.

[@ARMRStudios]

Not to mention that the hate for Roman Reigns was bigger than Cena's People stopped hating on Cena cause they started hating on Roman

[@roadkillz78]

Cena is/was largely inactive during Roman's era of being the top guy. The reason Roman was hated is mostly due to the fact that the fans were seeing a Cena 2.0 in the making. Ultimately, the WWE got smart and turned Roman heel; had they done the same with Cena, he would have probably not have been hated as much. The sole reason Cena never turned heel was that he, maybe even the WWE, was afraid his merch sales would go down when kids would stop buying a hypothetical heel Cena's products.

[@user-ii5yb3pb1q]

And the cyclole well continue for years and years

[@DMMDestroyer]

Super Cena was why a lot of Attitude Era fans stopped watching WWE for good. I remember switching to TNA completely after 2008 and then stopped watching wresting in general, in 2011.

[@simenzelwedlamini]

who cares about the attitude era fans it was just a new ear they had to get used to a new era in wrestling and plus even when he was this so called super cena he lost when it mattered most plus beating him that time was special because immediately u have become a made man things that those so called fans don't understand really !

[@DMMDestroyer]

@@simenzelwedlamini you cared and then wrote a cope paragraph to justify to yourself that it was ok. 😂

[@simenzelwedlamini]

@@DMMDestroyer I was speaking facts u clown I didn't write that to justify myself I was telling how it is man !

[@thesegafan4472]

It's not just attitude era fans bit most fans in general. And now wwe is a 1million viewers

[@InotziaCityArt]

Nah it isn't Cena, the problem is attitude era fans, their some of the worst in wrestling next to Aew spotfest fans

[@HarleyQuinnSoldier]

Probably the worst thing Cena did was burying the Nexus. Jericho pushed for the Nexus to go over but it was unfortunate that Cena buried them

[@JayWIll2000s]

Dude your stupid cena beating the nexus was the greatest decision WWE has ever made cena needed that win

[@JayWIll2000s]

Your wrong and stupid cena beating the nexus was the greatest decision ever made that’s my favorite match and my favorite summerslam of all time.

[@r1dz588]

@@JayWIll2000s The nexus could've been a legendary faction had cena allowed them to go over.

[@andrewilliams4180]

​@@JayWIll2000s oh Lord 😅

[@ProctorTheKrow]

When they ruined Kane's masked return in 2011 by immediately having him lose to Cena , I was PISSED. I will never watch WWE again

[@roadkillz78]

This is just a hunch, he's adored now (a decade later) because the fans that booed him left WWE because of its poor quality; and he is cheered because the kids that loved him are now the current majority of the WWE's young-adult fans that buys the tickets.

[@josieeee8]

No

[@Kyle-gi2jb]

Somewhat accurate. The Attitude Era kids left because we felt like he was Hulk Hogan 2.0, especially when PG started happening.

[@kobe2kallday]

Even some attitude era fans start liking him because they missed him and because of roman

[@Kalel2.0]

There are plenty of older fans who like him now. I agree tho a majority of the ppl who grew up watching him are now young adults and teenagers

[@skyatollah2skyharder276]

That's not it. It's because he's not Super Cena anymore and hasn't been for over a decade now.

[@DeterminedVeteran]

Cena not turning heel was one of the biggest mistakes creative did during his full time run

[@qdg.productions]

But the messed up part is that, it worked out for Cena and the WWE in the long run. The kids that loved him back then are all grown up and appreciate him even more for that. I

[@rjcolombe]

Agreed! Look what a good heel turn did for Hogan in WCW. Basically resurrected his entire career.

[@5SK.RoyaltyTV]

The real reason Cena never turned heel is because he can't technically wrestle. He's a big strong man who can slam people, However that's not wrestling.

[@BrionTV]

@@5SK.RoyaltyTV Sounds like he could have had a tag partner or been part of a stable. A constant person(s) to work off of. It really wasn't until 2014 when I had an interest in the WWE again.

[@5SK.RoyaltyTV]

@@BrionTV In order to be a heel you have to know how to work like a heel. Cena can't do that, because he can't technically wrestle.

[@KadeemG61]

It has gone down to one man who always refused to turn Cena heel and that’s Old Man Vince.

[@eliebechara3811]

Sponsors and Public Image are the ugly side of the Business.

[@roadkillz78]

Merch sales would have hypothetically dropped had Cena gone heel, for sure. But I'd say Cena was enjoying his cut a well, I doubt he wanted to lose the money as well. And I can't say I'd blame him for that, even if it made him one of the least popular wrestlers in the history of the industry.

[@snakeeyes2551]

@@roadkillz78IMO John Cena didn’t need to turn heel, he just needed to refresh his gimmick. If they didn’t book John Cena as a superhero he wouldn’t have gotten booed as much.

[@aarnethn]

I agree and he was ready for the heel turn since after facing Rock at WM28. The new theme, new gear, everything was on set. Watch his latest interview with Chris Van Vliet.

[@JayWIll2000s]

@@snakeeyes2551 cena was only booed but retarded old attitude era fans

[@cenationmiles]

One inaccuracy from this video was “the rock destroying cena in the promos during the once in a lifetime feud”. Actually Cena’s promos were excellent. And showed that the rock was away from the wrestling industry for too long. The famous “I don’t need to write my promos on my wrist” piece

[@keithharper1470]

Was giving the video a chance until that part.

[@alvarocortez2017]

Yeah it just feeling the same thing The Rock wouldn’t be pissed at that line if he was completely destroying Cena in the feud

[@hisoka6258]

They did that bcoz The Rock was so over, Cena did not have any chance to fight back the ppl champ on the mic

[@thebelgiansurvivor7398]

Lol you think an actor and wrestler like the Rock would need to write down his material? That was there so Cena could give him a burn... Cena was nothing against the Rock's charisma and presence.

[@rooman66]

DELUDED!!!🤣kzbin.info/www/bejne/gV6bcoWlobqsmLc nuff said...... BUT what he did for Reigns was awesome and he has to be applauded for that TY JC 😀

[@gameplayer1980]

So happy that Stephanie was so impressed by Cena's ability to spit bars.

[@starboy7151]

She probably spat on his wood herself at some point

[@mapleleafhitman1796]

Of course she let him tap her dierrere

[@nectarine1257]

@@starboy7151cringe

[@starboy7151]

Like ur moma@@nectarine1257

[@chrisreager2614]

I really liked him during his ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ gimmick. Hated everything that came afterwards.

[@elhajjmalikel6266]

I like Cena when he debuted. I liked him even more when he became the Dr. Of Thuganomics. When he became face in 2003, that took the steam off him for me. Then he started phasing that side of him out. I stopped watching in 2006. Years later I looked at WWE clips and seen him wear these bright-ass shirts. It looked like a joke. I was thinking, "what the hell is he wearing?!" Then I seen the product became more cartoony. I was shocked to see the company degraded that much.

[@dontbanmetoei]

The turning point for the crowd respecting Cena was 100% his feud with AJ Styles and Styles winning at SummerSlam clean.

[@martinmortyry7444]

The Kevin Owens US Title feud was the moment I started really appreciating Cena, but the Styles storyline was definitely the most impactful one.

[@angelbamba6987]

@@gibramrivera-yv2lo not to mention what was the point of beating aj at the royal rumble for the championship

[@jamalwalker]

​@@gibramrivera-yv2lo bro you really don't like Cena, do you? I know you were happy when you saw this video

[@rayedmonds6108]

@@angelbamba6987 Seriously. Just to lose the belt in the Elimination Chamber three weeks later to Bray. AJ could have beaten Cena, then lost it in the EC. What would have been the difference? Just one more meaningless title reign for Cena. Let's not forget Cena went on the Today show and called AJ "just some guy from Atlanta" the week of their RR match. So he went on national television and told the entire country that AJ was a nobody, and then beat him clean! WTF???!!! That's one of the numerous reasons I loathe Cena.

[@sayandas3939]

​@@rayedmonds6108in same case what was the need for Austin beating rock at wm 2001 or taker beating punk at wm 29 after all his streak eneded after one year ... don't give illogical excuses just say you hate cena

[@Yourmomgoestocolledge]

A feud with Kevin Federline is the most WCW thing I've ever heard!

[@Gwynncore]

I find this so funny because growing up during his rise and seeing him as a kid even though he wasn't my favorite he was all my friends favorite without competition. Looking back as an adult I can see why older people found him and his push corny.

[@shadow-man8715]

Me and my friends liked him in 2007. We thought he's theme song was the better. After a while though around 2011 i hated hearing that entrance music hit

[@dobe46]

I mean, I completely agree and I just happen to stop watching right as he was on the rise but those that still watched loved him. He had a huge pop at the Royal Rumble in 2008. This guy is just an old man screaming at clouds. lol

[@soulagent79]

I remember starting to like Cena when the divided crowds were chanting "Let's go Cena - Cena sucks" and John joining in with a smirk on his face.

[@jblassio]

He is hardly the most hated. I’ve never liked his gimmick, but i say it from a grown person’s point of view. I can see why kids of that era loved him. He was the Hulk Hogan of his time. Politically in the lockeroom, he was probably no worse than Randy Orton, Batista, or Triple h.

[@kravon9583]

I only liked the word life Cena.. now he is just power rangers meets G.i Joe for kids

[@jblassio]

@@ChristopherJohn4389 🤔

[@keithmorgan3932]

Don't forget he loves CHINA!!!!

[@jblassio]

@@gibramrivera-yv2lo I don’t think he did most of that stuff intentionally.

[@jblassio]

@@gibramrivera-yv2lo aside from Mickey James, none of these people were all that talented to begin with. They did not do much outside of being in WWE. Sorry but It’s not Hulk Hogan status of ruining Wrestlemanias or great angles.

[@issunnystillinjail8116]

I’m surprised this video didn’t get into his affair with Mickie James while she was engaged to a wrestler named Kenny Dysktra. He allegedly had her sent to Smackdown after.

[@rebal180]

Let Cena win the title again. Fans will boo him so fast. Because we can say we want the old stars on top again but, then hate on it when one of them takes it too far.

[@vinsent2013]

Cena kinda carry the company during a dark time, enduring story

[@Anthony-jt9ts]

Ryback was never promising, he was dangerous

[@MarvelMTs]

If I didn’t know better I’d think that Super Cena was a 2000s/2010s reboot of Hulk Hogan.

[@Kyle-gi2jb]

And that's why we booed.

[@jamesnelson4611]

The difference between Hogan and Cena . Hulk Hogan was a greedy selfish wrestler John Cena wasn't

[@GENGamerZ00]

Love Cena

[@michaelpeasah8690]

@@jamesnelson4611 how is John cena not selfish, and don't talk about his make a wish staff.

[@forelamp6873]

​@@michaelpeasah8690 how is he selfish? Most wrestlers have said John Cena is one of the nicest workers they have met, can't say the same for Hulk hogan

[@arrownoir]

I was so sick of seeing him with a title every time we saw him.

[@wisdomegware18]

I don't think John Cena was overshadowed by the rock

[@mapleleafhitman1796]

Well the 5 knuckle shuffle was a copy of the People’s Elbow

[@mapleleafhitman1796]

Cena was jealous of the Rock at the time now look at Cena following the Rock’s path getting cut by McMahon while The Rock’s name is owned by himself and get paid Millions without WWE taking a paycheque from him

[@vaughnreedjr6592]

Rock hardly westle

[@thesegafan4472]

Yes he could. And he did over shadow cena

[@anthonywomack2260]

​@mapleleafhitman1796 no it wasn't

[@WrestlingCompilations]

I never understood why there were fans who hated Cena. But I understand why now.

[@JayWIll2000s]

Dude cena was only hated buy jealous dumb attitude era fans their was never a good reason why those fucked up fans hated cena at all this was dumb.

[@Sigmamaleofhumanspecies4209]

One word = Overpushed

[@JayWIll2000s]

Overpushed have you seen Roman and hogan cena wasn’t overpushed at all

[@rodneyscott5450]

John Cena has got to be the first face of WWE that didn't succumb to the peer pressure of fans wanting them to turn heel...The Rock during his initial run with WWE knew when it was time to be a face and when it was time to switch it up and turn heel...

[@dukes1993724]

The key difference is they let Rock make those switches.

[@suiken3149]

Stone Cold turned heel on a whim which costed him the rest of his career

[@rodneyscott5450]

@@suiken3149 That's a completely different scenario... Nobody was wanting Stone Cold to turn heel in 2001...John Cena by at least 2010 should've reverted back to being a heel...Only wrestlers like Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio should stay as a Face permanently...

[@roadkillz78]

Peer pressure and consumer demands are very different from each other. Look at the Rock and Roman's popularity as wrestlers when they followed consumer demands. Cena was only thriving because of his child fans that kept demanding their parents to buy tons of his merch. You could argue the same that Cena "succumbed to peer pressure" of his child fans as well, but it was merely a business decision, following his loyal consumer demands for keeping baby-face despite the older fans' frustrations.

[@murmursmeglos]

@@suiken3149 I think the injuries had alot to do with Stone Cold's retirement. I notice he didn't walk out when he was heel as he was still the top guy, he walked out when he was a face again and wasn't the top guy.

[@Lord_Bibulous]

What annoyed me the most about him is the fact that he went from wannabe ghetto (which was funny) to a caricature that all of a sudden we're supposed to take seriously. It went down hill from there.

[@quilesboy]

Cena embodied the RA era and shift to PG

[@oats2949]

Actually they went PG because Benoit killed his family

[@calebbonds4632]

I been WAITING FOR THIS ONE, especially bc I thought it would be impossible for someone to hate someone else more than cena, and then Roman happened……….

[@rumblebird9888]

Your time is up my time is now

[@mankytoes]

The biggest problem I always had with John was his matches were always booked as if he was an underdog- the infamous set up where he'd get his ass kicked for most of the match, then hit the five moves of doom and win. But of course he wasn't remotely an underdog because he almost always won. You can't have it both ways. His character worked so much better towards the end because he actually had plenty of losses.

[@willcardona7712]

Yeah, they essentially recycled the Hulk Hogan formula for Cena.

[@ProctorTheKrow]

Plus, those moves are SO STUPID. Those stupid shoulder tackles, ducked clothesline, and five knuckle shuffle are the most irritating moves I've ever seen in wrestling

[@RobertSmith-ow5kf]

Truly a bizarre career. Huge cheers as a heel and big boos as a face

[@HighWoody]

The fans that boo him became parents and realized how huge of a impact he had.

[@user-bi5nw4vp6t]

Lol

[@michaelpeasah8690]

What??

[@HighWoody]

@@michaelpeasah8690 I’m just gonna assume you don’t have kids so you can’t relate.

[@michaelpeasah8690]

@@HighWoody yeah, but I know several people who have kids and still don't like cena, and by the way it's not every kid that likes him.

[@HighWoody]

@@michaelpeasah8690 I feel bad for them they gotta understand it’s scripted. While they hate john cena and he’s hanging out backstage with their favorite wrestlers. Did it accomplish anything for them hating cena?

[@ToeTag9899]

John Cena is the Poochie of the WWE he's one of the main reasons why alot of us stopped watching. Most of the attitude era fans left and watched either UFC or TNA at the time. Alot of kids that are young adults now from the PG era are probably nostalgic for the guy. To me Cena's reign of terror is a million times worst then HHH's at least back then the product was still good.

[@davidcameron8870]

I have been a WWE fan since the golden era and dinner was legitimately a great champion,Even if you remove dinner from the equation, another "children's hero" babyface would have taken his place because you can't do the same thing that attitude was now, it would be poison for public relations.

[@StudioSappy]

and when Poochies not on the screen, everybody should be asking "Where's Poochie!?!"

[@ToeTag9899]

@@StudioSappy That's what Vinny Mac wants.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

@ToeTag9899 No offense, but if one person stopped you from watching, then were you ever a fan to begin with?

[@ToeTag9899]

@@lancethefilmguy9392 It wasn't just Cena WWE started having more corny crap like the spirit squad and Hornswaggle ect... Cena should of stayed as a midcarder and be in the same lane with joke characters like Boogeyman and Simon Dean.

[@kjo2130]

This is why I find it so odd when I hear people call Cena the GOAT, etc... like uhh the guy that we all booed for years? lol wtf

[@sayandas3939]

Only marks booed cena ... 😂😂

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Jeff Gordon is considered a GOAT and he was just as hated as Cena. So there's that

[@shadow-man8715]

@@lancethefilmguy9392 it's all subjective i guess.

[@Ken_Frazer-619]

​​​@@sayandas3939small marks from the attitude era can't compete with the whole world loving him

[@sayandas3939]

@@Ken_Frazer-619 very true this guy's think themselves as everything lol

[@thevoid99]

there were several other things why i was annoyed by cena: 1. some of his backstage politics in derailing pushes for alex riley and kenny. 2. the wrestlemania 33 engagement 3. not jobbing to brock lesnar in 2012 upon brock's return. 4. not selling the beating he got from brock lesnar at summerslam 2014.

[@shadow-man8715]

He crapped on brock's return. The whole match was dumb because cena was all bloodied throughout the entire match and gained almost no offense and still won. At least got to beat him at summerslam

[@petersonofleo11]

Cena was not overshadowed by The Rock at all hell Cena won the battle of promos head to head.

[@hisoka6258]

Of course the rock won! They had to make up the story that the ppl champ had to write everything in his arms in order to give Cena an opportunity

[@mapleleafhitman1796]

Lol Cena won the promo? U know Vinnie wouldn’t not let Cena get abused like that cena was just as protected like Hulk hogan how the The Rock wouldn’t go Attitude Era or Hollywood version on his candyass

[@petersonofleo11]

@@mapleleafhitman1796 What repeating predictable catchprases?

[@sayandas3939]

​@@mapleleafhitman1796that's the only thing rock can do give cheap comments amd got exposed in pg era ... rock and cena got face to face only twice and both the times cena stood tall ... other promos were rock just bashing cena .... on his own 😂😂

[@SheanWalsh46]

I love Cena as a kid I hate Cena as a teenager I respect Cena as an adult Honestly, I don't think Cena deserved all the hate that he got, after all, that man is just doing his job and that's it.

[@darthdesidus4361]

His performance was trash and the push was never ending. He earned the hate.

[@andrewwright4195]

​@@darthdesidus4361cena works hardest and only cm punk kept up with him that why he was pushed cry more

[@bryany4828]

He was garbage

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

@@bryany4828 🙄

[@shadow-man8715]

I dislike him as a wrestler. He sucked but as an actor he's solid and as a human being he seems like an alright dude

[@wifilostconnection5992]

Feel like they missed a huge Mark turning cena heel nothing else was going on at the time and cena turning heel would of brought back fans he turned off from the product, imo would have been equivalent to Hogan turning heel in 96

[@BainesMkII]

I don't think it would have mattered. Cena wasn't just a bland personality with stale promos, he was also fairly boring in the ring. While his limited and repetitive moveset didn't help, the killer was that Cena just wasn't particularly good at selling moves, neither those of his opponents nor even his own. Just look at Cena trying to perform his version of the STF; it became the butt of jokes. Even if turning heel gave Cena a brief popularity bump, it wouldn't magically give him an interesting personality or improve his promos, and it certainly wasn't going to improve his work in the ring. If the WWE kept heel Cena at the top of the card, then you'd have seen the same long term negative response set in. (Which also happened with heel Hogan in WCW, though that was a little lost in how the company ran itself into the ground with the nWo as a whole.) And if you didn't keep heel Cena at the top of the card, then you might as well have kept him face.

[@qdg.productions]

@@BainesMkIIwhen you say it like that it makes sense. As much as people love Heel Hogan (and it was amazing to see in ‘96-‘97) you had the same issues exasperating with Hogan magnified because he had to be at the top of the card 24/7. Putting Cena through that in the early 2010’s would’ve been disastrous because the WWE couldn’t book a legitimate baby face they believed in, and even if they did (with CM Punk) Cena would still have to look strong or it diminishes the whole point of a Heel Cena. It’s even happening to Roman Reigns as we speak and people are getting tired of Roman Reigns hogging up SmackDown’s main event scene because there’s no one else who looks legit enough to beat him right now.

[@wifilostconnection5992]

@@BainesMkII cena was one of the best heels on smackdown in his thuganomic days was always a good talker even if he was super cena 2012 to his part timer stage was some of cena best in ring work and look at his promos against Kevin Owens Roman reigns and etc

[@ALmizzle415]

I never thought the wwe universe actually hated cena. He got a rise out of them and that engagement with the fans really helps the experience when you go to a wwe event it’s why it’s fun. I think now that hes gone they appreciate him more for what he brought when he was with the wwe full time

[@westonrogers5435]

Cena was literally my favorite wrestler as a kid lmao

[@Xanthro2]

Great video :D I clocked out of it all around the end of ECW and missed almost all of "super Cena"'s run, thankfully. I'm still not fully back in to it, but I don't dislike Cena at all, I guess its cuz I was lucky enough to miss the bombardment of him lol. I would watch any match presented with him in it and expect a good show, though I will reserve the right to say it was crap after seeing it :D.

[@jamesnelson4611]

When John Cena first arrived in the WWE the crowd didn't know who he was and he was still using his OVW Prototype gimmick

[@MikeJr9284]

I was a huge Cena fan growing up and I never understood the hate he got. As an adult, I kinda understand why granted I feel most of the hate Cena got came from smarks. The hate Cena got for burying the Nexus was warranted though.

[@user-bi5nw4vp6t]

Everyone who watched attitude or RA from.start stopped mainly because of Cena..You don't understand how boring it was

[@andrewwright4195]

​@@user-bi5nw4vp6tno they didn't 😂😂

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

@user-bi5nw4vp6t I still watch, and I'm an Attitude Era kid

[@SawBoss591]

Outside of the hardcores booing him on TV and PPV. He sold tickets, sold PPVs, drew TV ratings, and, the most important, sold merchandise. Hence no heel turn and why he was pushed so hard until Hollywood became an option.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Exactly 💯 Believe me, if he really was a failure, then he would have been future endeavor

[@buddylee5712]

Regardless of the hate he was the top merch seller of his era and he still put asses in seats as people wanted to see him lose and he kept winning. Cena was good for business.

[@angelbamba6987]

Putting asses in seats yeah right and if he did it was probably from the audience that was already there not new fans (unless you count kids) yeah sure he was a top merch seller but his merch so bad and corny literally it’s the same shit every time as orton said steal more money out fans pocket. He chase away many fans just because you were still watching doesn’t mean anything and it doesn’t change the fact that many fans back then and still blame him for not watching wrestling any more

[@petersonofleo11]

@@angelbamba6987Fans started to leave by 2001 dude why are you lying and saying that Cena was the reason fans left?😂😂😂😂😂

[@kobe2kallday]

​@@angelbamba6987you're everywhere hating on cena jesus maybe next time blame vince for having cena that way instead of blaming cena, I'm not defending him but you people always blames cena but let vince off the hook

[@angelbamba6987]

@@kobe2kallday Vince can carry that blame too not denying that but it was cena shove down my throat not Vince despite it being his fault

[@angelbamba6987]

@@petersonofleo11 dude you’re moron the remaining fans that were there were leaving because of John cena’s overexposure in the damn many people say this even people that like cena know this but you don’t sad man just because you were watching doesn’t change that, also no you’re wrong because fans were still watching back in 2001 on a regular basis they were probably starting to get burn out with wrestling but they were still watching look at the buyrates of the pay per views of 2001 (for example 770,000 for the invasion event)

[@mcoeif]

If you're as old as me. You will know that the hate for Cena actually started in 2005 because some fans thought his face turn soften up his "Thugonamics" gimmick, which is the gimmick that made him over to begin with. His "5 moves of doom" as a criticism was just something they latched on to, to make their critiscism looked legitimate. His in reality, Cena has always been solid in the ring, the "5 moves of doom" was just what some of his haters named for his comeback spots, which literally every legend who has been a babyface in their careers has had in their own arsenal of moves.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

They were behaving like Conspiracy Theorists and that is why Smarks are viewed as annoying

[@RobertSmith-ow5kf]

So what 5 moves of doom did angle do?

[@lukemadams]

I was never ever able to get over the cringe of him being a rapper

[@vijenderthakur6207]

I am a fan of your work and connected with this channel from the start but the problem is that there is so much time gap between the videos...I hope you will soon take appropriate steps about this...Atleast make it 2 in a week...

[@rob22esn60]

He bounced back because the people who booed him stopped watching.

[@davidcameron8870]

no, People only grew and matured because even in AEW they speak well of dinner, guys like MJF admire john cena. John Cena is a real draw.

[@arrownoir]

I had always preferred the heels, except Undertaker and Batista. So the fact that he was steamrolling all of them kinda left me steamed.

[@blackestyang7528]

why is that belt in the thumbnail floating?

[@beardedweirdo790]

He's cheered now because he's one of a small amount of stars still left from when WWE was at its best. Compared to the blandness we've got now be must be a hero

[@buddylee5712]

I actually loved that spinning belt lol

[@angelbamba6987]

You probably like it because you grew up with it, it’s a Horrible belt my man seriously it’s time to grow up

[@kazallroberts]

Me too

[@pedroh.6886]

pro wrestling is not fake enough, had to have a belt that looks like a toy

[@sayandas3939]

​@@angelbamba6987for some marks spinner title is horrible but tnt tittle is a work of art right ? 😂😂

[@sayandas3939]

​@@pedroh.6886 what do you say about the current iwgp that looks even worse or like the diva title

[@Freedomboy006]

i remember cenas early reign really well. he was hated by adult hardcore fans all throughout . it wasn’t until wm 22 when he face triple h that wwe acknowledged the boos. however , on raw every weeek, you couldn’t hear the boos. it wasn’t until much later that the boos and cheer were 50 50

[@vpg8000]

I stopped watching WWE regularly around 2003 and only re-started in 2022. I’ve gone back in time to catch up. But it sounds like the Cena - Roman (Big Dog) era were dark times.

[@BrionTV]

Same here. Starting watching again in late 22.

[@Nicksuavemusic]

Cenas feud with umaga was underrated looking back

[@jayrock2288]

The spinning belt was awesome

[@imisssaku]

The spinning belt was rad.

[@HominisLupis]

Lol nope.

[@JayWIll2000s]

@@HominisLupisyes it was

[@ProctorTheKrow]

Hell no. That thing was a disgrace

[@BrionTV]

That belt was a mockery of pro wrestling

[@Lakers0olll]

Maybe, if you were under the age of 10

[@LMGuelph]

I wasn't big on him, I guess he was pushed too many times, he coulda been more like a stone cold, or a more convincing heel. The booking with him also was an issue too.

[@ethanjohns9480]

John Cena was great as the Dr. of Thuganomics.

[@advancedttv6324]

Ong

[@CharlesButler1]

When Cena became the face of the WWE, I stopped watching wrestling all together. Havent watched it since.

[@waleedjavaid]

We needed at least one heel run for Cena at the top

[@ir6237]

"Was" wow, the Cena hate from the late 2000s/early 2010s is officially in the past. Crazy to make that realization. I used to boo the shit out of Cena, lol

[@Ardaagafilimada]

Alot of inaccuracy in this video. Cena gave wade barret the win at hell in a cell 2010. No way rock beat cena in the mic. Rock is better but in their feud he felt boring and childish.

[@averagedusty]

@6:45 is one of the most 80's images I've ever seen 😮

[@jay.money1994]

It’s nice you did one for Cena! But now do one for Roman

[@Partha_7]

Cena was pushed over and over again because of his good mic skills, yes he wasn't the most talented athlete back then but imagine cutting promos with Brock Lesnar who was a good athelete but couldn't cut good promos without Paul Heyman. WWE always cared about selling promos to build up a story line of the fued so it was really important to have someone with good mic skills.

[@snakeeyes2551]

I used to think being a WWE wrestler was fun, but growing up I realized that being a WWE wrestler can be a nightmare for some. Risk of injuries, whether or not you’ll be pushed, making sure your gimmick get a good crowd reaction, and traveling a lot. Being a WWE wrestler can be hard.

[@Taco0718]

Im kind of glad I missed the Cena era lol. I stopped watching wrestling around 2003-04. Kind of got back into it around 2013ish to witness the Yes! Movement. Starting in 2022, I began watching regularly again.

[@adamcammack3534]

Man Triple H really sucks to want to fire Cena for nothing. Also I grew up with this period of Cena and I must of blanked on the negativity outside of the One night stand pay per view and didn't understand the hate till post 2010.

[@mankytoes]

In wrestling you HAVE to get over with the fans. Cena had not done that at the time- you don't get over, you get fired.

[@juanledon9974]

John Cena was ethnically confused when he first started

[@forrestsmith8857]

Cena was a corporate made Frankenstein. WWE was the only mainstream wrestling we had after wwe killed all competition. So, even though many found him unwatchable compared to golden era, or attitude era stars, there was a whole new generation of kids and adults that latched on to him because he was the unbeatable top guy. He was sanitized to the public as a squeaky clean hero that could be marketed broadly without ruining any commercial investments due to controversy. He is like marvel movies, but in wrestling. Not trying to insult intelligence, or tastes, but there is a large portion of the public that can only be fed simple black and white content that doesn't take much to comprehend. Cena filled this bland void, and everyone else who disliked him had to just endure it.

[@MrAdal206]

What made it all worse was that Cena kept on being forced down the fans throats even after fans made it clear to him and Vince that they didn’t want him anymore.

[@eddiew2325]

the best part of cena's reign of terror was listening to bruce blitz lose his mind

[@anthonywomack2260]

This dude hate Cena so much he made a whole 18 minute video about him 😂

[@BrionTV]

Have you watched any other videos he made?

[@guileniam]

I am from the Cena era. He was the hulk hogan in our generation. He is still very fondly remembered by this generation

[@randomramblings2325]

The trouble with John Cena was that he never changed as in. You never became a bad guy after 2003, he was always a good guy, and the irony of that is I think he knew that but he refused to change is gimmick or WW never let him change his gimmick so he just ran with it and I could say this to John Cena fan from 2005 to 2010 I was a huge John Cena fan But even I wanted him to become a bad guy I love the Sam Hunt versus John Cena feud. I thought that struck gold with CM Punk but look how that turned out in anyway you’ll to bananas when John Cena ever again fitting with the Roman reigns lots of people bird, Roman reigns and shit for John Cena because rains was doing the exact same Cena dead for years being shove down everyone else’s throat as a good guy. When all they wanted to do was boo. Him and Cena evening knowledge this which was brilliant so ironically, I think Cena redemptive self as far back as 2015, 2016, simply because he finally acknowledged and excepted why the fans hated in for all those years and now look at Roman reigns is the top heel in WWE right now. Yes he’s one of the most over and loved bad guys in the business

[@ChristopherJohn4389]

Well said

[@ChristopherJohn4389]

Well said

[@tgreg9542]

John Cena is top 5 all time his career went exactly how is should have. Check his stats bruh

[@TJ-fe7rr]

Stats? You know it's all scripted, right bruh? He's a 16 time world champion because Vince says so.

[@sirrickthe2nd583]

He's the Peacemaker now and he made me love him, for it.

[@peruvianhaze853]

This is crazy I remember when he was champ everyone I knew loved cena Right before he came out with the marine movie Didn’t know the hate was this bad for him As far as I know he was always the hero face in wrestling 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@christophernear6990]

Do cm punk next

[@markmichel3855]

Cena going over Jericho in a loser leaves town match hurt him. Also babyfaces before then like Austin and Rock had short title reigns

[@ejscorp]

One of the reasons I stopped watching wrestling over 10 years ago was the tired, oversaturation of super Cena. Thuganomics Cena was so much better. At least he had an edge.

[@HeteroMeatLoverPetrolLov-nk8qx]

The Worm, DLO Brown's leg drop, Shake Rattle Roll knee drop >>>> 5 knuckle shuffle Forget it even comparing with People's Elbow.

[@robertwesley9276]

This is why I enjoy the mid card guys actually more than what they typically evolve into as the face of the company when becoming a main champion. Its like they gave Cena the rap gimmick to get him over with fans and then stripped him of it a few years later just because he became the face of the company. His transition from the rap thug to the babyface champion on Raw happened literally overnight. It felt more like he was playing a whole different character than the one that got him over.

[@boredbitch666]

i grew up in ruthless aggression era and onward my childhood heroes (in no order) were always cm punk,edge and jeff hardy

[@tgreg9542]

How can you disrespect the Spinner belt, when that dropped the whole world went crazy. Those things stayed sold out all toy stores.

[@clavisolemgbe4124]

John cena is the goat ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🐐.

[@jayfiggs4656]

I'm sure before he became Champion John Cena wanted to make it to the top but to stay on top for that long I believe was entirely Vince McMahon's idea. He desperately wanted another Hulk Hogan. Cena was over for the kids and let's be honest a few females/guys for sensual reasons. But he was well beloved as a mid card talent. John Cena had range and he could not really be as flexible as he wanted to as a babyface.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Gotta remember that the rise of UFC & The Benoit Incident hurt WWE, which is why they became PG

[@teemo43]

If a man makes over 300 make a wish comes true i give a fuck about why someone don't like him. Can't hate this guy. Life is bigger then wrestling.

[@gt0sold1er]

What is this revisionism? Cena held his own with the Rock. In fact, he arguably got the better of him on the mic. When people think back about that promo battle, no one talks about "fruity pebbles", they talk about "notes on your wristband" though.

[@zinan2959]

Cena is well and truly one of the most overrated wrestlers of all time. A very average wrestler with a handful of great matches , a very cringeworthy gimmick and one of the biggest monster pushes of all time He was hated because he was shoved down our throats too much too fast and he himself wasn’t all that amazing

[@MrMNo13]

It's an absolute lie that it was Steph who heard Cena rap and ran with it. It was Bruce Prichard who pitched it to Vince after being on the bus, but he was fired not long after so WWE claimed it was Steph.

[@aarnethn]

Still better than Roman anyways.

[@7654x]

Roman Reigns needs the same vid if he doesn't have one already. Cena really should of embraced a heel push like Hogan NWO, it did wonders for Reigns Bloodline.

[@kennycai8695]

I kind of find it comical that hardline AEW fans will actively mock Cena for his limited in-ring ability. While yeah, I do agree to an extent, but I counter by saying that Cena's character and reputation did more to feeding WWE's bottom line than anyone in AEW ever has thus far. The irony is that AEW is giving exactly what these hardliners want (an emphasis on flashy wrestling spots), and yet they are STILL unhappy about it. I guess with the benefit of hindsight, one really has to know how to separate the man from the character he plays. Look, I am not excusing Cena for his backstage politicking, but the man is sincere about entertaining his audiences, judging by the number of Make-A-Wish requests he has granted. Say what you want about his limited in-ring capability, but never deny that he cannot act or play a role well, cause if you have never seen his "Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick, you are either biased or ignorant. The real source of hate should be on WWE's management, specifically Vince, since he was the one who makes the final decisions on everything. He neglected to build other superstars up cause he thought people would forever eat out of Cena's bowl (in fairness, he is not wrong, but WWE could have had more revenue streams if they did not put all their eggs in the Cena bowl). He's the one who refuses to build on Cena's character when Cena himself wants to freshen up. I have to wonder if part of the hate for Cena stems from jealousy, cause some of the arguments I heard seem to be projection.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

I've always said that the Cena Haters are the Conspiracy Theorists of Wrestling Fans. They make up these wild stories about his supposed backstage politics yet have nothing to back it up with other than TRUST_ME_BRO 🤣

[@kennycai8695]

@@lancethefilmguy9392 Only story that I can confirm that Cena politicked was over Mr Kennedy, and even then, it was Orton who had beef with Kennedy, and Orton roped in Cena to get Kennedy sanctioned. As for the rest (burying the Nexus, blackballing Kenny Dystrka cause of Mickie James), I really cannot confirm these tales. And yeah, these conspiracy theorists will insist it's true and give no other reasoning asides "because I said so, now shut up".

[@JonnyAugz]

After the thuganomics gimmick I just didn't care for Cena. Nothing against him personally.

[@jeremyvanb821]

Top guys rarely eat pins but I think the problem was necessarily Cena winning all these matches, most notably bray and Nexus, it was the fact that his opponents came out of these programs looking far worse. You don’t have to cripple one guy to make sure another keeps rising.

[@troy8613]

Jericho has a great kind for Pro wrestling! He should be writing for WWE. He’s the antithesis of hhh who wanted to win, as if winning was actually winning in real life, whereas Jericho is happy to lose and even be humiliated like he was when they carried him out kicking and screaming.

[@Kalel2.0]

Y2J actually suggested that he get carried out and kicked out of the arena

[@troy8613]

@@Kalel2.0 That’s what I was trying to say but I completely butchered the sentence! Thanks for clarifying that for me.

[@Jajshshshs]

Jericho is a jobber even jey uso foot>>>>>Jericho entire career

[@sephuris5555]

The more i hear about the stuff that happens back stage makes like hunter and Stephanie more as the CEOs of the organization the amount of chances they have given some guys vince would have cut

[@UnifiedEntity]

Uhhhhhhhh Cena between 2004 to 08 he was HIGHLY well liked. Especially with his feuds with Edge, Kurt, and JBL

[@jmdnelson4891]

Up yours; Cena's awesome!!

[@kazallroberts]

His initial push from 2005-2008 was tolerable but his 2008-2013 push was definitely terrible.

[@Kalel2.0]

Cena is my favorite Wrestler of all time his company guy never give up schtick helped me during tough times as a kid and I really think his US title run changed ppls opinion of him as he helped elevate newer and fresher talent, showed he could be a work rate guy and elevated the title and as his appearances become rarer many more fans appreciate him but even I can't deny his formulaic booking as a whole and holting of ppls momentum pushed ppl away from WWE

[@simenzelwedlamini]

what could he do he was the face of the company at that time when he was full time same position roman is in now he was making big money for the company along the way !

[@Kalel2.0]

@@simenzelwedlamini Yeah I very much agree on that him being face of the company kept them in the mainstream even if WWE as a whole wasn't as popular and while I'm not blaming John him being portrayed as a Superhero who ran through everyone didn't sit right with many ppl

[@Kalel2.0]

​@@gibramrivera-yv2loKO and Sami were some of Ring of Honors best talents and Cesaro was already over