5 Reasons why John Cena is the real People's Champion

John Cena’s career has revolved around his genuine appreciation of the fans For the past decade that he has served as the franchise player of the company, no one has pulled more eyeballs into the product than the Leader of the Cenation. By virtue of his graft and the sanguine demeanor in embracing the grind, John Cena has established himself as the prototype for the perfect WWE superstar.Despite all of the other machinations that make the product tick, every wrestler would attest to the fact that it ultimately boils down to entertaining the fans. In that respect, no other WWE Superstar quite wears his heart on his sleeve or busts his bottom like John Cena, when it comes to performing for the fans.So despite the official moniker of “The People’s Champion” having already been conferred on The Rock, there is a strong case to be made for John Cena to be placed on equal, if not greater pedestal. Here, then, are five reasons why the polarizing John Cena presents the most concrete case to be viewed as the real People’s Champion.

#1 Audience reaction

The unique dynamic that John Cena shares with the audience

Whenever John Cena’s theme music hits and he steps out to pander to the crowd, the audience quickly readies itself for war. While one portion of the audience comprising primarily of women and children (by the sound of it) is determined to cheer for him vociferously, the majority of the grown-up masculine demographic is quite happy to drown his fans out with jeers.

Beneath this polarizing dynamic though, there is no debate about the unanimous respect that the man gets. As the commentary team often chooses to remind us, “Love him or hate him – you can’t ignore John Cena!”

While the WWE audience of the lower age demographic understandably buys into the “Super Cena” character more readily, even his chief detractors of a more experienced nature cannot entirely dispel the air of greatness that surrounds the man. Each week he walks out to a predominant chorus of boos, but manages to walk back in to unanimous, rousing ovation.

It is hard to place a finger on why exactly John Cena is so polarizing, but as far as the WWE is concerned, no other full time Superstar has quite engendered the same degree of audience reaction consistently over the last decade.

#2 Mainstream presence

Ever since its inception in 2003, the Tribute to the Troops show has featured John Cena heavily

When the WWE had to abandon its cavalier programming style and rein in the more extreme elements of the show so as to adopt a PG rating, it faced a challenge in preserving continued interest levels in the product.

After all, a watered down product that compromised on performance elements and curtailed the freedom that the Superstars had previously enjoyed on the microphone was hardly expected to attract the same audience age demographic as before.

The WWE thus sought to rope in a new generation of spectators in order to maintain their presence, and that is where John Cena played a pivotal role. He took the ball and ran with it so to speak, and in the process offered legitimacy and strength of character to the company as its top babyface.

Perhaps this had to do with the fact that John Cena is a stand-up human being, but much of the WWE’s elevated mainstream status has been obtained on his watch. Certainly from a corporate standpoint, the WWE is better off after him than it was before.

Understated though it may be, it is the inordinate amount of family audience support that Cena receives that has facilitated the company’s transition into a mainstream juggernaut. If the WWE enjoys a huge social media presence today, it has John Cena to thank for that in no small measure.

#3 Quality of service

The US Title Open Challenge has dispelled any lingering doubts about John Cena’s in-ring dexterity

Few Superstars can hold a candle to the regularity or performance levels of John Cena in the past decade, and fewer still can empathize with the pressure that he bears in carrying each show. As Triple H mentions in the Stone Cold podcast, for the top guy of the company, there is much greater responsibility to shoulder than entitlement to enjoy.

John Cena has not just filled the boots left vacant by the likes of Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold, but he has done it with genuine appreciation of the grind that comes with being the franchise player for the company. The manner in which he has maintained optimal performance levels through this time, all the while managing to remain drug-free and largely uninjured, is a feat that none of his predecessors can lay claim to.

The previous few months that saw the emergence of the US Title open challenge have effectively silenced the “you can’t wrestle!” chants that the audience rather unfairly used to aim at him. Even in what might be considered to be his last legs, Cena’s matches are stealing the show each week.

Many wrestlers enthuse about performing for the fans, but the fact remains that few have performed consistently for as long or indeed, with half as much conviction as John Cena.

#4 Merchandising pull

Overcoming the obvious comedic element of the segment, the sheer variety of John Cena merchandise was eye-opening to many viewers

Although the past decade has witnessed the occasional Superstar on a red-hot streak momentarily overtaking John Cena in merchandising numbers, by and large this has been an area that has been dominated by the Leader of the Cenation.

Without doubt one of the most dependable merchandising draws in the company, the WWE pumps prodigious amounts of money into the production and promotion of a plethora of John Cena merchandise. With a family audience fan base like none other, John Cena product sales at the WWE live events so heavily outstrip the numbers of other Superstars that any comparisons are bereft of professional relevance.

Although the age demographic of John Cena’s fan base often features as the butt-end of jokes that are leveled against him, there is no disputing the fact that the WWE mints the most money off selling wrist bands, colourful T-shirts and other John Cena themed paraphernalia to them.

With an internet marketing base that is ever-expanding, and a clientele that is adept of perusing it to its fullest potential, it presents little surprise that the prototypical John Cena fan forms an appreciable portion of the consumer base that the WWE merchandise sales thrive on.

#5 The human element

Throughout his career, John Cena has never shunned an opportunity to connect with fans

Recommended by their physicians, young children that are battling against terminally ill conditions reserve the right to meet a celebrity of their choosing, or in most cases a life-long idol, under the banner of the Make A Wish Foundation.

That John Cena holds the record for granting the most number of wishes to these children, with more than 450 to his name, speaks volumes about the character of the man. Ever present in the interface between the WWE and the public outreach programs, Cena has given back to the fans with sincerity, compassion and frequency, unlike any other Superstar.

From bringing a fan who was battling cancer into the squared circle to give her a highlight moment, to calling Cesaro back into the ring to soak up the adulation of the audience once again, John Cena sets precedents when it comes to valuing and validating the people around him.

Perhaps this, more than all his other achievements, is the most admirable characteristic that defines him. It also sets him apart from the other top babyfaces of yesteryear as the Superstar who best champions the cause of the people with a class and full-heartedness that belie his stardom.