10 of the most polarizing wrestlers of all time

10. John Cena

John Cena, 16 times world champion.

Real name: John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr.

Years in the sport: 20

Finishing Move: The Attitude Adjustment (Fireman's carry slam.)

John Cena originally was going to be a bodybuilder but made the switch to pro wrestling in 1999. He quickly came onto the radar of WWE and wound up in Ohio Valley Wrestling, which WWE was using as a developmental territory.

He wrestled as the Prototype, a robotic character a far cry from his later personas. He made his debut on Smackdown as simply John Cena, but failed to resonate with the fans until he adopted a white rapper gimmick, the Doctor of Thuganomics. His rap album was heavily downloaded on Itunes, and Cena worked his way up to the main event.

As a heelish rapper, Cena was supposed to be booed but still garnered many cheers, especially from teenage male fans. Over time, he evolved from the white rapper to a more conventional good guy gimmick. While the women and children cheered for Cena, males 18-36 seemed to boo him an awful lot. Cena is perhaps the most famous example of a polarizing figure in sports entertainment.

These days Cena seems to be winning his haters over, probably in part due to his long tenure in the sport. Whatever the case, Cena remains a polarizing figure in pro wrestling.

There you have it; Ten of the most polarizing figures in sports entertainment. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article and thanks for reading!

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