10 WWE Superstars who are/were the Heart and Soul of WWE Smackdown

John Cena

Cena became a main event star during his first stint on Smackdown.

While most of the recent fans of WWE know Cena for his long run as the poster boy of Raw for almost a decade, it won't be fair to not acknowledge his twin runs on Smackdown on both sides of that Raw phase. In fact, it was actually during his initial run on Smackdown that Cena became popular with the fans, something that kick-started his career as a main eventer in the WWE.

Whether as a heel or as a face, Cena's character of a disrespectful rapper got so over with the fans that it resulted in Cena becoming one of the biggest stars on Smackdown just a year after his debut in 2002. His three reigns with the US Title made the title feel important again, and this success pushed him to the top of the ladder at WrestleMania 21, where he became the WWE Champion and started his run as the Face of the Company.

Cena second stint on Smackdown was a rather successful one as well, with the acclaimed rivalry with AJ Styles as the centre of focus for the second half of 2016 that ended with the record 16th World Title win for Cena. Even though he still occasionally appears on Smackdown, Cena would forever be a vital chapter in the history of Smackdown.