John Cena is a whisker away from capturing his 16th WWE Title – thereby equalling Ric Flair’s record – at No Mercy this weekend.
The lead-up to the match has featured a multitude of overlapping storylines; AJ Styles’ mission to prove that the underhanded methods employed to keep hold of the belt do not undermine his legitimacy as the WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose’s ‘jealousy’ of the colossus that is John Cena, and Cena himself chasing the ultimate validation of equalling Ric Flair’s legendary record.
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And in spite of AJ Styles looking to prove beyond a doubt that he is the ‘Champ that runs the Camp’ or Dean Ambrose vying for redemption, it is the tantalising prospect of Cena’s record-equalling conquest that begets the most intrigue.
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As suggested by the man himself in the build to the pay-per-view, capturing the WWE Title at No Mercy will no doubt catapult him to the foreground of the ‘Greatest of All Time’ discussion in the WWE.
Hallowed praise indeed, and even more so when it is suggested by oneself.
However, if any Superstar’s career in the WWE deserves the lofty mantle that the GOAT tag espouses, John Cena’s certainly does. Here then are 5 reasons why he is the greatest WWE Superstar of all time.
#5 Marketing Brand
Ranging from ‘Tribute to the Troops’ to Tuesday Night SmackDown Live!, John Cena’s face is emblematic in every endeavour of the WWE. He may elicit a deeply polarising reaction from audiences all around the world, but there is little doubt that the name ‘John Cena’ generates massive traction with them nonetheless.
Every kid is a John Cena fanatic and even the fans that loathe him would have to accord the respect that his career deserves, however begrudgingly so.
His marketability as an ambassador to the WWE is unparalleled, and unlike Dwayne ‘Don’t call me the Rock’ Johnson, John Cena doesn’t shy away from his pro-wrestling roots when embracing the ever-growing list of mainstream cross-over opportunities that punctuate his resume.
Regardless of whether people around the world are pro-wrestling or WWE fans, chances are that they have been privy to the legend of John Cena through some medium.
His predominance in the PG era of the WWE has almost single-handedly catalysed the company’s transition from a pro-wrestling promotion into a mainstream juggernaut; a move that has kept WWE a-changing with the times and strengthened its monopoly on the industry as well.
#4 Least controversial
Being a marketable figure often goes hand-in-hand with having a clean-cut personality, and unlike his predecessors in the company – Hulk Hogan with his steroid scandal and racist sex tape and Stone Cold with his domestic violence scandal – John Cena has remained on the fair side of the law throughout his career.
Barring a divorce that almost got ugly (as they usually tend to), and unfounded allegations of a romantic affair with Mickie James. John Cena has largely been untainted by the sting of controversy and for the most part, served as a credible representative of the WWE’s image.
His work with the Make A Wish Foundation is nothing short of phenomenal, and also reinforces the fact that he is as genuine a human being as they come.
It may be out of John Cena’s personal volition that he goes above and beyond, to make time for the thousands of kids that revere him, but his actions seamlessly dovetail with the character that he plays on WWE programming.
Those clamouring for a John Cena heel turn on one hand, and advocating that the WWE should let Superstars channel their real personality through their gimmick on the other, are completely missing the point.
John Cena is the same guy in the ring, as he is outside it; the angelic babyface upon whose broad shoulders the WWE has been carried for the past decade.
#3 Quintessential company man
John Cena’s borderline shoot on Talking Smack last week reinforced two notions; one being why SmackDown Live makes for much more compelling viewing than Raw and the other about just how inhumane the pillar-to-post schedule that John Cena fulfils is.
Whenever the company needs him, or wherever for that matter, John Cena is always there, dependable and solid. When they need him to spearhead their foray into the thus far unexplored Chinese market, John Cena is there reeling off line after line in impeccable Mandarin.
When they need to add a dash of star glitz to the WrestleMania card, John Cena is there to make a roof-raising comeback from injury, once again having belied his injury schedule and rubbished the protracted recovery timeline.
Whether they need him to go on an untouchable run with the WWE Title or to elevate a mid-card title, John Cena is there to cater to the need of the hour. And in spite of being perceived as a corporate ‘yes man’, when a highly talented worker like Cesaro needs a leg-up the hierarchy, John Cena is there to pull his weight.
Neither did he ‘take his ball and go home’, nor did he pull every underhanded trick in the book to ensure that he didn’t lose to a bonafide legend like Shawn Michaels.
Has he had a hand in cutting the legs of momentum from underneath Superstars before? You bet he has. But he didn’t flat out refuse to lose like Hogan or Austin, neither did he leave the WWE after just 3 years at the top to capitalise on his fame like The Rock did.
Through and through, over the period of his tenure as the Face that runs the Place, John Cena has consistently been the golden goose at the disposal of the WWE.
#2 In-ring ability
People give John Cena stick for his repetitive ‘5 moves of doom’, but in actuality, he is quite a competent worker in-between the ropes. He does deserve the notoriety appended to his spot calling skills, but apart from that, there is hardly much else that you can fault John Cena for in the ring.
Despite being the top babyface in the company, he still embraced change when push came to shove and displayed the full extent of his wrestling prowess in a series of US Title Open Challenges that he hosted when he was champion.
Not only did he pull off solid matches against a plethora of opposition weekly, but his in-ring skill set that had been so viciously targetted for its limited scope had also been revamped. Moves like the spring-board stunner, that has now been abandoned, were introduced into his repertoire and his wrestling psychology was altered to suit a mid card title.
Matches were more believable as contests and all his opponents invariably received the rub from it. Kevin Owens may be the WWE Universal Champion today, but ask anybody what was the most memorable moment in his short WWE main roster career so far and they would point to the victory he scored over John Cena in his first match.
#1 Ric Flair’s record
Once thought unbreachable, Ric Flair’s all time record of 16 World Titles (although the Naitch would say it is 21) is just one 3-count away from being equalled by John Cena. It is a record that has been preserved for the better part of 20 years now, in order to be passed on to the most worthy successor.
Despite being part of Evolution along with Flair, Randy Orton has been shunted out of the WWE Title picture with his count just at 12, almost as though to signify that the final stretch is reserved for only those most deserving. Enter John Cena.
Such is the legacy that Cena has sculpted for himself that the talk of a record-equalling 16th WWE Title reign has been discussed as an eventuality rather than a prospect.
In a business that is fuelled by marketing, it is of paramount importance that major records that can be sold are handed out to the right people; much like how the gravitas of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak has been completely transferred to Brock Lesnar.
While there was legitimate gripe from many quarters for that decision, it does tell you all that you need to know about John Cena’s standing in the WWE Universe that almost everyone has buckled up in anticipation of Ric Flair’s record finally being equalled.
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