Throughout six years, I’ve been lucky enough to share my opinion about professional wrestling both in written and audio form, I’ve been asked to list my personal top five wrestlers of all time. I have never wavered on that list: Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, The Rock, and... John Cena.
Like him or not, it’s become indisputable fact that John Cena is one of the top five performers of the WrestleMania era. (This era includes all wrestling—worldwide—going back to 1985’s inaugural WrestleMania).
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Many will disagree, citing “ringwork” and “politics.” But those are either unfounded (99.9% of those citing ringwork haven’t ever stepped foot in a wrestling ring) or unproven (99.9% of those citing politics have zero confirmed information to back it up).
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At WWE No Mercy, John Cena once again took the fall in favour of AJ Styles, stopping short in his bid to capture Smackdown’s WWE World Championship in a Triple Threat Match that also included Dean Ambrose. AJ, the heel world champ, used a chair to capture the win and retain his title.
Had Cena won, it would have been his 16th world championship, tying the commonly accepted record held by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. Two of those reigns came in the WWE, both in 1992, and they lasted a combined 118 days.
While John Cena came up short, it appears likely that he will indeed—at the very least—tie Ric Flair’s record. And for those of you who frown upon that idea, I urge you to reconsider based on these five reasons.
#5 John Cena Defines A Generation
For many fans, John Cena is professional wrestling. These are kids for whom John Cena has been on top of the WWE since the day they started watching the product and for their parents who only started watching because of those kids.
Of today’s superstars, John Cena truly is the “face that runs the place.” He has sold more merchandise than anyone in WWE history, and he continues to sell it. He passed my “household name test” in that my 70-year-old mother can tell you who he is. His face is plastered everywhere.
Despite any “push” given to the likes of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns or now AJ Styles, for the generation watching the WWE today, John Cena is their Hulk Hogan. He defines this generation.
#4 Ric Flair has squandered away much of his credibility
Ric Flair held world championships ranging from 1981 to 2000. During that 20-year period, he was considered a promotion’s world champion 16 times.
Year after year, Ric Flair has been considered the greatest professional wrestler in the world. He’s an 8-time Wrestling Observer Wrestler Of The Year. Six times he’s held that same distinction for Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
But in his later years, Ric Flair hasn’t known when to walk away. He wrestled long beyond the time period where he should have. He’s said some really stupid things publicly, including his most recent assertion that Dolph Ziggler was retiring as well as his claims of sleeping with the Hollywood actress Halle Berry.
His time “managing” daughter Charlotte saw him become a mockery of Ric Flair, a parody. He’s taken what was amazing and tarnished it. He’s faced numerous legal troubles. He took Ring Of Honor’s money and walked out on them.
In 2008 he was given a proper retirement, losing to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania. Yet the picture you see above is from 2009, where Ric Flair was bleeding in Australia while fighting Hulk Hogan.
Ric Flair has an amazing resume and is more than deserving of his two Hall Of Fame rings. But he does not need to have his title reign record protected. In fact, being in a tie with John Cena could actually bring some credibility back to Flair.
#3 John Cena has done more for Wrestling, outside of Wrestling
John Cena made history in August of 2015 when he granted his 500th wish for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He has double that of second place, Justin Bieber, and has granted every single one of those wishes as a WWE Superstar.
In terms of the WWE, he never leaves the campaign trail. He grants interview after interview, taking every opportunity to promote the WWE. In fact, it’s rare that you see John Cena promoting John Cena outside of the WWE—he’s always promoting the brand that built him.
What has Ric Flair done outside of wrestling? How has he improved public perception of professional wrestling?
He hasn’t. His #1 concern is and has always been Ric Flair.
#2 John Cena has done more for Wrestling, inside Wrestling
Look at the list of wrestlers John Cena has helped build: Edge, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and now AJ Styles. He even recently lost clean to Dean Ambrose. He elevated the United States Championship out of relative obscurity.
Of those listed, take a look at CM Punk. Punk’s rise towards his own monumental run at the top of the company started with John Cena. Punk’s Money In The Bank victory in 2011, before he “left” the WWE, was over John Cena.
Then take a look at Daniel Bryan. John Cena was allowed to hand pick his SummerSlam 2013 opponent, and Daniel Bryan scored the clean victory over Cena in that match. Daniel Bryan is now retired, and John Cena is yet to get his win back. When Bryan’s injury forced him to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and thus not get destroyed by Brock Lesnar at that 2014’s SummerSlam, it was Cena who took his place. For both.
#1 John Cena has simply earned it
As a fan who has been watching wrestling for 33 years, I have never seen a performer who polarises an audience as much as John Cena. He was given the ball at WrestleMania 21 because he asked for it at a time when Vince McMahon needed someone to step up and carry the company for a generation.
Now we are much closer to the end for John Cena. Hollywood opportunities are hard to ignore. His reality show is likely to become more of a franchise than expected. His life outside of wrestling is an attractive one, making it hard to ignore.
But for the majority of the time that he’s been in the WWE, he has been the WWE. He’s defined the company for an entire generation. He’s helped build the future. He’s helped recognise the past. And during that time he’s amassed fifteen world championships.
Number sixteen will tie him with one of the greatest of all time in Ric Flair. That moniker, “one of the greatest of all time,” is equally appropriate and applicable to John Cena.
Before his time in the ring is up, John Cena will be able to inform us that “the Champ is here” one more time.
