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Possibly the biggest name in sports-entertainment, John Cena has spent the better part of a decade as the face of the WWE. In this time, we’ve seen the Cenation leader answer the call of Kurt Angle in the name of ruthless agression, become a 15-time World Champion and now lose to the developmental champion.
On paper, it would read that Cena has climbed the mountain and was pushed right to the bottom in a record time. When you look at the finer details, you uncover so much more.
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Firstly, NXT is no longer in a position to be considered the developmental territory of WWE, NXT is now the third brand. Secondly, this is the first John Cena feud in a few years with a “big fight” feel that doesn’t have a Lesnar, or an Orton stand opposing him at the other side of the ring. Kevin Owens was given a chance as NXT Champion and has taken that opportunity and ran right onto the main roster with it, sights set firmly on that ever elusive brass ring.
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While the current feud between the US Champion and the NXT Champion is golden, one must remember that Cena’s history of feuding with emerging talent is often hit or miss. For every Kevin Owens, there is a Rusev. For every Bray Wyatt, there is a Daniel Bryan. For every Shield, there is a Nexus.
Let’s take a look at some of the superstars that Cena helped to reach that next level.
Edge
It would only be appropriate to go back to where it all began for John Cena and his lengthy stay at the top of the WWE. Although he was 280 days into his first WWE Championship reign, it wasn’t until the first ever Mr. Money in the Bank cashed in his opportunity and Edge took the title from Cena. This would lead to a feud that is argued to be one of the best ever, as both superstars gave everything in their quest to oust the other in some truly physical battles.
Although this feud served to cement John Cena’s main event status, it is also the first instance of Cena elevating the game of another superstar, as Edge rose up through the WWE alongside the Chain Gang Soldier and went on to win 11 World Titles before retiring shortly after Wrestlemania 27 due to an ongoing neck injury.
Sheamus
Sheamus barely had his foot in the door and already had John Cena through a table and the WWE Championship around his waist. It’s not very difficult to see why Sheamus was voted the Breakout Superstar of the Year at the 2009 edition of the Slammy Awards.
It only took 166 days since his WWE debut before Sheamus threw John Cena off the top turnbuckle and through a table to pick up his first WWE Championship. This was a huge step in the early stages of the career of Sheamus, as this victory gave strength to the belief of Sheamus being a viable contender for World Championships for many years to come.
CM Punk
Alongside Edge, this may be the biggest rival John Cena has faced during his tenure in the WWE. One could argue that, attired in a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt, CM Punk was elevated to new heights while seated on a ramp in Las Vegas and he did it on his own.
While this is true to some extent, that explosive night in Chicago would have never matched such a mesmerising atmosphere had the self-acclaimed Best in the World competed against anyone else for the most coveted prize in sports entertainment.
It is almost a necessity for a WWE crowd to have at least one sign saying “If Cena Wins, We Riot!”, but that evening in the Allstate Arena, the roars of the crowd in favour of the Second City Saint would lead one to believe that had Cena walked out victorious, there would have been a genuine riot.
In a match that would be rated five stars by Dave Meltzer (the first WWE match since the turn of the millennium that he would award a five star rating), CM Punk would vanish from WWE after his contract expired.
Two weeks later, after John Cena defeated Rey Mysterio for the WWE Championship that he won at the beginning of the evening, CM Punk would march to the ring and hold aloft his WWE Championship while John Cena would do the same, creating one of the most iconic images in modern wrestling.
Daniel Bryan
Credited with being the hottest thing in wrestling at the time, John Cena named Daniel Bryan as the challenger to his WWE Championship heading into the 2013 edition of Summerslam. His partnership with Kane as part of Team Hell No had recently came to an end, but that did not halt the Yes Man from becoming the most popular star on the roster, thanks largely due to his incredible in-ring skills.
With an ability to deliver when it comes to big matches, Cena Vs Bryan was shaping up to be an epic showdown and by the close of the show, both stars certainly had delivered.
Unfortunately for Bryan, his victory over the Cenation Leader would be short-lived, as after a Pedigree from Triple H, Randy Orton would choose that moment to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. With his wounded prey in his sights, The Viper slithered down the ramp and defeated his weakened foe for the title.
This would set up a long rivalry between Daniel Bryan and The Authority, specifically their elected face of the WWE, Randy Orton. This feud would culminate at Wrestlemania XXX, where Daniel Bryan would finally achieve victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
That emotional rollercoaster all began with four words from John Cena: “I select Daniel Bryan”.
Sami Zayn
This being a superstar that has only burst onto the scene very recently, there is still an air of uncertainty over just how much Cena has helped Sami Zayn given that he is still injured following his match with Cena.
Although the formerly masked star has had only brief appearances on Raw, Zayn made the most of his answer to John Cena’s US Open Challenge when the WWE made a stop in his hometown of Montreal. In only his second match on Raw (his first being a Tag Team match to promote TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way), Zayn kicked out of the famous Attitude Adjustment and gave an impressive showing despite coming up short in the end.
What really helped Zayn was what happened after the match as Cena shook and raised his hand after the match, which drew comparisons to Cena’s very own debut, after which he shook hands and was praised by then-WWE Champion The Undertaker.
Kevin Owens
The current task at hand for Cena. For the casual wrestling fan, Kevin Owens is the champion of the developmental brand NXT and has defeated John Cena in his first WWE match. Those that follow NXT will then add to that the fact that Kevin Owens just took out Sami Zayn after having defeated him for the NXT Championship in their first enounter, looks set to lock horns with Samoa Joe soon and will also defend his NXT championship against Finn Balor during the 4th of July special in Tokyo, Japan.
It is apparent that Kevin Owens has already accomplished a lot during his time with WWE so far, but his presence in the company has been boosted as a result of picking up a win against the US Champion in a convincing fashion. Ideally, he continues this momentum going into the Champion Vs Champion showdown at Money in the Bank and comes out of the Pay-Per-View with another victory over the man who runs the place.
Until then, it is safe to say that one of the most talked about superstar in WWE today is indeed the NXT Champion, Kevin Owens and once more, John Cena can take a large portion of the credit for that fact.
