Originally Posted by OWW.com
First of all, I would like to commend the WWE for a fantastic WrestleMania this year, which was held in Chicago in front of one of the most overwhelming crowds I've seen in a while. On that night, the main event saw the WWE Champion John Cena defend the title against the self proclaimed "King of Kings" Triple H. Throughout the match, John Cena was viciously booed by the massive crowd. Realizing that Cena has been booed many times before, this is really the first time the WWE really acknowledges the fact. In the end however, John Cena showed his heart and determination with a surprise tap out victory. Which leads me to my topic in this column "Respect the Champ."
With thousand of fans outraged with John Cena's popularity, and many others loyal members of the "Chain Gang," Cena's reign has become a hot topic in the world of professional wrestling. However, me being a life long avid fan of the WWE, I've decided to try and shed some positivity on this.
John Cena arrived midway into the year 2003. He faced off against Kurt Angle in his first match and quickly grew to become a heel. His white-rapper gimmick was booed by 'traditional wrestling fans" across the globe; however over time, with the help of Angle and Lesnar, Cena became the bad guy everybody liked. And why did we like him? Because he had attitude. With a surge of popularity after Royal Rumble 2005, John Cena was given a massive boost going into WrestleMania 21 and capturing his first WWE Championship. From here, everything went downhill for Cena. Fans across the globe no longer saw Cena as a wrestler, instead they saw him as a money maker and a cheap talking rapper. With the release of his first rap CD "You Can't See Me," the fans despised Cena for his overwhelming merchandise sales and air time. Which leads into my first argument. What was Hulk Hogan, or Stone Cold Steve Austin without merchandise or time on the mic? Anybody who knows wrestling realizes Hulk Hogan was one of the worst "wrestlers"
to hold the championship in terms of mat technique. But, that never deterred obsesses from continually chanting "Hogan... Hogan!" still to this day. No, he wasn't a pure athlete like Kurt Angle or Bret Hart, but he was an entertainer. Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn't the best wrestler, but he was a helluva entertainer and a best seller for different lame black T-Shirts with plain white text every month. The Rock was definitely not one of the best wrestlers, but he was an entertainer... rivalling Stone Cold as one of the best. I could go on, but you get the picture.
When it comes down to wrestling entertainment, what we see is what we get. John Cena isn't the greatest athlete in the world. He doesn't have too much flash but he has the charisma and the persona that can be built to sell out events. I can't count how many times I've watched match's of Cena's being hyped over weeks and weeks and still keep my interest. Passion is the fuel for any superstar and the fame comes with. John Cena's career has been nothing but definite blacks and whites. Either you hate him or you, love him. And personally, I can't see any one else carrying the company right now. Then again there are always those Triple H fans with the same lame excuses that he's the best in the bizz and will jump the gun and argue the fact, but how many times will we see Triple H's name show up after every other name in the Championship history list. Give him the Intercontinental title for crying out loud.
Since when did the promo become more integral to a superstars success than actual mat skills? When the company was saved by Hulkamania, that's when. However, a counter claim to that may be 'but that was when wrestling was garnered towards the younger generation.' True. but fans today hold on the memories of the past way too much. WrestleMania has become a massive extravaganza, and in order to get obsesses pumped for the event, they relive classic moments of when we were younger. Ever think this may be playing a role into modern day's superstars? Now I realize these facts may be controversial to some, but it's all quite simple. WWE is not looked at from a present perspective, it's gradually the entire scope of its history that’s become the center of attention.
John Cena has proven time and time again that he can put on a great match. In 2005, Vengaence saw John Cena battle Christian and Jericho in an excellent match. A month later Jericho and Cena had an entertaining feud which was finished at Summerslam in a good match. Cena then went toe to toe with Angle at least four times, each match being very entertaining, especially the triple threat at Taboo Tuesday. And even though, Cena continually proves his dominance, the haters keep spitting in his face. What does this guy have to do? He's already done everything. He's already beaten "the measuring stick" by making him tap out in the main event. Call me stupid but that’s what Benoit did - in a triple threat match two years ago. Does that amount to anything? This is where the haters claim that Cena got a push way to soon. Benoit has been wrestling for twenty years and Cena's only been wrestling for four. Even more impressive I say.
Now I examine how dull some fans have become. Wrestling today is marred with corporate crap. Behind the scenes, political jargon has been released week in and week out, for every fan to gossip and start making personal comments and we have a right to. This still doesn't change the fact that Chicago fans (no offense to them, personally I loved their enthusiasm) almost ruined a "WrestleMania Momment" when Rey Mysterio won the title at WrestleMania. Whatever happened to Rey's nearly 20 year career? The smallest champion ever defies the odds at the Royal Rumble and wins the World Heavyweight Championship on the biggest stage of them all and still hasn't earned the respect of loyal wrestling fans. This is ridiculous. With Rey living a dream, It has become a pointless debate on whether or not he can carry the company.
I once despised John Cena. I hated his ways and often times ridiculed his generic wrestling moves. However, I changed and realized he's more than that. This realization wasn't caused by his presence on RAW being beaten into my skull week in and week out, it was a revolution that Cena can really become role model for everyone. He doesn't back down from a fight. He doesn't care if you hate him. He's just being him, just like your Stone Colds and your Rocks. But other than that, he possesses one of the most important traits of a talented performer: the art of storytelling. Who cares if people think Cena is just there to make more money for the McMahon's, you don't know him and neither do I, so why make assumptions. All I can say is Cena has earned my respect, and that’s not easy. Consider me a member of the Chain Gang... actually, I'll save that for another time. So respect the franchise, those who ride with the champ, keep ridin’, cause the champ is still here and he'll be here for a long time.
