It’s nothing major, he’s still the smiling all American guy, granting wishes and rising above the hate. Since Money in the Bank 2011 Cena’s character has evolved subtly. ![]() It’s his character that needs to change and recently it has, despite what TNA fans tell themselves while they’re burying their heads in the sand and blaming all the ills of professional wrestling on John Cena and WWE. He’s several notches below them.Ĭena’s problem isn’t his wrestling he’s very, very good at that part. He’s not a great worker like a Bret Hart or a CM Punk. This is because despite what jaded fans tell themselves, Cena is actually a really good wrestler. Put Cena in the ring with even a halfway decent wrestler and chances are you’re going to see a great match. It takes two to tango my friends and Cena played a huge part in those matches. HBK/Cena at WrestleMania, HHH/Cena at WrestleMania, the HBK/Cena Iron man from Raw, the Punk/Cena series of matches after Money in the Bank 2011, Cena/Rock from WrestleMania 28, Bryan/Cena from SummerSlam, the list goes on and on. And for someone who can’t wrestle, John Cena has been involved in an awful lot of the best matches WWE has ever put out. ![]() Great matches are built around psychology, not moves. Remember “smart marks”, professional wrestling matches are not real fights. It’s infuriating, true, but it’s also just plain fact: Cena played that role as well as The Undertaker plays the role of the invincible zombie or Austin played the role of the angry redneck. Cena was the guy who rises above the odds and does the impossible. True, Cena often throws wrestling logic out of the window, most memorably at SummerSlam 2010 where Cena was beat up for the majority of the match before suddenly hitting the AA on Barrett, but this was part of his character from the start till around mid-2011. I’d rather watch a dozen Cena matches than a single Jeff Hardy match. I just find it ironic that a wrestling fan would hate on Cena for having his infamous sequence but then equally praise Jeff Hardy for his varied moves, despite him being a godawful psychologist. Is the IWC seriously suggesting that because Daniel Bryan usually only ever kicks, turnbuckle flip, running clothesline, missile dropkick and LeBell lock/Busaiku kicks his way through Raw matches that he can’t wrestle? It’s part and parcel of the WWE style of wrestling, its just much more noticeable with Cena because his sequence is practically never changed up, unlike with Daniel Bryan who regularly slips in new moves in big matches to break up the monotony, we never notice it but Bryan is just as ‘guilty’ of having the five moves of doom. ![]() All the great workers of WWE history have their sequence. Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, HBK, Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan. But is Cena the only wrestler to have a finishing sequence that hardly ever changes and a small set of signature moves? If you ask that question on a wrestling forum you’d get flamed to hell and back but it’s a good question. Hell the Attitude Adjustment is just an elevated fireman’s carry. It doesn’t help that all of those moves are relatively simple looking. Practically every Cena victory is down to this sequence, with no variation. Shoulder tackle, shoulder tackle, fall-away powerbomb, Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment. The biggest reason for this myth’s popularity is that Cena has the infamous five moves of doom. He was even built as the underdog against the Miz! Despite the fact that Cena’s a multi-time world champion, having beaten most of the greats of wrestling history at that point. Not exactly a list of the greatest workers of wrestling history. But take a look at the opponents Cena had in that period: The Miz, Batista, Wade Barrett. Plodding and predictable matches that invariably ended with Cena beating the odds. When I first started getting back into WWE and wrestling in general it was early 2010, John Cena was in his perpetual and extremely confusing position of the underdog WWE Champion, main eventing every pay per view and Raw. Picture it, John Cena is facing off against someone when the significantly lower pitched chants start: “You can’t wrestle”. It’s a myth that has been heard in many towns and across different continents. ![]() There is a pervading myth within the IWC and generally the hardcore fanbase of wrestling. The leader of the Cenation – Source: World Wrestling Entertainment
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