The Three Count: John Cena: A Message To The Haters

1/31/08

By Timothy “Timmy” Kemp
Special to the Critic

This past Sunday night was the 21st annual Royal Rumble match, in which 30 of the top performers in the WWE compete for an opportunity to challenge for the championship of their choice at the main event of Wrestle Mania 24. It was a very entertaining match, but the shock of the night was the number thirty entrance of John Cena, returning from injury to win the contest. When his entrance music started playing in front of the sold out Madison Square Garden, the roof almost blew off the arena with even the haters of Cena cheering for him, even if it was just for a moment.

Surprisingly the next day, the majority of the internet wrestling community (IWC), was going ballistic about how “John Cena Sucks” and “he ruined a good match.” This hatred from some wrestling fans is not new to Cena as it has been going on for the past couple years. His main fan base consists of little kids, teenage girls and adult women. The question that I would like to ask the “nay-sayers” is what is it about John Cena that you despise so much? What has he really done to make the hatred flow through your veins? I am going to address some of the recent dislikes of Cena, and show you how I think it’s just ridiculous.

“Cena can’t wrestle. He uses the same five moves to end every match. It’s too predictable.”
Although I will admit that his move list isn’t at the level of a Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit or Eddie Guerrero, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad wrestler. Just think about how Hulk Hogan was in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. He finished just about every match by ‘Hulking’ up, pointing the finger, three punches to the head, a big boot to the head, and a leg drop. Hogan did that for years and people believe his the greatest of all time, and rightfully so. Why is it that Cena does the same type of thing and people think it’s a disgrace? I don’t get it.

“Cena’s title reigns go on too long. Vince keeps the title on him so he can sell merchandise. He never gives anyone else an opportunity. “
Let me just say that the longest WWE Championship reign that Cena had was just last year, and it was only a year and a month. Going back to Hogan, he held the same title for four years in the ‘80s. I personally think that people’s attention spans nowadays are a lot less than they were twenty years ago, and they want things to be spontaneous. However, if you look at the little kids in the audience, they love John Cena. He is their Hulk Hogan, and they want to see him as champion.

“Cena’s spinner belt is an insult to the legacy to the championship.”
A couple questions come to mind for you haters: was it a disgrace when Stone Cold Steve Austin had his Smokin' Skull Championship belt? Was it a disgrace when Ted Dibiase created his own Million Dollar Championship? Was it a disgrace when Tazz created his own FTW Championship in the original ECW? Of course not. Sometimes a championship is made in order to fit a character, or even simply to sell merchandise. It doesn’t devalue the title because it’s still a representative of the legacy. Just look at the spinner belt, and tell me what is really wrong with it? It still says WWE Champ and tt has the traditional eagle on the top.

I honestly believe that you haters out there don’t like John Cena because he’s different. He is not like champions you’ve seen in the past, so you “boo” him. However, what you have to realize is that whether you love him or hate him, he gets a reaction out of everyone in the audience, and that is the most important quality to have as a champion competitor. John Cena’s legacy has only just begun, and I see him have a very bright future.