Could John Cena have ran with the old school wrestler's?

[CM Steel]

Does anybody remember back on that one RAW retro show featuring WWF/E legends where on "Piper's Pit" with John Cena as the special guest. Cena said at the end of his little speech that a WWE legend walk up to him and said to him that, "you could have ran with us". In saying that John Cena could have still been a big name back in those "Federation years" in the 1980's if John Cena were to "travel in time" (Back to the Future joke). But could have John Cena really ran with the likes of...

-Hulk Hogan
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage (R.I.P.)
-The Ultimate Warrior
-Rowdy Roddy Piper
-Mr. Perfect
-Jake "The Snake" Roberts
-Bret "The Hitman" Hart
-The Honky Tonk Man
-"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase
-"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
-ECT


Could we have seen groundbreaking wrestling matches & feuds featuring John Cena if time would have been different with history? What do you think???

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

I absolutely think he could have ran with them. This current incarnation of Cena seems like he wouldn't but as a heel, the dr of thuganomics may have destroyed some of those guys in promos. He could have had some great feuds, better than his current ones. I think him and honky could have battled like him and eddie did (random I know but the different musical tastes leads me to think they could have had a heated feud). Current Cena and Hogan could have been another Hogan Warrior type match. Him and Macho I don't really see, but who knows, bottom line, I could totally see Cena hanging with those guys. He seems to be one of the hardest working guys the WWE has ever seen, one who does all the appearances and whatever is asked of him, I think that attitude would have served him well back in the day as well. Man, just thinking of the feuds and promos and street fights, it would have been awesome. Not gonna lie though, in ring, it would probably still be shit haha.

 

[Wolf Pac]

As the Doctor Of Thuganomics, no, but with that gimmick he would've been able to hang in the Attitude Era though. With the Super Cena gimmick though, yes. Cena in his current gimmick is your typical 80's big babyface, he's a role model for kids, he's PG, and his ring attire is colourful, he is exactly like Hogan or Warrior 100%, so he would've easily fit in the 80's. I don't think he would've been THE top star though, he probably would've been fourth behind Hogan, Savage, and Warrior. And he probably wouldn't be wearing the ring attire he has on now. Back then it was the Rock N' Wrestling Connection, so the hip hop look wouldn't have worked, and I'm not sure if Jorts even existed in the 80's. I imagine his look & ring attire back then would've been the one he debuted in, in 2002.

Corny look but I could see it working back in the 80's, with one of those red Cena T-Shirts he wears today. And I could totally see him putting on great feuds and great matches with the likes of Hogan & Savage, maybe not Warrior though. People say Cena is shit in the ring but the guy can put on a fantastic match when the right match/feud comes along and calls for it, like Cena vs. Punk last year.

 

[SRSB]

Could we have seen groundbreaking wrestling matches & feuds featuring John Cena if time would have been different with history? What do you think???

Groundbreaking wrestling matches? Don't think so. Well, unless if you're talking about him going against the likes of Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, etc then sure. Groundbreaking feuds? Hell to the yes! He's today's Hulk Hogan basically. I don't mean to compare him to Hogan, but that's the best I can do for now.

In terms of feuds, oh man. Those promo exchanges would be amazing to watch and listen to. He has high amounts (sometimes overdoing it) of charisma. One thing you can't take away from John Cena are his mic skills. Although he can go overboard at times, he always delivers and most importantly, he's believable. His charisma and promo skills are about the same (or a bit less) than those greats from the past. He would fit in so well. John Cena does a superb job in hyping anything. Even though I can't tolerate at times, he makes me want to watch (or at least gives me the urge to watch). I can already see him bagging on Ultimate Warrior beating the incoherentness out of him. I can see him hyping a WM match with Hulk Hogan as if it is the biggest match we'll ever see in history; no match from the past or future ever being able to touch it.

In terms of wrestling, well he can go in the ring depending on the range of the wrestler. He works well with about anyone. I'm not going to discredit him. When he's working with a "limited" wrestler, he makes up with his storytelling and charisma. When he's working with a wrestler who can work (and I mean WORK), he still brings enough intensity to match up the opponent's arsenal. He would be better than Hogan solely due to his ability to adapt to other styles. His matches may not have been 5-star matches by any means, but they'd still be entertaining. That's what matters, right?

 

[Ethelion]

Could John Cena have run with the old school wrestlers?

-Hulk Hogan
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage (R.I.P.)
-The Ultimate Warrior
-Rowdy Roddy Piper
-Mr. Perfect
-Jake "The Snake" Roberts
-Bret "The Hitman" Hart
-The Honky Tonk Man
-"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase
-"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
-ECT

Based on the list that you've given above, I'm guessing that you mean 80's Boom Wrestlers when you say Old School Wrestlers. With that being said, I'm a John Cena Hater, but even I have to admit that he can "run with them". He's currently the WWE's hottest commodity, like him or not. Cena "travelling back in time" to team or feud with these guys would definitely be worthy of Fantasy Warfares like your previous thread.

With people continuously saying that Cena is the new Hulk Hogan, it would be a great exposure for him to feud with The Immortal One despite him not needing it anymore. I also wouldn't have minded seeing Cena as the Third Member of Hogan and Randy Savage's Mega Powers either. He could also replace Hogan as Ultimate Warrior's Opponent in the Double-Title Match, knowing that Cena can tell a great story in the ring despite being a horrible wrestler.

I've said in a previous post that Edge was Cena's Roddy Piper. That would've been a great time to watch Cena face the real Piper.

While I've never seen Curt Hennig, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase and Dusty Rhodes wrestle, it would've been nice to see each of them (or all of them ) compete against Cena. And while I've never seen Jake Roberts and Honky Tonk Man perform, it would've been enjoyable to watch them cut promos at Cena's expense - with Jake testing Cena's courage with his snake and Honky Tonk smashing his guitar on Cena's head.

As for ECT, who/what's that and what does it stand for?

 

[SRSB]

As for ECT, who/what's that and what does it stand for?

Pretty sure he means so on and so forth; et cetera.

Speaking of this topic, imagine him in NWA, WCW, AWA, etc. Wouldn't mind seeing him against Vader, Ric Flair, Sting, Magnum TA, Arn Anderson, and Stan Hansen. The list goes on and on.

Wow, am I actually going crazy for John Cena?

 

[xXxTheDevilGodxXx]

Oh yes, definitely. Undoubtedly, unquestionably. He has just the right gimmick, and the moment I read the name of the thread it screamed "Cena vs. Hogan" to me. Cena would have been mega popular back in those days. Not saying he isn't now, but he more than likely wouldn't have as many... "haters". You would have your Hogan fans, Cena fans, Macho Man fans, etc. I could have seen Cena facing Hulk Hogan in the main event at Wrestlemania at some point even, and who knows what they could have done together if things have been different. I will say this, however: it would have changed WWE as we know it today.

Now, I'm not much of a Cena fan, but I see him as a possible 80's-early 90's professional wrestler. His current gimmick would have gotten him destroyed in the Attitude Era though. Maybe it would have worked with his Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick, but for sure, Super-Cena wouldn't have made it in the WWE like he is now. I really think it's an interesting concept though, Cena competing with the likes of Jake Roberts and Ted DiBiase. He could have had amazing feuds with Roddy Piper, and maybe even Andre the Giants if it was done right.

He would be retired now and would probably still make some sort of impact on today's programming as well (doubtful he would be with Hogan over in TNA). Well, to sum it all up, Cena would have meshed very well. His gimmick would have worked out perfectly. I'm not saying that his matches would have been fantastic, but as a fan that is something to reall think about.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

His character today would have gone down well in the 80's if it was adapted to the 80s culture. Although the thought of Cena V Warrior makes me cringe.

In the 90s, the WWF went with smaller wrestlers with smaller physiques...

Not sure how Cena would have got on in the "new generation" days...

 

[akrassikauda]

I know he would've thrived in that era and the era before.

Cena's appeal is that he doesn't need to be an extreme glorified over selling spot monkey to get over. Just execute the basics have good promos have a ton of charisma and have great in ring storytelling. Which is basically what the top guys in any promotion had back then.

What bothers me is, If those who are old enough to remember those characters and that era yet contend that Cena would've held his own in that era. Why the hate?

That's why I get the current Cena character because I grew up watching guys like him. The guys back then had the company limit their move sets,script their promos and appeal to a younger fan base whether they where heel or face.

I just can't fathom anyone who grew up in the Ultra PG era of wrestling hate on the current PG era top guy as intelligent.

 

[dtroppe]

This is ridiculous- Of course he could. There is no question. Savage, Hogan, Warrior, and Andre ran that era. Cena is certainly on that level- no doubt. He would have been miles above anyone else on the list. He has a great look, motivation, and intesity. Cena has been the hottest thing in WWE for almost a decade now.

 

[xavyer]

He definitly could have, back then they didn't have as many shows and PPVs as today, the only had superstars of wrestling, wrestling challenge, once a month they had Satrurday Night's Main Event and only 4 PPVs a year, now there is a show for everything, that's why people think that Cena is being shoved down our throats, but if Hulk Hogan was in today's WWE, i bet he would be as hated as Cena, but Cena in the 80' would have been huge, even bigger than today, the difference of the 80's and today, is that back then the faces were loved and the heels where booed, and in today's wrestling, the faces get booed and the heels get cheered, and i can picture a feud with Cena vs Andre the Giant, or Ted DiBiase, that could have been great, and a feud with a heel Macho Man or Rowdy Roddy Pipper would have been phenomenal, i can picture those promos, not to mention a feud with Hogan........

 

[Ashw825]

Yes definitely. People have said many times how Cena is 30 years to late. If Cena was against the people back in the day like Hogan, Andre, Savage etc I think its hard to say he wouldn't be the most popular or at least behind Hogan. Cena not only has the kid friendly, Cenation/Hulkamania gimmick which is very similar to Hogan's in a lot of ways, but also Cena is a lot better on the mic and a lot better in the ring than Hogan. But that's just my opinion

 

[thedon2001]

1. asking questions about john cena in a forum where people dislike the guy (for no real reason that pertains to himself) and you're going to get biased responses based on emotion not logic.

2. Since Cena entered the WWE he's been one of the best if not the best on the mic. Granted as the WWE went PG there was a ceiling put on what Cena could say. That goes for everyone too. His year long feud with the Rock showed that he hasn't lost the ability to rule on the microphone, just stored it away. Anyone who doesn't realize that Cena's material was fresh while the Rocks was just rehashed 1990's material is blinded with either hatred to the Cena character or has a hard on for nostalgia.

3. Cena's thuganomics character and his microphone ability would have allowed him to flourish in the attitude era. The attitude era = taking the blinders off, letting wrestlers be edgy. Cena did just that when he came into the WWE and was one of the best at it. There's no doubt that Cena could hang.

4. Cena during the golden age of the 80's would have seen him much like he is today. The 80's and early 90's were PG just like today. Superhero's vs Villains. Cena does it better than anyone today and clearly would have hung back then.

Be objective. Whether you currently like the Cena character or not there's no denying that he's had success with it.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

if cena had been around in the 80's the only problem there would have been is his look. He has the size vince used to love the WWE champion to have and to be fair if you think about it his move set is on a par with what The Ultimate Warriors was. weather you like Cena or not you can't argue that he can hold his own on the mic. So yes Cena would have fitted in great back then.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Ok, this is gonna be long.

To ask this question is kinda loaded because in reality John Cena is a product of those early eras. He has parts of 80's Hogan and Warrior, bit's of 90's Bret Hart and Sgt Slaughter and even a smidge of Roddy Piper in his mic work and that character has evolved over time.

If you transplanted him today back in time to 1988, yeah he might have been able to hang, but he would have come up against the Hogan machine, the Andre Machine, anyone who was already up there. Cena today is not better in the ring than a Randy Savage or even a Jake Roberts. He is unproved as a heel so there's no way I'd put him over DiBiase, Rude, Perfect.

If you took John Cena, the Doctor of Thuganomics and transplanted him into 1992 during the Vanilla Ice craze then maybe it might have worked for a little while. But he'd have ended up with Oscar's role in Men On A Mission and that's if Mo and Mabel could stop from killing him.

John Cena the rookie... now there you have a chance... so the 2002 John Cena who fought Angle gets taken back to 1988... He'd probably have gotten a push and gimmick somewhat similar to Sting in the NWA, similar looks and all that. I could see Cena in facepaint and teaming with Warrior... or I could see him as a "Boston Street Thug" without the rapping part, possibly a Gangster type gimmick as a heel against guys like JYD.

Put him into the 90's and he's another cartoon character with a limited move set and likely a crappy gimmick, we had plumbers, hocky players, mino(man)taurs and vikings... Cena would probably have been made Sgt. Slaughters new partner or something, Corporal Cena... then turned on him, maybe gotten a push through a boot camp match. In the 90's his push would have been long and probably painful to watch if it ever came at all... For every Hunter Hearst Helmsley or Diesel there was a Salvatore Sincere or Henry Godwinn... I personally think Cena would have been in the latter until the gimmicked him right, maybe in a similar fashion to Kane he could have gotten over big... but even then a guy with that look would inevitably been fed to Taker...

 

[jacdnwarrior]

No, sorry, not a chance. Look, I'm not Cena's biggest fan, or his worst critic. He has made himself a huge star in WWE for while now and has become the (or one of the biggest names) in the company for 10 years. The last seven as a main eventer. He is solid on the mike, passionate about his job and incredibly over and sells a lot of merchandise and headlines ppvs. But....

If we're talking about Cena being a world heavyweight champion in Hogan's era, there are still too many problems he'd have to overcome if he were in the 80s 1980-1990:

1) The politics were as bad as they are now. Hogan would never allow some upstart to get too much shine over him and he wouldn't be the only one political cock blocking.

2) He has a look, but a number of guys back then had a look and could outwork any day of the week and be just as good on the mike.

3) His in ring ability is okay but not good enough to be in the same league as the undercard let alone the mid or main event of that era. Being an undersized performer with the likes of Hogan, Andre, Gang, Studd or whoever, means you need to use your speed and wrestling ability, your in ring story telling to make a solid match with performers bigger than you. His moveset is too limited for that. Savage could do that, Hart can do that, Steamboat, Roberts can do that. Cena not as adept at that. If he works with performers the same size, he runs into the problem as being unable to do the technical in ring work as well as the smaller performers he'd have to work with.

4) The schedule was more grueling back then, more demanding.

If you took out points 1,2 and 4 you're still left with number three and that's the clincher for me. His in-ring storytelling. It wouldn't fly with that audience. Mat wrestling and/or some kind of aerial maneuvers are necessary for a performer of his size and that's the issue that would halt any possible success in the 80s for Cena.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

3) His in ring ability is okay but not good enough to be in the same league as the undercard let alone the mid or main event of that era. Being an undersized performer with the likes of Hogan, Andre, Gang, Studd or whoever, means you need to use your speed and wrestling ability, your in ring story telling to make a solid match with performers bigger than you. His moveset is too limited for that. Savage could do that, Hart can do that, Steamboat, Roberts can do that. Cena not as adept at that. If he works with performers the same size, he runs into the problem as being unable to do the technical in ring work as well as the smaller performers he'd have to work with.

Smell a lot of bullshit in here. Tell me tales of this extensive moveset that Jake Roberts displayed. I also know that you're not criticizing Cena's moveset while praising Bret Hart who is known very well for his "five moves of doom". It is quite sad that you think this way. All the top guys never had an array of moves they did. They performed the ones that they know would get the crowd on their feet and it worked and Cena is no different. He knows how to tell a story in the ring and it's asinine to think otherwise.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Smell a lot of bullshit in here. Tell me tales of this extensive moveset that Jake Roberts displayed. I also know that you're not criticizing Cena's moveset while praising Bret Hart who is known very well for his "five moves of doom". It is quite sad that you think this way. All the top guys never had an array of moves they did. They performed the ones that they know would get the crowd on their feet and it worked and Cena is no different. He knows how to tell a story in the ring and it's asinine to think otherwise.

Go check out Jake's early matches and you can see for yourself. First the top guy in the eighties was Hogan. He didn't need a great moveset because he was able to do moves well enough for a guy his size, and get the fans emotionally involved with the way he carried himself in the ring. Moves big guys did weren't all that fancy but had the look as though the impact was devastating. Cena is much smaller. Fans back then were much more demanding than they are now. Cena couldn't do the same moveset which requires strength and appeal to that crowd back then. Sorry but Cena couldn't hang with Steamboat, Dibiase, Savage, Hart in a technical contest. If you think so, you have that right, but I certainly don't. And as far as Bret's five moves of doom...., please, stop kidding yourself. Bret Hart is a Da Vinci in that ring compared to Cena, whose merely a 3 year old who discovered a paint brush for the first time.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

He didn't need a great moveset because he was able to do moves well enough for a guy his size, and get the fans emotionally involved with the way he carried himself in the ring.

What are these moves that Hogan can do but Cena can't? I'm unaware of these moves. Do they exist?

Moves big guys did weren't all that fancy but had the look as though the impact was devastating.

That Hogan leg drop was devastating. I'll give you that much.

Cena is much smaller.

He's only an inch shorter and 25 pounds lighter than Ultimate Warrior. I haven't seen much evidence that Cena is any less strong than he is.

Fans back then were much more demanding than they are now. Cena couldn't do the same moveset which requires strength and appeal to that crowd back then.

Have you ever a Cena match because I seriously think you haven't with what I've read from you so far? Cena is one of the strongest men in the WWE and he would have been back then.

Sorry but Cena couldn't hang with Steamboat, Dibiase, Savage, Hart in a technical contest. If you think so, you have that right, but I certainly don't. And as far as Bret's five moves of doom...., please, stop kidding yourself. Bret Hart is a Da Vinci in that ring compared to Cena, whose merely a 3 year old who discovered a paint brush for the first time.

Hogan did fine for himself fighting amongst all those technical wizards you listed. Cena would do just fine for himself.

 

[EastCoastFan]

The current version of John Cena would have been just as popular as Hulk Hogan. The difference is that back in the 80's, the WWF wasn't on prime time TV twice a week and PPV was still in its infancy. In addition, WWF wasn't the only game in town then. There was AWA, JCP/NWA, UWF, World Class, Memphis, Florida, Continental, Pacific Northwest, Japan, Puerto Rico and other companies then - WWF was just the biggest and most promising.

John Cena's biggest problem today is that he's so overexposed many fans are sick of him. Hulk Hogan was able to remain popular for a long time back in the 80's because of the way the business was then. Back then, the champion rarely appeared, much less wrestled, on free TV, the idea being that if you wanted to see the champ in action, you had to pay for it. Conversely, if Hulk Hogan was in his babyface prime now, people would be sick of him and clamoring for him to go away.

 

[HBsam31]

Yes he definitely could have. I am lukewarm on Cena, but he is definitely the biggest superstar in a long time. He would have fit perfectly with Hogan, Warrior, and so on. Lots of dream matches would have been made if we could go back in time. Some awesome promos would have been had between Cena and Hogan or Cena and Piper. Love Cena or hate him he could have fit in well with these guys.

 

[Savage]

I think he could have definitely. Why not? Whether you like him or not, he has the look, charisma, and passion. That's all that really mattered back then. Half of the guys that were big names were terrible in ring performers and John Cena is far ahead of most of them.

 

[relentless1]

no, absolutely not, cena is trash, his gimmicks have been lame and hes got nothing on any of the 80/90s stars, to suggest that he could hang with them is a slap in the face to all those legends

 

[Airklot]

no, absolutely not, cena is trash, his gimmicks have been lame and hes got nothing on any of the 80/90s stars, to suggest that he could hang with them is a slap in the face to all those legends

Troll Alert!!!




Yes Cena could most defiantly could of hanged. In fact if Cena actually wrestled back then he would actually have some competition unlike todays roster where Punk is the only full time wrestler that is even close to having as much star power as Cena.

It would of been awesome to see who would of ended up being the hero for the kiddies between Hogan and Cena.

 

[Doctor Awesome]

This can be broken down so many ways, so I'm gonna simplify it to this: If the Cena was the same guy to the core as he has been now in say 1987/88, yes-he would have been huge! I have several reasons for saying so, and this is how his evolution could have likely occurred...

1)He has a great look, connection with the audience and is extremely disciplined and dependable. He can drink all night with the boys then go to the gym, do autograph sessions, make wishes and then work tv without breaking a sweat. There were so many guys banged up on drugs and abusing alcohol back then, he knows when it's time to pay the check and go home. He may not have been the most popular guy among the boys but would have been a great employee and would have been near impossible to deny a good high midcard spot until the Hogan era wrapped up. And to that, he may have been the Ultimate Warrior, the only difference being his promos would have amounted to something. haha

2)The feuds-He would have been an IC champ/contender early on, imagine the feuds he could have had with Rude, Hennig, DiBiase and Macho King. I could just see Rick Rude flopping all over the place.

3)As I said, I could easily have seen him in Warrior's spot, but because of how dependable it was would have surpassed all of that nutbag's accolades. If Hogan passed the torch to Cena in 1990, he would have never got it back.

4)Fast forward to '94/'95, that would be when a heel John Cena would be necessary to take his character to a new level and keep him relevant. It would then be his turn to make new stars and pass the torch while still being a title contender up to the attitude era, where he could again evolve possibly.

I am not the biggest Cena fan, nor do I dislike him but facts are facts, he isn't a fuck up with a ton of demons like so many great Wrestlers through those era's we are discussing. For that reason and based on the body of work he has presented since 2002, if he broke in at 24 or 25 in 1987/88, he would have had Warrior's spot and changed the face of wrestling's timeline as we know it.