Defining the moment: John Cena

[BK Styles]

Might be on my own here, but for me it was when Cena was drafted to Raw in...2005 I think??? For me, when a superstar goes to Raw, thats a show of faith that he's ready for the big time. Being a star on Smackdown isn't a bad thing, nor is it little, but its the show where mistakes can get edited out. Raw is live, no room for errors, and only the ones the WWE have faith in get to go there full time, and he's been there ever since. Ever since that moment Cena has been the face of the company, I do thin that is fair to say.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I'm going to go in a slightly different direction than most here. Yes he made a great impact in his debut, yes his RAW debut was very good, yes his victory at WrestleMania 22 confirmed his face of the company status, but for me the defining moment of Cena's career (to date) only happened mere months ago. While the majority of us (myself included) disliked the original Cena/Nexus' conclusion, there can be no doubt in my mind that this one promo summed John Cena up perfectly:

[YOUTUBE]qdPAbFd_K4I[/YOUTUBE]​

That one promo showed exactly why John Cena is the face of the company and why he's still on top after nearly six years. Cena has given his all for the WWE and he's the face of the company for good reason. John Cena is this generation's mega-star, like him or not, that's the way it is. That all came across in that one promo and that's why it's my pick for Cena's defining moment.

 

[Mike Diesel]

2 Things for me, the First being the promo he cut on Tribute to the Troops about Brock Lesnar from on top of a building. For some reason, it made me think "man, this guys got 'it' "

And secondly, his US Title match vs Big Show at WrestleMania 20. The finish was nuts, and you just knew he was moving on to bigger and better things, and rather quickly for that matter. And in about a year from them, he was WWE champ

 

[MinistryDeadman95]

Man, looking at this topic actually reminds me how good Cena is actually is. I mean, look at all these great and legendary feuds Cena has been in. With JBL, then to Jericho, his feud with Kurt Angle was amazing as well, then Edge, he put on a great feud with Triple H too, especially the long feud with Edge after, he defeated Umaga after a good feud, and now with Nexus has been pretty good, and not to mention his feud with Orton for years now has been crazy and very memorable. Look at all these feuds, they were all fantastic. John Cena is an absolutely great performer.

 

[CamaroIroc]

I think Cena's defining moment was his first match ever, vs Kurt Angle.

Angle, at the time, was one of the hottest stars in the industry, if not THE hottest, and Cena answering his open challenge was done perfectly.

Cena came out, basically said "I'm John Cena and I'm here to be the best in the world." Now, ANYONE couldve come out and said this, but with Cena, it was believable, and it set the tone for his career.

Cena instantly became identified as a fighter, a never-say-die, never give up, till-i-cant-stand-any-longer wrestler. If he had shown weakness in that first appearance, if he had faltered in the spotlight, John Cena as we know him wouldnt exist today.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Battle Rap with Kenzo Suzuki- The moment that I am going to talk about isn't really a landmark in Cena's career but it was the first time I really cared for Cena. I know that Cena had been rapping prior to this but the first time I really got behind him was during his battle rap against Kenzo Suzuki.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rcZRZud7SY

He was probably even more funnier as a heel but I find it a bit difficult to cheer for heels. When he performed this rap, I really thought that he would be the next Rock. Cena had a unique language to communicate with the crowd and that was what was going to make him big. Or so I thought.

Regardless this is one of Cena's funniest raps ever and it was the first time that I really believed that he could be a top star in the company.

The Night Cena joined The Nexus- The second defining moment for Cena in my view was the night he joined the Nexus. Cena had just taken out Michael Tarver and was talking about how he planned to destroy Nexus from the inside. Then the Anonymous GM of Raw buzzed in and said that Cena would have to follow Wade Barrett's orders whether he liked it or not. Cena's expressions in this segment were fantastic and the crowd responded beautifully with those "Never Give Up" chants.

This really made me think that it was not that the crowd hated Cena despite the majority of them chanting "Cena sucks" mostly. Cena had just been stuck with the same monotonous storylines year after year since 2006 and the crowd merely resented that. It showed that if Cena ws given a good storyline to work with, like the Nexus one, the entire crowd would get behind him.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would have to say John Cena's defining moment for me was the WWE Title match against Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006. That was a wonderful performance by Cena. To go and put on a match infront of a crowd who HATE you, and I mean genuinely hate you- not dislike you for being a heel, but physically despise everything you stand for...man I gained the utmost respect for Cena that night. It took some serious balls to do what he did. Those hardcore ECW fans would have gone crazy had Cena won, but he was professional enough to go out there, face the fire and put on a very good match with RVD.

Now, I dont like Cena as a character, I find him childish, boring and I cannot stand his moveset, but I respect the hell out of him. He has earned his spot by consistently working hard and is by all accounts, a great guy. My friend's Dad has met him and said he was a lovely guy, so I have nothing against Cena as a man, I just wish the WWE would alter his character slightly, his current "Superman" persona holds no interest to me.

 

[D-Man]

It really is difficult to narrow down John Cena's moments to one that was the most important. Everything from his debut to many of his battle raps were memorable and helped define his career. I've seen a steady climb in his popularity over the years and many aspects of his career that set him apart from many other wrestlers. But one particular moment sticks out in my mind...

Although many things contributed to Cena's success over the years, I feel he's had a pretty steady climb to the top. He has been booked very intelligently over the years and it definitely contributed to his success. But in my eyes, what defines a character is not something that is written on paper by writers and CEO's. It's more about the things you do in combination with the things written for you that makes you stand out. That's why I choose...


This moment always sticks out in my head. He was a main event player, but many could argue that it was all handed to him up until this point. He had a good gimmick, good writers, and good support from his peers. The audience knew he was championship material and he was already a very big deal after cutting his rap album and winning championships. But once Cena lifted Big Show off the mat for an FU and drove him into the mat, he was immediately established as the Hulk Hogan of our generation. Now only did Cena win his matches and overcome odds, but he now had endless strength and power that can't be faked. The guy picked up the largest athlete in the world, held him there for a few seconds, and drove him into the mat. Just a fantastic moment that skyrocketed him into the stratosphere.

 

[Notorious718]

Wow, why didn't I see this sooner? Great idea for a series, LSN. When it comes to a career defining moment for Cena, I think there are a lot when it comes to him. People can argue his first title win at Wrestlemania or his brutal I Quit match against JBL at Judgement Day. For me, I'm gonna agree with you on his submission victory over Triple H at Wrestlemania 22. I think that while Cena had a very good first WWE title reign, he didn't truly cement himself as a WWE main event mainstay until he beat arguably the biggest heel at the time in Triple H. Not only did he defeat Triple H, but he also made him submit in front of a crowd that once cheered for him that at that moment were heavily against him. I think that victory also marked the start of what Cena is today, the guy that overcomes all insurmountable odds in his matches.

Of course, I do acknowledge that Cena also probably wouldn't be where he is today had he not had those tremendous matches with Kurt Angle.

 

[Serious Jones]

My opinion on Cena has fluctuated so much throughout the years. When he was a new guy on Smackdown, I was just starting middle school, so being that age, I ate up everything. I really started cheering for him during his feud with Carlito, so that's probably a defining moment for me. The next is a more iconic one: Cena lifting up Big Show at WrestleMania XX. I saw that WrestleMania as a real changing of the guard, and a vision of the future, and Cena certainly showed that he had the strength and charisma to do it. Shortly after that, I got tired of Cena, and became a big hater for years and years. The PG Era only exacerbated the hate.

The Cena hate remained until WrestleMania XXVI. While the night was overshadowed by HBK/Taker II, I remember Cena/Batista almost as vividly. I was pretty underwhelmed when I realized that Cena/Batista was up next, and it was one of the last matches. "Oh, goodie. Time to watch Cena get beat down for 10 minutes, then come back and win 'out of nowhere.'" But I was blown away by the match. Cena and Batista put on a clinic in a very underrated match. I was actually on the edge of my seat. Two spots stand out in my mind: the (somewhat botched, if I remember correctly, but still impressive) top rope jump by Cena into the Spinebuster by Batista, and the big Attitude Adjustment to end the match. Those moments stick with me as really impressive, defining moments, and show that Cena can win over even the biggest skeptics when he really tries.

The most iconic thing for me, though, is what he did after the match. This picture says it all.

This really showed me that Cena realized he had detractors, and he didn't let it bother him. The picture just speaks for itself. The haters are always gonna hate, but Cena will continue doing what he does best: entertain. That image will always stick in my mind when I think of Cena, and is one of the most defining images of his career.

 

[Riyaz cenation]

The most defining moment of john cena is his entire career...when kurt angle challenged any new guy in the locker room cena came out with RUTHLESS AGGRESSION!!!!He was dominating in most part of that match except the stealer pin fall by kurt.But Cena didnt mind it but offered his handshake with kurt.but kurt was badly disturbed and he left the ring.Its suprising how a man can change his faith in just matter of time.Once his own shirt was thrown back on him by the crowd but now people die to get his shirt and cap.One more interesting thing about cenation commander in chief is tat he has never submitted to any submission moves.The way he destroyed the whole old nexus was a delightful period for his die hard fans.The most fantastic match i ve ever witnessed was Cena vs Batista in I QUIT MATCH which eventually ended Batista's career.And who ll forget his surprise entrance at royal rumble 2008.the whole arena erupted like a forest fire and the look on the face of HHH and other guys was a treat to watch.But now i want to face him the undertaker in a hardcore match though its a PG era. Wat say guys??

 

[Newman]

My pick would be when he FU'd Big Show at Wrestlemania 20. The crowd was egging Cena on all the way. It was the show's opener and that moment spurred the crowd up for the rest of the show. Not only did it spurred the show but also Cena's career, after that moment, you knew that WWE was not going to screw up with him. He is the future and from that moment on, he never looked back.

[YOUTUBE]KlE5HYJErgQ[/YOUTUBE]