Just to be clear, pretty much every icon out there that is still involved in the WWE will openly admit that there has probably never been someone in the business ever that is willing to put company before personal gain like John Cena. The guy only cares about making sure that the WWE product is as good as it can be. Listen to his interviews. He doesn't even get involved in booking. They give him something, someone, and he makes them relevant. He gives everyone the chances they want, and he does it the way that WWE Creative tells him to.
Pretty much every icon believes that there probably has never been someone willing to put the company before personal gain until John Cena?
Oh good grief. I won't assume what icons you're talking about, what exactly they've said to support your claim or how John has exemplified his virtuous nature regarding the business unto you. It's your burden to share those examples to supplement your point.
Who has John Cena made relevant? Specifically, who wouldn't have their fame if it wasn't for the support of John Cena?
The term "put over" hasn't changed. You're just using it one particular way and trying to ignore all of the other ways that it is properly used. A wrestler in Cena's position fighting anyone that isn't an established superstar, and selling their abilities to the crowd, that's putting over. Even if Cena wins, he's putting the other guy over in the process. Losing a match is not being buried.
Ugh, "put over" isn't in the dictionary. It's a subjective colloquialism that pro-wrestling fans use, it's properly used in the way that each individual uses it. I was referring to the idea that if the majority of pro-wrestling fans accept a particular meaning, then I'm not trying to suggest that they're wrong.
You're imagining that if Cena is in a match with a relative nobody and he sells at all to them, he has thus made them more popular for their association with him and definitively put them over. I would argue that Cena prefers to showcase how difficult he is for anyone to defeat and thus puts them under by suggesting that they can't, of their own natural resources, dominate him in a match. When Cena fought Rob Van Dam for example, it required Edge's interference and the most hostile crowd in history to get RVD the win. Please give me an example of someone who found fame only after working with John Cena.
To be "put over" just means to be shown to the crowd as being a relevant wrestler. It doesn't mean winning. It doesn't mean having a title. It doesn't mean a clean pin, a screw job pin, interference, DQ, etc. It means that someone that is established has taken the time to put effort into a match with that newer person.
I never said that using the term "put over" could only relate to one specific interpretation of the term. I agree that the term isn't specifically any of those definitions, but they're still applicable to the term. Your definition suggests that performing in the ring, with someone below your status, is good enough to be considered having put them over, I think that's a very myopic understanding. John Cena scoring a school boy pin on Erick Rowan in a five minute match did nothing to make Erick look like a better performer.
And for the record, John Cena, just last month in his podcast interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin, openly admitted to being 36 years old, and feeling his age. He knows he has some years left in him, but he was basically begging for talent to step up, show up, and come out and wrestle him. Cena isn't scared about personally failing, because he works too hard. He's scared about the WWE failing, and he works every day to ensure that it doesn't. The dude cares, and it's evident.
I've never once assumed that John Cena is, or should be, disappointed in himself. I hate the guy, but I've never suggested that he's a failure. Whether history looks at his contributions as having harmed or helped his chosen art form, he'll be a wealthy Hall of Famer either way. Whether or not he's concerned about anything doesn't make any difference to me, what I get on tv is what I criticize on here.
I mean, really, you'll NEVER hear, either in shoot or worked interviews with old guys, veterans, new guys, young guys, ANYONE that's had experience with Cena professionally who would say a bad word about his ethic and his love of professional wrestling. Thinking for a second that he would put himself above the WWE just shows that people aren't paying attention.
Here's the thing about referencing the opinions of everyone you mentioned. I recall listening to an interview with Jim Cornette, someone I personally put above the likes of Bobby Heenan in terms of being an entertaining on-screen manager.
He proceeded to dump on EVERYONE he was asked about, the whole point of the interview was to get Jim riled up and have his classic character come out and bad mouth nearly every popular name out there.
At the end of his tirade was asked about John Cena, and he suddenly became hesitant. He said that John was always willing to learn new things and was an absolute darling to have as an employee. John apparently never questioned his bosses and was always impressive when it came to mic and ring work, coming from a guy like Jim Cornette this isn't just a throw-away compliment.
Now here's my point, it's not my burden to recognize anything about John Cena except for what I get on the program. I don't make money if he does well, I don't find myself in more tv sets in more homes across America because John Cena managed to lure in a larger fan-base. My judgement isn't at all swayed based on the fact that I've never benefited personally from John Cena's contributions. I'm a fan who has no financial stake in the business, and as a John Cena hater I'm not afraid to admit that part of what I expect from the show does at times require a John Cena type to be on the show.
What impresses me is a particular style of performing. I enjoy when a performer becomes livid, even if it's John Cena. I enjoy when their fury and their attitude translates well into the damage they inflict in the ring. For me, John Cena decides not to take his opponents seriously, I would prefer that he chooses to recognize his opponent's potential and appeal to his fan-base for support in his upcoming battle. He's done that when going up against Umaga and Khali, and for me it actually did work.
When John Cena fought Randy Orton, I didn't see a guy who had had his own father assaulted. When Cena cut the promo against Bray Wyatt, it didn't seem like John was very concerned about fighting someone who he associated with Jimmy Buffet. I'm of the assumption that Bray will be allowed to beat John Cena at Wrestlemania, I'm also of the assumption that John will do everything in his power to make sure that it's overshadowed by a subsequent loss to Cena at a later date.
