When all is said and done, Cena will be considered greater than Stone Cold

[Grizzly0u812]

Depending on John Cena Health, he might surpass Stone Cold for years wrestling, people might boo Cena but there is one thing John Cena holds over Stone Cold, John Cena holds the record for the make a wish foundation most wishes granted by one person which is something that is honourable, Hogan paved the way for wrestlers and help wrestling take off, Stone Cold and Cena would never of had what they did if the wrestlers from the pass did not do their part, Stone Cold no one will ever duplicate him nor will anyone the Undertaker, John Cena love him or hate him he will have his spot but he will never surpass Stone Cold

 

[WWF_Attitude89]

I'm actually kind of sad to read that. No dought, Love him or hate him Cena has done alot for WWE. To say He'll will surpass austin though...

Austin put not only WWF but wrestling itself back on the map, he did things no other company would even dare do. In my opinion when Micheals went out in 98 He picked up the slack (along with The Rock) and didn't miss a beat. Personally Cena to me would be better as a 2nd grade teacher, he has no in ring skill, never seen him do more than that stupid 5 finger shuffle. You have to ask yourself...Austin and Cena..even in the same sentence?...noooo way.

 

[The Awesome One]

It's hard to say if he will be better than SCSA. I mean, Cena never wrestled in the Austin Era and vice versa. Cena and Austin are both legends of their repective eras, but it all depends on how you class 'better'. And anyway, it's all opinion, it could go either way. Personally, SCSA is/was the complete package. But cena still has a long career ahead. So I guess we'll wait and see in 10 years time

 

[Tech N9ne]

I think John Cena will end up with the greater known name of the 2, in Main Stream. I think his popular has already lasted just about as long as Austin's prime. So, Cena is by no means going away anytime soon.

So, it seems he will end up with the bigger name and more accomplishments. But, unless Cena does something HUGE to change the face of wrestling, much like the Hogan-NWO moment. Then Austin's legacy will always be greater. Austin's moments with McMahon are leaps and bounds better than anything Cena has ever been apart of.

Like I said, if Cena does not have that HUGE defining moment, Austin will stay above him as far as all time ranking and comparisons go. But, maybe not by the WWE. Cena will be a life time WWE guy and they will reward that by considering John Cena as the best ever when he hangs up his boots.

I think most fans, once again, unless something changes, will always keep Stone Cold on another level, especially when it comes to John Cena.

 

[rkonextphenom]

Austin wouldnt of got over with PG restrictions. That is fact my friend. He got over because he was vicious, he swore, he brutalised...the shackles of today would not let his character develop.

I'll give you Rock, if he was still around he would be number 1, but he would also struggle in the PG environment, especially as a face - no poontang pie references or strudel. He was more entertaining as a heel anyway. His greatest WWE work was 2003 for my money.

cena is the main reason for this pg era in case u forgot so this arguement does not hold any validity austin wouldnt have to adjust his character becuase if he was still in the wwe cena wouldnt be that popular. the WWE needed a new top guy and cena was CHOSEN by vince to be that guy. thats why we cant accept him as the new austin!!!!! the pg era followed once cena was made top guy thus tons and tons of children and others were buying tickets and shirts and cena shit. a very good arguement saying that austin had to compete with rock and hhh cena has nobody to compete with . randy orton is the new it guy and the mainstream wrestling public is finally starting to accpet him as a hero type wrestler. cena vs austin is no contest austin wins any way u look at it

 

[Deadman87]

Overall, you really can't compare the two. It's not an intelligent thing to do. Here are my reasons why...

John Cena came into wrestling when all competition was dead. No ECW. No WCW. Just the WWE's development program.

Steve Austin was in Wrestling, when many promotions were doing well. It wasn't just the big ECW, WWE, WCW, but you had other promotions that were doing well.

Many different styles of wrestling at that time.

Not also that, but their gimmicks are so different. John Cena was the rap master, and Steve Austin had Austin 3:16, the anti-hero gimmick.

Well, John Cena is now doing the super-hero gimmick. Gets beat like no tomorrow, and comes back to delivery the punishment in return.

In my opinion. You have two different gimmicks. Both are great gimmicks for their time period.

I also think this is a big problem with wrestling now a days. We always want to compare the new stars to someone today. You can't really do that. In fact it hurts how we view wrestling.

On these posts I constantly read... Well this guy is no Rock. Or This guy could be the next Ric Flair. Your never going to get another one of those guys. Your going to have to set viewing pleasures to new characters, and realize you won't get a Stone Cold, or a Macho Man. Those characters are gone, you have to open up to new ones.

When people do this comparison, we hurt wrestling now.

Completely Agree with this.

Cena may be a very different character if he was given the freedom Austin had with his character. Unfortunately he won't and he never will.

As much as i dislike Cena on a person level he is a character Vince wants him to be, he sells his onscreen character well, he sells his merchandise and he gets a reaction from the crowd (good or bad) so as far as i'm concerned everyone wins.

 

[JGlass]

Some really great responses and discourse so far, and I'm very happy with how this thread has unfolded. I wish I could respond to everyone, but I just don't have that time. Still, here are a few people I'd like to make points to.

Absolutely not.
But Cena just isn't in the same league. People STILL chant Austin's "What" catchphrase over eight years since he stopped using it. When Austin came out he was unanimously cheered and universally loved, while depending on what city and arena your in, anywhere from 20-95% of the crowd is booing Cena.

That's been erased as of late. I can't remember the last time I heard an anti-Cena crowd. Cena has also had the misfortune of wrestling during an era where smarkiness is at an all time high, and there is a good chance that if Austin had to deal with this level of smarkiness and info leaked over the internet he would have met similar reactions. Both men are guilty of having limited move sets, being booked to look nearly unstoppable, and being pushed extremely heavily.

I honestly believe Cena's not the greatest wrestler now, nevermind of all time.

I respect your opinion that Cena will never be better than Austin, but this is ludicrous. There is no wrestler in North America who has enjoyed the type of success that Cena has.

this made me laugh when i first read the title i actually thought it was a joke but then i saw you were actually serious lol John Cena couldnt hold Stone Colds Jock Strap Austin was a better everything the only thing they have in common is that Cena can sell millions of tshirts to little kids where Stone Cold sold millions of tshirts to everybody and i dont remember ever seeing john cena merch in clothing stores unlike stone cold, but Stone Cold was THE Man in an era that had The Rock Triple H Undertaker Kurt Angle Big Show Kane Mick Foley Bret Hart its not even close and if you want final proof just look at the ratings of the wwf in the 90's and the wwe ratings today All because of Stone Cold

This type of response is not welcome here. This thread is meant for serious consideration and debate, not for Attitude Era fanboys to rant on. The attitude era has come and gone, and we had a few yuks while it was around, but it's over now, and whether you like it or not, Steve Austin left with it. John Cena is the face of wrestling today, and he's done a damn fine job of representing it.

Honestly, I think the only thing Cena has on Stone Cold is health and timing, and this may be due to the era in which they wrestled but I have so many iconic memories of Stone Cold, from passing out in a pool of his own blood(notice sig), to having his neck broken by Owen Hart, to throwing The Rock's belt into the river, to every WWE official he Stunned during 97, all the way up to the big boss, to giving the finger to whoever he pleased, to winning his first title against HBK and DX at WM, to beer bathing the corporation, to being crucified by UT, to being fired and rehired. I mean, everytime you saw Stone Cold something shocking was going to happen.

It's not like Cena is devoid of amazing moments either. From his first match to his most recent appearance on television (a losing effort against CM Punk), this guy gives us moments to jump out of our seats, and sometimes even makes us remember those moments forever. Cena made Triple H tap out at Wrestlemania, he threatened to take Nexus down from the inside, he put Edge through two tables off the top of a ladder, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can recite his "Ring Full of Number One Contenders" rap from heart.

Other than Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin is probably the first name people think about when you say wrestling. Cena isn't even in the top 10.

Wow, I totally disagree with you FunKay. I'd say John Cena is fourth, only behind Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold (in that order) and he's only growing in popularity. Hell, The Rock is a more recognizable wrestler than Stone Cold, not because of what he did in the industry, but because of his popularity now. John Cena has already made the jump to film and television, increasing his visibility outside the WWE immensely. I would like to see what names you would put above Cena in your Top 10.

Isn't it safe to say that Cena has "done more with less" than Austin has? Cena has also more successfully transitioned into other areas of the media, such as film and music.

The more with less is a point worth making, but I'm going to concentrate on the fact that Cena has had success in other areas of media. While this doesn't mean a whole of a lot to us IWC members, it does mean a hell of a lot to the casual fans, the advertisers, and especially the WWE. John Cena brings attention to the WWE and makes them money by appearing in movies, in cameos on television shows, and at events like the Kid's Choice Awards and the like. He makes Vince that money, and that's what Vince is loyal to, the guys that bring home the greenbacks. As long as Cena continues to rake in the cash, you can expect him to get the best feuds, the best storylines, and the best opportunities the WWE can present him and this will only help him build upon his already great legacy.

Here's a good way to look at it.

Would the "John Cena" character have thrived and made it as big as it is now, in the Attitude Era? No.

Could Stone Cold have thrived in this year? Yes, more so than Cena.

I would reverse it. There's no reason Cena wouldn't work in the Attitude Era if Kurt Angle did... and Kurt Angle did. Cena probably would have eventually had a heel run, but his character would remain very much the same. I don't think the current Cena character would surpass Stone Cold or even The Rock had he wrestled in the Attitude Era, but he probably would have been a number three. Furthermore, whose to say that John Cena wouldn't make his character even more edgy to rival Stone Cold's? We've already seen John Cena become a little more edgy, and has even poked fun at the PG rating the past few months, there's no reason anyone should think that he couldn't pull off an excellent character in the Attitude Era.

Stone Cold, on the otherhand, would be sunk without his bitches and asses. Cursing was one of the reasons his character seemed so accessible to the fans... he curses just like we do! He wouldn't be able to bloody up Vince McMahon's face, he wouldn't be able to flip off anyone, he would be a renegade with half the attitude necessary to pull it off. Would Stone Cold work as a straight laced guy like Cena? I don't know, but I think Cena could pull off a bad ass in the Attitude Era better than Stone Cold could pull off a straight laced guy in the PG Era.

I think John Cena will end up with the greater known name of the 2, in Main Stream. I think his popular has already lasted just about as long as Austin's prime. So, Cena is by no means going away anytime soon.

So, it seems he will end up with the bigger name and more accomplishments. But, unless Cena does something HUGE to change the face of wrestling, much like the Hogan-NWO moment. Then Austin's legacy will always be greater. Austin's moments with McMahon are leaps and bounds better than anything Cena has ever been apart of.

Like I said, if Cena does not have that HUGE defining moment, Austin will stay above him as far as all time ranking and comparisons go. But, maybe not by the WWE. Cena will be a life time WWE guy and they will reward that by considering John Cena as the best ever when he hangs up his boots.

I think most fans, once again, unless something changes, will always keep Stone Cold on another level, especially when it comes to John Cena.

This is a fantastic post, though I disagree with your final conclusion. Unlike Stone Cold whose defining moments are very clear, John Cena has a bunch of big moments and it's up to the fan to pick the one that made them realize he was the real deal. Another member, LSN, made an entire thread about this, and I'll link it in the near future, but there are simply too many to just chose one.

Will Cena be greater than Austin one day? Or has he already surpassed Austin? I think the answer to either question depends on what you think is more important in wrestling. On one side we have a guy who did not wrestle at the topmost level for a huge part of his career but created many indelible moments. On the other hand we have a guy who has wrestled at the topmost level for almost as long as Austin's career but in all fairness has not created as many moments that stick in your memory.

I agree with you Rattlesnake, memories are more important than money, titles, or anything like that on the individual level. However, you can't compare the Stone Cold memories to the Cena memories because they are two entirely different wrestlers in two entirely different eras that are geared towards two entirely different types of fans. That said, Cena has created his fair share of memories already, and he still has many years left to continue creating them. I've already mentioned many of his moments in this thread, and I won't make anybody read anymore by repeating them, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. Cena has created memories every year he's wrestled, from nearly beating Kurt Angle in his debut to his surprise return at the Royal Rumble in 08 to being forced to join The Nexus in 2010, Cena has always created memories and will continue to until the day he retires.

I respect everyone's opinion whether they agree with me, see where I'm coming from, or think I'm totally nuts, and I thank everyone who has put in the effort to make a logical and thoughtful response back to me.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Wow, I totally disagree with you FunKay. I'd say John Cena is fourth, only behind Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold (in that order) and he's only growing in popularity. Hell, The Rock is a more recognizable wrestler than Stone Cold, not because of what he did in the industry, but because of his popularity now. John Cena has already made the jump to film and television, increasing his visibility outside the WWE immensely. I would like to see what names you would put above Cena in your Top 10.

Hogan, Austin and Rock are all names people recognise as wrestlers instantly. People immediately know these three. The rest of the top 5 would be filled out by Undertaker and Triple H. Undertaker is a very well known name outside of wrestling circles, and the same can be said of Triple H. Following them would be Bret Hart. Bret's popularity is HUGE, especially in Canada. Bret is the only wrestler to appear in the Simpsons. Not Austin, not Hogan, and not the Rock. That's pretty huge. At this point I'll say that Cena is probably in the top 10, but at the bottom end. I'd rank Sting and Randy Savage higher than him in that list. So that's 8th. Still a fair distance to go before he reaches Steve Austin.

 

[I_got_bant_for_idiocy]

i dont hate cena, but he is nowhere near stone colds level. I dont care how many t-shirt he sells to little kids that doesnt mean shit. When you can come back from a broken neck carry a business on your back that is about to go bankrupt by wcw and there billions of dollars and turn around a dying company that is impressive. Austin made been a heel cool fans would cheer for the bad guys, while cena the good guy baby face is getting booed.. austin wins this race by 20 laps

 

[TheMaskedNewton]

The real king of wrestling is none other than, mark my words, Vince McMahon Jr.

He created Hulk Hogan. He created Bret Hart (The face of the era that succeded the Pop culture-era of Hogan). He created Stone Cold Steve Austin. He created John Cena. And if we are all alive post that fateful day in 2012 (the world might end there), he might just create someone to take over John Cena and usher-in a whole new era. He tries on all and reviews all and decided one person to push beyond all others. Yes, he decides who will be the face of the company, and thereby be the face of wrestling.

 

[Jackal960]

I will give you the same answer as most of the people but from a very different perspective:
Your thread title is:
"When all is said and done, Cena will be considered greater than Stone Cold"
My question is:
By who?

Who is going to compare which wrestler was greater, let's say in 15 years time? To compare them you actually need to know them, not only know them, but to live at that moment, when it happened. You need to talk to your friend about a Raw episode for a week and wait for the next Monday. You need to worry if SCSA is going to lose the belt or not. You need to start wondering why for a while he hasn't been on TV. You need to start guessing of the outcome of Monday Night Wars and what will happen if WWE shuts down. So to judge the moment you need to live the moment. You can't understand the whole lot by simply watching it from youtube!

So returning to my question: The people who can judge who is greater is the people who watched them both live. So you can eliminate todays kids. When you ask to people who actually watched SCSA what is the general answer in your thread?

The answer is: I see one guy trying to answer 15 different guys in his post.
So if people like us are going to decide who is greater, the obvious answer will be Stone Cold Steve Austin!

 

[JGlass]

Hogan, Austin and Rock are all names people recognise as wrestlers instantly. People immediately know these three. The rest of the top 5 would be filled out by Undertaker and Triple H. Undertaker is a very well known name outside of wrestling circles, and the same can be said of Triple H. Following them would be Bret Hart. Bret's popularity is HUGE, especially in Canada. Bret is the only wrestler to appear in the Simpsons. Not Austin, not Hogan, and not the Rock. That's pretty huge. At this point I'll say that Cena is probably in the top 10, but at the bottom end. I'd rank Sting and Randy Savage higher than him in that list. So that's 8th. Still a fair distance to go before he reaches Steve Austin.

You're crazy if you think Triple H is more well known than John Cena. Triple H has never broken into mainstream culture the way The Rock, Hogan, and Austin have, and neither has Bret, Sting, or Savage. I can tell you that I have brought up both John Cena and Randy Savage to non-wrestling fans, and they know who Cena is immediately, but have never heard of Randy Savage. Sting has never been nearly as well known as Cena due to him being out of the public's eye since the demise of WCW. Bret Hart is popular in Canada, but he has never seen nearly that much popularity anywhere else in the world. Undertaker is the only guy I would MAYBE put above Cena, and that's mostly because he's been around forever. Other than him, Cena is a much bigger star than any of those others you mentioned.

 

[MisterB47]

I am a huge fan of both but there is no way Cena will be considered greater than Stone Cold. Obviously its all subjective and the fact that i grew up watching Austin may be a factor in my opinion but the impact that both had in there respective era's is different and both charcters were presented differently.

Although it is arguable, Stone Cold's impact during his tenure would definitely have to outrank Cena's. Austin had drawing power without being shoved down everyone's throat. His character not only defined the whole era but the era was based on him and while he wasn't the only one to be part of it, he was the leader. The whole WWE universe was behind when he was a face, when he was heel the crowd gave him the Heat he deserved. His story lines no matter what circumstance were always placed above the Title. He paved the way for wrestlers being themselves which is what most of the top wrestlers are trying to do today instead of being characters which are manufactured, it could be said that he paved the way not Hogan. Hulk Hogan's character while enormous and ground breaking itself, again was manufactured so I dont think you could say he paved the way. Stone Cold was what he was, a beer drinking-ass whooping-redneck!!! And the people loved it so the WWE ran with it.

While Cena is the top guy in his tenure its not necessarily one that he has defined. He is the biggest name of his era and he has the big drawing power but I feel it is the aura that surrounds him is more manufactured than Stone Cold's. Cena is the main man and Vince makes sure everybody knows it. He is purposely and perfectly placed in everything the WWE has to do from movies, to advertisements, to appearances and everything the WWE has there foot in. He is pushed into everything and to his credit Cena works his ass off and rightfully deserves to be there for his effort. But his being at the top it could be said is because they want him there and they want to keep him there.

Take for example when he first moved to Raw and people legitmately started booing him. It wasn't heel heat, it was real heat . How can the number one face of the company be the subject of booing and heat? Yet the WWE kept him at face, kept the belt around his waist, referred to him as the 'controversial champ' and had to adapt to the enviroments of the crowds. Do you think if this would've happened to the Stone Cold during his reign? One, he would have never received this type of heat, two if he did the WWE would have arranged it for him to turn heel and work from there. But Cena wasn't turned heel and the WWE seemed as though they forced Cena on everyone.

The thing that would get people to put Cena over Austin is because of longevity. Cena's career will be longer than Stone Cold's, he will be the main eventer longer, he will be the top guy longer. But thats all a matter of timing and circumstance and people have already alluded to. Had Stone Cold started earlier or had not injured his neck, or did not have chronic knee problems, maybe his reign would have been longer. Cena will be around for many years to come which works in his favour. But comparing the legacy both have left or will leave and the impact of each character has had on the company my arguement says STONE COLD IS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!!

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Objectively, I agree with you, JGlass. I think John Cena is going to be greater than Stone Cold simply because John Cena doesn't seem to have the same kind of problems backstage, or at least, anything similar to what Stone Cold had.

John Cena absolutely never gets punished for anything, and because of that, he will always have a spot, right at the top of every card, in the main event, unless he is, for some reason, injured. Because of this, the only direction he can go is up. If he spends another 10 years with the company, I think he can reach Hogan levels of legendary for the business.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I really have to draw issue with that. Cena has being on top for around 5 years now. Triple H, Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Batista, Shawn Michaels....all being around some time or another and he has remained the top dog in WWE's eyes. Your no competition statement stinks I am afraid.

This is true, and while those are all top-notch guys, but the thing is Triple H, Undertaker, and Michaels are/were all in the twilight of their careers. And while they certainly could still very much go, they're not in any position to be the face of the company. Kurt had (and has) been going through some heavy medical issues and his body couldn't take the WWE schedule, and Jericho has been in and out with his own projects and personal endeavors in the last five years. Batista is the only legitimate candidate on that list, and I think Cena has him beat for it on age alone.

That's been erased as of late. I can't remember the last time I heard an anti-Cena crowd. Cena has also had the misfortune of wrestling during an era where smarkiness is at an all time high, and there is a good chance that if Austin had to deal with this level of smarkiness and info leaked over the internet he would have met similar reactions. Both men are guilty of having limited move sets, being booked to look nearly unstoppable, and being pushed extremely heavily.

There was actually a few weeks ago on RAW where the crowd was actualy heavily chanting for CM Punk over John Cena, and even in his own hometown at the Royal Rumble, there were quite a bit of boos when Cena came out.

I respect your opinion that Cena will never be better than Austin, but this is ludicrous. There is no wrestler in North America who has enjoyed the type of success that Cena has.

I'm assuming you mean of the current WWE/TNA roster, because plenty before him have surpassed it. And I would agree with you, but when I say "greatest" I don't mean selling the most t-shirts or being the biggest draw, I mean skill in the ring, on the mic, etc.

 

[CenaSux4Life78]

No no no no no no no. How could you compare these two at all? Or even think Cena will be considered better then Stone Cold? Yes, I do not like Cena as a wrestler. But I do respect him for his increadible love and passion for the business.

Steve Austin was, every working mans hero. The guy who stuck it to the man, and didnt care about the consequences. A man that spoke his mind, and didnt sugar coat a thing. There are so many aspects of Austin that I could go through.

John Cena, is a child hero. He is great for the kids, and I am fine with that. I respect a person who the kids can look up to who is actually a positive role model. But what has the character John Cena done that could eclipse Steve Austin? In my opinion, nothing really.

But hey, not trying to disrespect the thread with my opinions. Truth is, I like this thread. You can tell allot of time and thought went into this. Good job, and I hope that more like this come about in the future.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Pretty ballsy because it basically flies in the face of The Gospel according to the IWC.

During the Attitude Era, it's true that the WWE was drawing substantially larger numbers than it does now and Austin was part of that. It will always be a point that people can make when someone asks the very question that this thread addresses. However, to be completely fair, the record ratings that happened during the Attitude Era weren't just because of Austin. He did have his influence but it wasn't just him. The Attitude Era was a fad, that lasted for about as long as the Monday Night Wars went on. When the Wars ended, WWE's audience began a steady decline while still on Austin's watch. When the MNWs was in full swing back in 2000, the average ratings for Raw & SmackDown! respectively were 5.88 & 4.73. In 2001, the year that the MNWs ended, the average was 4.64 & 4.03. In 2002 and 2003, 2003 being the year in which Austin retired, Raw & SD! averages were 4.01 & 3.52 and 3.76 & 3.30. The Monday Night Wars had a HUGE impact on the big numbers that WWE drew during that time period and the legit feud between WWE & WCW is primarily what fueled them. So, in my opinion, simply relying on Austin's ability to draw during the Attitude Era simply isn't nearly the overwhelming factor that would cause me to rule in his favor regarding this particular question. The ratings of WWE programming was dwindling long before WWE officially went back to a PG based format.

In terms of more practical wrestling concerns, such as in-ring ability, charisma, mic skills, etc. it's an extremely close call in most concerns. As far as in-ring ability goes, I pretty much have to give it to John Cena. I know some people piss and moan about Cena's "5 Moves of Doom", but Austin had his usual signature moves as well that took place during just about every match he had. Every wrestler has those to be completely honest. Cena wasn't as bogged down by injury as Austin was and he often brings a lot of energy to his matches. As far as charisma & mic skills go, it's too close to call in my opinion. Austin was extremely over and had fans hanging on his every word and so does John Cena. I know those that just plain hate John Cena don't want to admit it, but you'd have to be deaf, blind, both or just stubbornly bias to not be able to acknowledge it. Cena is as much more family friendly character, which automatically equals lame to those that want the AE to come back despite the fact that it's not going to happen. Cena can be irritating at times I agree, there are times when you just can't help but roll your eyes at him. But, generally speaking, anyone could say the same thing about Austin if they wanted to. If you look hard enough, you can find anything to bitch and moan about when it comes to any wrestler of any era.

In the end, I dunno which one will ultimately be seen as "greater". When all is said and done, however, I do think that it's something that's a much much closer race than some might want to believe. In the mind of Vince McMahon, it's an issue that he's already decided upon given that Stone Cold is ranked #1 on the 50 Greatest Superstars DVD.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It's not like Cena is devoid of amazing moments either. From his first match to his most recent appearance on television (a losing effort against CM Punk), this guy gives us moments to jump out of our seats, and sometimes even makes us remember those moments forever. Cena made Triple H tap out at Wrestlemania, he threatened to take Nexus down from the inside, he put Edge through two tables off the top of a ladder, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can recite his "Ring Full of Number One Contenders" rap from heart.

This is a fantastic post, though I disagree with your final conclusion. Unlike Stone Cold whose defining moments are very clear, John Cena has a bunch of big moments and it's up to the fan to pick the one that made them realize he was the real deal. Another member, LSN, made an entire thread about this, and I'll link it in the near future, but there are simply too many to just chose one.

I agree with you Rattlesnake, memories are more important than money, titles, or anything like that on the individual level. However, you can't compare the Stone Cold memories to the Cena memories because they are two entirely different wrestlers in two entirely different eras that are geared towards two entirely different types of fans. That said, Cena has created his fair share of memories already, and he still has many years left to continue creating them. I've already mentioned many of his moments in this thread, and I won't make anybody read anymore by repeating them, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. Cena has created memories every year he's wrestled, from nearly beating Kurt Angle in his debut to his surprise return at the Royal Rumble in 08 to being forced to join The Nexus in 2010, Cena has always created memories and will continue to until the day he retires.

Cena might have his fair share of great moments but answer me honestly, are they as iconic as Stone Cold's? Sure Cena joining the Nexus was a great moment and something that we did not see coming. The crowd responded beautifully. But is it comparable to Austin passing out in a pool of blood or the Austin 3:16 speech. Ask any casual fan if they remember Austin passing out in a pool of his own blood, the 3:16 speech, him stunning McMahon for the first time, him insulting Tyson or Cena's battle rap.

I understand that with them being in different eras it is not fair to compare their moments. However while the arguement is a correct one, it will hold no ground when you are talking about who will be considered greater. Consideration depends on the perception of the fans and few would be willing to analyze it so deeply as you have done. They will be judged on the same scale regardless of their eras and with that in mind there is no chance that Austin would surpass Cena.

Another thing is that while Cena has had some great moments in his career, he has had some stinkers as well. Most importantly the match at One Night Stand against RVD where he go booed out of the building. Or the other occasions where he has been booed by the fans. That is a stigma that will always remain against Cena. No matter how Cena addresses it, it is something that no face enjoys. And that will be Cena's biggest memory. If Hogan will be remembered for his charisma and his heel turn at Bash of the Beach, Austin for his feud with McMahon and Rock, Cena will be remembered for the fact that he came out to mixed reactions. That is what makes him stand out from the other faces of their respective generations.

Wow, I totally disagree with you FunKay. I'd say John Cena is fourth, only behind Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold (in that order) and he's only growing in popularity. Hell, The Rock is a more recognizable wrestler than Stone Cold, not because of what he did in the industry, but because of his popularity now. John Cena has already made the jump to film and television, increasing his visibility outside the WWE immensely. I would like to see what names you would put above Cena in your Top 10.

Is Cena really growing in popularity? In pro wrestling the maximum popularity that a wrestler can hope to attain is when he becomes the face of the company. Cena became the undisputed top dog in 2005. His popularity is stagnating if anything else. He has already reached the zenith of his popularity in my opinion.

The more with less is a point worth making, but I'm going to concentrate on the fact that Cena has had success in other areas of media. While this doesn't mean a whole of a lot to us IWC members, it does mean a hell of a lot to the casual fans, the advertisers, and especially the WWE. John Cena brings attention to the WWE and makes them money by appearing in movies, in cameos on television shows, and at events like the Kid's Choice Awards and the like. He makes Vince that money, and that's what Vince is loyal to, the guys that bring home the greenbacks. As long as Cena continues to rake in the cash, you can expect him to get the best feuds, the best storylines, and the best opportunities the WWE can present him and this will only help him build upon his already great legacy.

Cena has had more success in the mainstream than Austin; that fact is apparent. But does that make Cena more popular than Austin? In the attitude era, wrestling was a lot lot more popular than it is today. I would say that the number of Austin fans during that time were more than the combined number of Cena fans today despite the fact that only the wrestling audience knew about Austin. Yes, that is how huge wrestling was back in the day.

Secondly it is not as if Cena has a huge mainstream following. His movies haven't really set the box office on fire and while he is a popular celebrity due to his charity work and his public appearances, he is still known as a pro wrestler and in this era that does not mean a lot.

The true beneficiaries of the mainstream have been Hogan and Rock. Why? Because they got popular and had a mainstream following in the era in which wrestling was considered to be cool. Cena has a mainstream following in an era in which wrestling is not supposed to be cool and hence Cena is a lot less popular than either Hogan or Rock while Austin was very popular in an era in which wrestling was cool, he had little mainstream appeal. So I would say that in this regard both Cena and Austin are more or less equal.

Also it is worth noting that Cena despite his mainstream popularity cannot draw new fans interested in wrestling, something which Austin managed even without his mainstream popularity.

I would reverse it. There's no reason Cena wouldn't work in the Attitude Era if Kurt Angle did... and Kurt Angle did. Cena probably would have eventually had a heel run, but his character would remain very much the same. I don't think the current Cena character would surpass Stone Cold or even The Rock had he wrestled in the Attitude Era, but he probably would have been a number three. Furthermore, whose to say that John Cena wouldn't make his character even more edgy to rival Stone Cold's? We've already seen John Cena become a little more edgy, and has even poked fun at the PG rating the past few months, there's no reason anyone should think that he couldn't pull off an excellent character in the Attitude Era.

Stone Cold, on the otherhand, would be sunk without his bitches and asses. Cursing was one of the reasons his character seemed so accessible to the fans... he curses just like we do! He wouldn't be able to bloody up Vince McMahon's face, he wouldn't be able to flip off anyone, he would be a renegade with half the attitude necessary to pull it off. Would Stone Cold work as a straight laced guy like Cena? I don't know, but I think Cena could pull off a bad ass in the Attitude Era better than Stone Cold could pull off a straight laced guy in the PG Era.

That is an interesting point but a completely worthless one especially if you are considering that which guy will be considered to be better when their careers end. No one would analyze this much I can assure you and each guy will be judged in each era.

But, to play along, you are spot on about Cena. There is no reason why he would not have worked but it would be fair to say that he would not have reached the popularity of either Austin or Rock.

Austin, on the other hand, would have been just as successful in the PG era. Yes, curses were a big part of his character but I think that with his charisma he would have really stood out in the crowd. Curses might seem like a big deal to you but I think that there was more to Austin than just curses. Hell if curses were so important then do you believe that someone like the Godwinns would have got Austin's push had they started cursing?

Also there is the debate if Austin was the result of the Attitude Era or the cause for it. Remember wrestling had always been PG prior to Austin's emergence. I know that WWE was losing a lot but if it had not been for Austin, I do not think that WWF would have ever gone TV-14. Imagine if a guy like Cena came along and got popular and his character was such that it could work fine within the PG rating? Would Vince have changed the rating in that case? I do not think that the Attitude era was a certainty as many people think.

That is the problem with these "what if.." scenarios. You've got to take a lot of things into account. Maybe if Cena came before Austin we would have never had an Attitude Era in the first place. Maybe WWF would have ceased to exist and we would be watching the 7653rd edition of the NWO.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

To compare these two is like comparing Alexander The Great and Genghis Khan, but I digress...

I'll rate these guys as objectively as possible:

Austin's rise to fame occurred with a single sentence: "Austin 3:16 says, I just whopped your ass!" Highest selling T-Shirt in history of WWE. That alone gets him a point above Hogan.

Austin's rise officially began with these matches: Bret Hart, Taker, Owen Hart which have him his injury.

Austin eventually came out on top winning the Intercontinental Championship. All this in a span on about a year (1996-1997)

By the end of 1997, he started a feud with McMahon and Rock.

For about two years McMahon and Rock vs Austin kept going, Austin grew in his rebellious nature and his persona was solidified as the baddest SOB in wrestling. Another injury sidelined him 'til 2000. After that, from 2000-2001 he had a heel turn, creating th Two Man Power Trip, WCW invasion angle and so on. In 2002 he had sopardic appearances and finally in '03 he faced the Rock and '04 He retired.

So, I've covered about 8 years of Austin on top, minus the 2000 year where he had little appearances and that's about seven years. In 2004, he turned 40.

Lets look at Cena.

We all know how he first started out.

2002 He debuted against Kurt Angle, and Jericho. He turn turned heel with his rapper gimmick. IN 2003 he feuded with Lesnar for the belt and then turned back into face.

In '04 he won the United States Championship and we all know his journey from there.

At this point, he's about 33 years old.


To be frank, Cena has surpassed Austin when it comes to how fast he rose up the ranks and became the top face. Granted Austin faced problems in WCW, was the ring master and such before he really started his rise to super stardom in 8 years time he was gone and he was 40. Cena became the top face in '04-'11. That's about 7 years already. Austin was at his career's end at 7 seven years and Cena's in his prime. Fact of the matter is, Cena has ALREADY surpassed Austin when it comes to how fast he rose up the ranks.

Now, in 8 years Austin had: Taker, Owen Hart, Bret Hart, Rock, VKM, Jake the Snake roberts.

In seven years Cena's had: Orton, Barrett, HHH, Y2J, Edge. The rest of the guys that jobbed to him were just cannon fodder so I won't count 'em. As you can see at age 33 Cena's on top. I'd say Austin is STILL better because of the fact that in 7 years he had the biggest rivalries EVER. Cena still got 7 MORE years till he's 40.

By the time he's 40 ( and I think he'll wrestle till he's 60), he'll be WAYY over Austin.

 

[Hitman-HBK United Inc.]

Comparisons:

Promos:
Austin: Fantastic, sharp badass wit, while driving his point home with ease simplicity, and never sugarcoated a thing. The "What?" thing teetered on a VERY thin line, between silly and amusing.

Cena: At first, was really creative, funny, and sold his feuds well, and put a lot of dynamic emotion. Now, he comes out as Mr. Happy go lucky every single week, not at all selling what's been going on! Some could say, "He does his talking in the ring". Well then why talk at all then? This has caused Cena to lose appeal with the very little older demographic he reached.


Moveset:
Austin: A solid worker for most of his career, after the neck injury, he had to tweak his style ever so slightly, to be able to work in a way that hides his limitations, and produced classic matches.

Cena: While it didn't take an injury for it to happen, Cena seemed to find a style that worked for him, and was able too find a style for himself that worked.


Overall Ring Psychology:

Austin: Always great at telling a story, as the rebellious babyface who had to overcome the odds when the chips were down, made you wonder just how he was going to overcome them. All his marquee matches were built on that.

Cena: Cena's timing is tremendous, no doubt, his comebacks are dead on, and he can really sell hard...that was until recently, he just seems like superman! Which I know what Hogan did all the time, but for some reason, I can't put my finger on it, it seems...different.



Classic Matches:

Austin: Austin has had some great matches with the likes of, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Mick Foley, Triple H, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. He's also had some nice little TV gems with Ken Shamrock, RVD, Ric Flair & Chris Jericho, among a few others. But some of his stuff with 'Taker wasn't that good, he didn't seem to have any chemistry with Kane, the Rikishi stuff was a MESS!

Cena: Cena's true classics in my opinion came against Edge, Umaga (who he had wicked chemistry with), his '07 stuff with Orton, some solid matches with Triple H, he and Batista seemed to click very well (I really liked the Summerslam '08 match). And the man who got the best of John...was Shawn! That match with him and Shawn on "Raw" back in April '07, TOPPED 'Mania which was quite epic in its own right. Now here's where you gotta be careful with John, keep in mind when he became champion, he was mad over, but still finding his identity as an in ring worker. I think his control of his matches, were evident in his feud with Khali, which produced the best matches of Khali's career to date. And like Austin...some guys Cena just doesen't have chemistry with....it happens!


CLASSIC FEUDS:

Austin: Austin's true classic feuds were something to behold. I don't just mean good feuds, he very rarely had a bad one! But I'm talking CLASSICS! Obviously the two that stand out primarily....Mr. McMahon and The Rock, with The Undertaker being 3rd. The epicness and emotional investment in those feuds were truly spectacular and brought something back to the business that had been lacking for quite awhile. Despite not getting much attention at the time due to the one sided Monday Night Wars, the WWF loyal were into the dramatic feud between Steve & Bret. Much like a Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits album, nobody really went out of there way to buy it, but as time has gone on, it's sustained a legacy of truly being a classic rivalry. Most of Austin's feuds in his WWF run were decent at the very least.

Cena: Bearing in mind we're talking about two guys from completely different eras, Cena did have the feuds that fans of this generation will remember. With Edge being his biggest (and best) rival, as well as the early years of the Orton feud, I even think teh Barrett/NEXUS feud will be remembered, and perhaps the one with Batista, and I think the feud with Triple H will also be remembered because that's where Cena really started working the style that helped him pull of an entertaining match, and he basically shocked the world by beating him. While I do think those feuds will be remembered, I do not believe they will sustain the staying power of many of Austin's.



DRAWING POWER (PPV):

Austin: Now here's where the differences between the two devulge quite a bit. Outside of his early PPV main events in 1997, which were hovering in the 200 000 buys range, Austin has never...ever drawn under 300 000 buys on PPV! Now that's saying something, and under Ausitn's watch, the B-PPV's actually became profitable, and the WWF was able to raise prices because people were willing to order them. Austin set a PPV record along with HBK at WM 14....then broke it with The Rock a year later....then again with The Rock TWO years later. Austin shattered records for Summerslam, with his main event with 'Taker, his first true sanctioned battle with McMahon at the Rumble in '99 drew HUGE, the subsuquent Cage Match the next month broke the record for most bought "In Your House" PPV. His return at Unforgiven 2000 helped draw an astonishing figure as well. Austin isn't primarily to blame for the decline of buys that began in 2001, but again, the Invasion played a major role in that.

Cena: Now Cena became champion at a time where PPV's were fluctuating. It all became a matter of getting technical about it. "Well at lesat it didn't better than last month's PPV", "Oh it drew better than last year's Unforgiven" or whatever. And this day and age, that really is how you have to look at it. Cena's impact on the modern Wrestlemania's is definitely felt, especially the ones featuring HHH and HBK. Cena's feuds with Angle didn't draw all that much, but he seemed to hit a stride with Edge, and the two drew some of the better PPV numbers in 2006. The early incarnation of the Orton feud did pretty good, and the stuff with Khali drew better than it had any right too, despite a really low number at the One Night Stand PPV in '07. Other than that, Cena has not made the significant dent in PPV that Austin has, I mean we can go on about the impressive 'Mania numbers I mentioned, but these days the WWE is LUCKY if they can get 200 000 buys for a show these days! Like Austin and the decline in '01...Cena isn't FULLY to blame for this, but he certainly aint helping matters much.

DRAWING POWER: (Arena Gate).

Austin: The WWF was running shows out of siginificantly smaller venues in 1997, but by mid 1998, the company got so hot, that they were back in the bigger venues again, and Raw was packed it seemed with more signs than people. The PPV's were legit sellouts, and after papering crowds heavily for quite a while, the atmosphere was legit. The house show business was the best it had been since the Hogan days. Austin thrived on the house show business during its resurgance in 1998. Austin also appealed to all demographics..yes, even women loved Austin.

Cena: Cena has his loyal following, but really, the WWE can't fill an arena for a house show if there life depends on it (or if it isn't called MSG). These days, rather than paper crowds, they just tarp the empty seats off. I'll give an example..."Breaking Point" in September of '09, in Montreal only drew 12 000 people. Not a bad crowd by any means, but for what's normally a hotbed for pro wrestling, that's kind of disappointing. The Screwjob match during '97, drew over 20 000, with just over 17 000 paid. Cena has the ability to attract fans, but he appeals to a demographic that's limited. When it comes to house shows, this is also the comapny's fault (See your favourite superstar....even though nothing will happen).


DRAWING POWER (Merchandising).

Austin: Again, need I really explain, the guy had a new T-shirt every month, and the 4 that preceeded it would still be selling like hotcakes. Plus they went beyond T-Shirts, with the likes of Hats, waterbottles, towels, drinking glasses, and with the influx of Internet, Austin was a prime candidate to lead the way for the WWF's selling mechanism, and SMASHED records because of it.

Cena: I'd say John is almost on par here, even though Steve may have appealed to more demos, again, John has enough appeal to have his merch sell, the shirts, hats, wristbands, people don't stop at anything with him. Every kid has to have EVERYTHING John has. Plus again, with the way the WWE pushes there product, merchandising is a key draw for the company, more then ever, with PPV suffering, and John is still delivering in that aspect!


So in closing....will Cena be considered greater than Austin! NO! To be quite honest, despite my comparisons, I think the notion of that is a downright JOKE! Ausitn is the BIGGEST draw of all time! That wins it there for him! I could've summed up everything I said, with that, and not having to do all this...but what's the fun in that?

That said however, Cena will have a legacy all his own! Much like Bret did, he'll be knwon for doing great things for the company at a time where they desperately needed good things to happen!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Nice thread J-Glass

However, I do have to disagree with you. I cannot see a way that John Cena will ever be considered greater than Stone Cold. He may be the face of the organisation right now, but he has so far not been the catalyst of making wrestling the "cool" thing, as Austin was during the Attitude Era. Austin's ass-kicking, beer swilling, bad ass character was universally loved, lauded as cool and helped to make the WWE the dominant company is the business.

His storylines were edgy, exciting and revolutionary. They also struck a chord with fans, who loved seen a disgruntled employee beating the shit out of his boss on a weekly basis, they lived their life through Austin. He was such a vital part of the company, that Austin was kept involved with storylines even when he was seriously injured, as his value was too great and he was too popular.

Cena on other other hand is also the face of modern-day wrestling. He is the golden boy of the WWE and will likely stay in that spot for a long time to come. He is very charismatic, but is severly limited by the child-friendly garbage he has to spew every week, and his persona is hated by older fans and loved by kids. This is where Austin has the edge, as does Hogan. Their character was accepted by all, and this is where Cena slips up to me.

Neither man has a particularly great moveset. However, Cena received "You Cant Wrestle" chats regularly, something that Stone Cold never did. People loved Austin that much that his limited moveset and brawling style was applauded and supported, not hated. His finishing move is one of the most iconic of all time, unlike the AA, which is almost universally mocked.

I simply cannot see a way in which John Cena can be considered greater than Stone Cold at the present time. His storylines have not been as high-quality, he has failed to drag the company out of its current slump- albeit he has done everything he can and the writers suck, but the way he is hated by some fans and not respected indicate to me that in the future Stone Cold Steve Austin will remain thought of as the greater wrestler

 

[Professor]

Cena has the potential to be comparable to stone cold, under one condition. He is allowed to go back to his element, which was the edgy Dr of thuganomics. Right now he is out of his element playing a bland vanilla smiley good guy, and his real talents are being wasted.

Its one thing to be a face but its another when you totally change your gimmick and persona. Stone cold never did, he was always stone cold, which was his strength. Cena has the talent and charisma but idiotic vince is holding him back because they have chosen him to be their companys head babyface.

WWE need to find another great babyface, then let Cena turn and start a big fued, which would elevate him to greatness. Right now hes just being wasted imo.

 

[AngryCenaFan]

No just no

Cena is not the same main stream attraction Austin was.

When you were waiting at the bus stop as a kid Tuesday morning, all the kids would talk about what "Stone Cold did last night"

Cena simply does not generate that kind of talk or interest, and really lacks memorable moments

 

[mikead]

No just no

Cena is not the same main stream attraction Austin was.

When you were waiting at the bus stop as a kid Tuesday morning, all the kids would talk about what "Stone Cold did last night"

Cena simply does not generate that kind of talk or interest, and really lacks memorable moments

Well, thats a problem of the climate. In the Hogan heyday EVERYONE knew what Hogan was doing, who he was fighting and so on. When Austin and the Rock ran the show, it was the same to some degree. Kids and young people followed the shows and even the PPVs.

Wrestling isn't as popular now. People who were younger during the Austin days who still watch, probably aren't huge fans of Cena. However he does appeal to kids, in a way that nobody really has since Hogan. Personally I can't stand Cena and never have been able to. It takes some hell of a storyline to make me not flip the channel if hes on and if its a big match it needs to be a heck of an opponent for me to watch. Kids love him though. He sells video games, he sells toys, he gets people to ask their parents to buy PPVs and tickets.

Is Cena going to be bigger than Austin? No. Never. Legacy-wise and what Austin was to the overall business is huge. Cena will not get to that level. However, Cena is making the WWE right now. He is what the target audience is paying to see. Its a PG era and hes the perfect sell. I suppose you can even argue that Cena is as important to todays market as Austin was to his.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Think about all the memorable moments Stone Cold had outside the ring. Driving the beer truck down to the ring to confront the corporation.

Driving the Zamboni down to the ring in Detroit.

Tossing the IC belt into the river.

These are only a few legendary and memorable moments.

Cena has nothing even close to that outside the ring. In his defense, it's not really his fault as none of that fits into the PG environment but it is what it is. He'll never be Austin. He will finish with a lot of in ring accolades and praise for his community service but that's it. Despite what the kids think, he's not that great on the mic and he's not entertaining during promos the way Austin was.