I like the OP's overall tone and intention of this thread, it's an interesting subject to talk about. And he’s inviting solid discussion and actually making his opinions sound like opinions. In that he’s presenting a solid stance as to why he has those opinions. However, what I can't get enough of are the posting of a bunch of over-opinionated armchair experts who like passing their opinions off as facts/certainties. Gag me! I am going to run down the three picks that the OP mentioned and justify why whatever people think they "know" about these people from "dirt sheets", tell-all books and DVD retrospectives don't mean a thing in justifying one’s criticisms of the aforementioned. However, to answer the actual question, it's al subjective. But anyone let me start my tirade...
Cena - I personally don't like the character, just not sold on what he does. I was glad to see The Rock win at WrestleMania 28. In spite of my personal feelings towards his character, the guy's a workhorse. I could care less what a bunch of out of shape sad sacks that troll the internet forums think, Cena is doing something right and he has something special. And this is coming from a guy that can't stand the "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" shtick. However, I grew up in the Hulkamania era and I ate that whole act up since I was in the right age group to do so. Had I been a 30 year old back in 1985, I'd probably not have been a Hogan fan at all, or if I were a kid today, I'd probably be a Cena fan.
Bottom line, this the guy has something unique whether you like him or not, and he's a fixture in the business for better or worse. If you don't think he can hang in a wrestling match, just watch HBK-Cena II from an edition of RAW on April of 2007, a hell of a performance. I'll even say that their WrestleMania 23 match prior to that is easily one of the best WM main events of the 2000s.
Hogan - Yeah, I'm coming into this with a bias, but you know what? I freely admit it. And even as a fan I have SEVERAL criticisms of Hulk Hogan.
My chief complaints were in the later 80s, when Hogan started doing films. I was not a fan of seeing my favorite wrestler at the time not wrestle on TV. It was disappointing to see him doing these side projects. Even though we laugh at the nonsense that Hogan's foray into films was (Let’s be honest WWE Studios’ ventures aren’t any better, and even WWE is acknowledging Hogan’s contributions into wrestlers crossing over into mainstream film by releasing No Holds Barred on DVD. Despite my personal dislike of this facet of Hogan’s career the influence of it and success is shown today.), at the time there must have been some financial gain that he was receiving from doing these crossover ventures. However, I thought we lost out a bit on not seeing Hogan stick to his day job. I would have also liked to see Randy Savage some pinfall victories over Hogan. I really thought the opportunity for Macho Man would come in WCW but like the WWF more of the same continued. Granted, I am not too ungrateful because Macho Man's DQ and count out wins over Hogan were actually built up to mean something, considering Hogan's invincible aura for all those years. This scenario reminded me very much of what the Rock and Austin feud was like for so many years, granted The Rock did finally pin Austin at WrestleMania XIX but that was a very lopsided feud to be sure. But like Macho Man, The Rock's career was not sabotaged because he hadn't been able to get all these pinfall wins over Austin. In some ways, I didn't like seeing the WrestleMania IX impromptu title victory over Yokozuna, because I was really behind Bret Hart's recent push. However, if this was a vanity title win like people made it out to be, I think Hogan would have won the title in an actual match, because the actual booking of this scenario did not make Hogan look like his indestructible self.
Had Hogan truly had an agenda like so many people thought, I think he would have won the title well before WrestleMania and actually been advertised to compete for it again. In my view, Vince McMahon wanted to throw a curveball at the PPV audience and to be honest, I can appreciate that in some ways because it's not like today, where you have an epic return like Brock Lesnar saved for the night after RAW instead of at WrestleMania like it should have been done.
Triple H - I saved the best one for last because the amount of nonsense I hear from people on this particular guy is the best. So yeah, we know this guy is married into the family, and I am sure he's very grateful to have that distinction. However at the same time, I can't overly criticize a guy who's a beast like Triple H. Say all you want about how this guy has the benefit of being Vinnie Mac's son in law but how many people can you recall off the top of your head that can finish a wrestling match and risk their entire career by doing so, when pulling the muscle off the bone of their leg? Exactly, I bet most of the morons writing their vitriol on this thread about guys like Hogan, Triple H and Cena probably cry like babies when they stub their toe or pull a muscle just getting out of bed in the morning because they’re sadly out of shape, and even thinking of exercise is enough to tire out and hurt them.
Triple H has proven his worthiness of where he's at in the business despite his high position in the company, and the fact that he's a family member of the McMahons. The guy hasn't been a serious contender for the World Title or worn it in almost three years. I will admit, him beating CM Punk at Night Of Champions wasn't the best move in my opinion. But at the same time, the CM Punk character in my opinion is not what I think he could be, however his career is not for the worse, he's still the WWE Champion last I heard. While I think this scenario could have been booked a lot better, CM Punk isn't standing in the line of a soup kitchen. Meaning that he is still a contracted performer for WWE and one of their top guys, I’d say he’s not doing so bad now, is he? Also, even though he’s friends with guys like Batista and Orton (or so it’s said) he gave these two a hell of a shot in the storylines by forming Evolution, and their careers were all the better having worked with and defeated Triple H on several occasions. But again, many of the armchair experts love to overlook, downplay or just disregard such notions.
Triple H is a sure fire performer, and a specimen, I would kill to have a fraction of the fraction of fortitude and ability that he has. If I had, I'd be pretty happy because Triple H is a unique individual, make no mistake about it. I'm sure his ego has played into the factor of certain outcomes in the business but like Hogan, he's jobbed to the right people when it matters. And certain characters like Hogan, Triple H and yes John Cena can't just be jobbed out to anybody, because if they are...beating them means less. At least that's how I see it.
Bottom line is this, I can understand criticizing these performers based on their characters and what not. But to read the idiocy from a lot of people on this thread is so laughable. I mean c’mon now, do people actually buy the amount of rumors and nonsense that permeate the Internet? I mean hello, we’re talking about an artform that’s based in severing the lines of reality and fantasy. C’mon now! So much of this stuff is more likely than not manufactured by the wrestling business just to get fans like us to talk about it. Plus the wrestling business thrives on still having control of their audience’s beliefs, and with the way reality TV is a blight on the landscape of entertainment, wrestling has found a way to create what I believe is a modern form of kayfabe by allowing us to think that because insider terms like “booked”, “jobber”, “heel” and yes even “kayfabe” itself have been acknowledged by WWE, that we all of a sudden know what really goes on behind the curtain. Again, like I said in the opening paragraph, gag me. Wrestling is still a work, and even though I’m not a fan of how it’s worked today, I’m not going to let myself be fooled so easily, unlike so many others often do.
So for people to base their criticisms on such things are ridiculous. And then of course the falls from grace like Hogan’s had, I mean granted the guy did mention something about “understanding what OJ did” (in reference to Hogan’s martial problems at the time) but Jesse Jackson talked about having Barack Obama needing to have his testicles removed. Hulk Hogan is a mere entertainer while Jesse Jackson is supposed to be an important figure in society and a Presidential candidate at one time. Obviously, the man wants to present himself as a respectable figure, while Hogan despite my love for wrestling is in all seriousness in a profession that’s not supposed to be taken too too seriously.
I just can’t understand the necessity that wrestling fans put on these performers when it should be well known that some of the most disappointing forms of conduct on the part of individuals happens very often in the world of show business. What Hogan has said in the past like the comment about his wife is very questionable and ridiculous but unless he actually decides to act on it, they are just words and considering that Hulk Hogan is not in the business of running any part of our government, I really could give a crap what he has said in the past.
Some of the most fervent Hogan haters will find some way to rationalize that guys like Chris Benoit and The Dynamite Kid are better human beings than Hulk Hogan, despite the fact that the former murdered his family and offed himself, and the latter (his idol ironically enough) admitted on national TV that he used to abuse his wife with a shotgun, unloaded mind you but still a rather sociopathic act if there ever was one.
Again, it’s not my intention to control how people should base their criticisms of figures in the wrestling business. But I don’t feel it’s out of place to question the rationale as to why they make certain criticisms, I mean individuals like Bret Hart and The Undertaker (the former who admitted infidelity according to his autobiography, again it could be glorified kayfabe on Bret’s part but who knows) have had multiple marriages. However, one can wonder what has led this men to not being able to maintain a marriage and stay with the same woman. But that doesn’t change them being two of my favorite wrestlers. Ric Flair as revealed by ESPN is financially delinquent, and that same organization has also revealed that Scott Hall has totaled 8 Cadillacs in his lifetime because of his substance abuse.
I guess what I am trying to establish here (which I understand is probably taking longer than it should but oh well) is that I myself can only rationalize criticism in the form of what I see on camera with these individuals. So yes I can understand the dislike of Hulk Hogan over resting on his laurels at times, and always coming out on top. I can understand how people tire of the whole SuperCena thing, and how Triple H won the title once too often. But considering that there are probably more factors at play as to why these things happen in the business, I am not going to base my arguments in regards to disliking these facets of the wrestling business based on the ridiculous bullcrap I read on dirt sheets. Call me a smug jerk like many of you often do, but I prefer to not believe all the ridiculousness I read and hear about.
In closing, I do believe these individuals are indeed over criticized and that criticism should be based more on what’s seen on camera, instead of many of us playing the role of “holier than thou” types. Especially when any of us that are over 18 should know damn better than the world of professional wrestling is nowhere near being a sainthood.
