That's not the argument. I don't think anyone is really disregarding Cena's resume.
Actually, BigSexy (and UltimateHitman later) was. He was essentially saying to forget all of those things Cena has done, and focus only on Cena's win/loss record against face wrestlers in big matches.
First reason: All of John Cena's accomplishments have come at a time when wrestling isn't nearly as popular as it was when Warrior was on top.
Actually, I'm not sure if I'd say that or not. Certainly, the mid 80s was more popular, but by the late 80s, early 90s, I'd almost say the wrestling fan base was roughly equal, but the WWE has SO much more mainstream acceptance than they had in 1990.
I'm not saying you're completely wrong, I'm just saying I'm not sure if you're right. But, even if you are, it wasn't Warrior who brought those fans to the dance, it was Hogan. Cena IS the one bringing them to the dance.
That might sound superficial on the surface but look deeper. If Warrior appealed to a bigger fan base, was a/thee top draw in the company which we know he was
To clarify my last statement, I know Warrior was white hot and drawing in '89 and '90, but he didn't create the fanbase, Hogan did.
you'd have to conclude that he was more popular/bigger draw, more profitable, and that his accomplishments were of greater significance because the business itself was of much greater significance.
No, you cannot reach that conclusion at all, even if wrestling was more popular in '90, which I'm not sure I agree with.
When Ultimate Warrior got the title, business did not do well. Perhaps it was simply a cyclical decline, but it was still a decline. It's one of the reasons Hogan came back so quickly. Second of all, while their financial statements from the period have never been released to my knowledge, I'd say there's no way the WWE was more profitable then than they have been with Cena. These days the WWE gets compensation for their weekly TV shows, they draw significant PPV money each month, Wrestlemania is a FAR bigger deal now than it was then, merchandising in 1990 wasn't a fraction of what it is now, etc. Again, it's impossible to say for sure, but I'd be VERY surprised if the WWE's profits came close to what they've done under Cena.
Many people don't know this, but the pro wrestling side of the WWE's business has performed TREMENDOUSLY under John Cena, even as the country and world has been hit with devastating recession and very slow recovery.
It meant a lot more back then to be at the top technically
I would say it means much more today to be at the top than it did in 1990. Being at the top today is not only about how many tickets you sell. It's also how much merchandise you can move, how you appear in front of a TV every week, what you're able to do marketing wise for the company, etc.
Warrior was never the top guy in the WWF. He was given the chance to be, but he came up short, and that's why the title went back to Hogan so quickly.
Even when Warrior was the Intercontinental Champion, what do you supposed his squash of HTM and subsequent run that led him to the WWF World Championship, becoming the first person to hold both titles after entering WrestleMania as the IC champion and beating the World Champion is worth vs Cena's body of work?
It's impressive, no doubt. But not as impressive as 12 world titles. Yes, I'm aware world champion is considered more watered down these days because of two titles, but you cannot forget the World Champion appears every week on live television, and wrestles two or three times a month in front of a nationwide audience. Ultimate Warrior didn't have to do that.
Warrior's run to the title is not as impressive as what Cena has done after winning the title.
Second Reason: As you noted, there were only 4 ppv's back then, you didn't see Warrior literally every week, multiple times a week, every month on PPV, and he wasn't in action virtually every week so you didn't see him wrestle as much either.
Which I feel makes what Cena has done so impressive. With Warrior, it was a special treat to see him wrestle, because he did it so rarely where you could watch. Every Monday night, you can see John Cena for free from your living room. The fact Cena has accomplished what he's accomplished I think speaks far more highly of him than what Warrior accomplished.
the significance of everything Warrior did was much greater at that time as well, making Cena's resume pale a bit along side his.
I don't know why that would be. If we were talking about the difference in Warrior and someone like Mysterio, you might have a point, but John Cena has worked himself to a position ABOVE where Warrior was. Both men reached the pinnacle of the mountain, but I don't see why Warrior's pinnacle was any harder to reach than Cena's. But whereas Warrior touched the top of the mountain and took a free-fall leap back to the bottom, Cena has stayed atop the mountain for 7 years, a feat made all the more impressive considering the exposure he has every single week.
We all know that none of the titles are as important now as they were then. It's even widely debated as to whether they are just a prop or not now-a-days.
Titles have always been a prop. They are used to signify to fans who should be considered the "best". But Cena has evolved to the point where he's always "the best" if he has a title or not. So while I understand what you're saying, I don't think this argument has any merit due to what Cena has accomplished.
Third Reason: I think it's also worth noting that even though people back then got to see a lot less action and had a lot less content to absorb, that didn't keep Warrior from being more popular to a broader audience, once again pointing to the greater significance of what he accomplished. I also that you pointing out how there were less ppv's then lends to this argument, that Warrior's smaller body of work shouldn't could against him here as the times were so much different. It was less exposure all around, not just the ppv scene, but he was a bigger star with far less opportunity in the spotlight.
I'm not saying it should count against him, so much as I'm saying Cena's work in the different era shouldn't count against him. People are making the argument that Warrior never lost. Well, of course he never lost, he wrestled 2 singles matches a year in front of a live audience. Had Warrior come along in 2002, he would lose just as much as Cena or Orton or anyone else does.
I understand what you're saying about the different eras, but I think the change in eras supports what Cena has done far more than it does what Warrior has done.
And that's the bottom line, because “The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior” DVD said so!
I don't believe I've seen it, or if I have, it's been so long ago I don't remember it. I did not say those things because of the Self-Destruction, I say them because of all the rants he's had over the years, the holding up Summerslam '91 for more money, the speech he gave at the University of Connecticut, etc.
However, what does that really have to do with his ability or credibility to win this match? Real life character flaws don't come across to me as very relevant judging criteria.
It's relevant in the fact that if the WWE has to choose someone to be their top guy, they are going to choose someone who will represent them in a positive manner, not a negative manner. Big Sexy said the WWE would book Warrior over Cena, but that is simply not true, for the reasons I mentioned about each man's character.
Sure, Cena's the consummate professional. I think that's the very reason he would be the guy to job out in this match. Supposing it was being booked, you said Cena's not leaving, he's a great spokesperson, a great worker, etc....Well, once again, isn't that why he would actually be booked to lose?
No. This is a tournament, and there are several matches on the card. If Warrior threatens to walk away, what does the booker care? He has several other matches on the card, Warrior wasn't going to be around for the next round anyway, and it would only re-affirm you decision to have Cena win.
What happened at Summerslam '91 is different than what happens here. Warrior was part of THE drawing match of the show. Hogan and Warrior teaming together sold the show, if Warrior wasn't there, fans would be outraged. But Cena vs. Warrior is not the sole draw to this show. If Warrior doesn't show, big deal.
After all, he'll be there down the road, he's a great worker, and he'll continue to be a great spokesperson for the WWE. It happened with The Rock, and Warrior is definitely up there or higher.
No, just no. Warrior is no where near the level of the Rock, in any way. First of all, Rock WOULD have been willing to take the loss, or so I would imagine based upon his history. Second of all, the WWE wants Rock to stay around because he draws business to their show, not from wrestling fans, but from other fans. Rock is a movie star, with name recognition all over the country. Ultimate Warrior is a painted up freak (referring to his character, though it aptly applies to the person as well, I suppose) with no name recognition outside of pro wrestling.
Throw in the fact that Rock is one of the biggest draws in the history of wrestling, and Warrior is no where near his level.
In all fairnes “if wishes were fishes”. If Ultimate Warrior worked the schedule Cena did, it's just as easy to conclude that he would have been every bit as dominant as he was with the schedule he did work. Why would their habits of booking him the way they did change just because he was more active in the ring?
For the same reason Cena eventually started getting beat. When Cena won the title at Wrestlemania 21, he was every bit as dominant as Warrior was. Cena won almost every match until New Year's Revolution, where he lost to Edge AFTER winning the Elimination Chamber. Cena then defeats Edge at Royal Rumble and keeps the title until ONS, where he only lost because Paul Heyman apparently has a magical referee license. Then Cena wins the title back from Edge in September, and holds the title for a full YEAR, where he ends up having to drop it because of injury.
Cena was EVERY bit as dominant as Warrior was...but Cena loses matches now. Why? Because eventually you have to lose matches in order to sell shows. People have to see you as vulnerable, if they are going to be willing to pay to see if you can overcome evil. The WWF would have had to make Warrior vulnerable, to see if he could overcome the challenge. It's easy to have Warrior win and still sell doubt when he's only wrestling 2 times a year in singles matches. It's much harder when he's working 12-14 times a year on PPV, and several other times on free tv.
Warrior would lose, just like anyone else in the WWE loses today.
Now consider that in reference to my argument earlier regarding that very subject.
I'm very aware of the difference, I just think that speaks more highly of Cena than the Warrior.
I'll refer you back to WrestleMania 28 where Cena lost clean to The Rock. It's fair to say that Warrior is at least as big as The Rock, making it also fair to say that Warrior would probably go over, being in the same situation.
No, it's not fair to say that, because it's completely untrue. Just based on their wrestling resumes alone, Rock was a far bigger draw than Warrior. Throw in the fact he's now a movie start with national or even worldwide recognition, and Warrior is no where near the level of the Rock.
You keep looking at fans response leading up to Warrior's title win. You fail to look at fan response AFTER his title win. Warrior was not doing good business after he won the title. And, like I said, Warrior couldn't draw in the non-wrestling fans like Rock does.
This isn't a match to determine who the face of the company is either, just who would move on in a tournament, so I don't think that really holds water either.
If I'm deciding who to book for a win, I'll book the guy I can rely on every day instead of the guy I can never rely on.
I'll also note, while John Cena has more....everything to his resume due to the highly increased schedule and his long tenure in the WWE, there's something else that's come with that. Bigger Loses and More of Them. You can say Warrior hasn't won 10 WWE Championships, but you can't say that Warrior was ever thrown through a spot light, or put in a car that was then lit in fire, or beaten the crap out of like Cena was by Brock Lesnar, etc... I think that's the kind of dominance that people are really referring to when they think of Warrior being so dominant. That's not to dismiss the stuff with Undertaker, Jake Roberts, and Papa Shango as if they didn't seriously fuck with The Ultimate Warrior, but in matches Warrior never really got dominated and beat to shit like Cena either, and I think that definitely weighs on the outcome of this match going more in favor of Warrior.
Again, as I said, those things are the way the WWE creates more interest in John Cena matches. You cannot hold it against him, while simultaneously crediting Warrior for it. The fact of the matter is Warrior looked dominant in the ring because he only had to work in front of a national audience twice a year. Cena works in front of a worldwide audience every week.
Completely different situations. Cena would win here. He's a better worker, he's the face of the company in a way Warrior never was, he's a significant draw (I'd argue bigger than Warrior due to Cena's ability to sustain and not fizzle out), and Cena is dependable and reliable.
Cena would win, no matter how you try and stack the deck. Unless you want to talk about Warrior's 1-0 mark against top faces in singles main-events during his prime.