Support NeoGAF

[Pranay]

Who would of thought we would be seeing this type of quality being summoned up from a man who at any point could walk away having "done it all".

Not only he is a class act and the most hard working person in wwe right now but he also has deleived some great matches and also his US title run is the most interesting part of wwe these days.

Some great matches this year -

1 - Triple Threat Match (brock vs rollins vs cena)
2 - Kevin Owens vs Cena (1)
3 - Kevin Owens vs Cena (2)
4 - Cesaro vs Cena (1)
5 - Cesaro vs Cena (2)
6 - Sami Zayn vs Cena
7 - Neville vs Cena

Also this video where he praised Cesaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmbFq7zwgC8

A class act but the best part of the video where the fans booing him for no reason lol and bring the point that "this was the place where I made my debut and gave everything thanks to you guys and also was the last time when you guys use to cheer me so thanks "

I feel he deserves more respect then he gets.

 

[imBask]

You take him out of the stagnant main event spot he kept for 15 years and he's suddenly good again! who would've thought!

 

[djplaeskool]

 

[Parallax]

Who is champ?

 

[Courage]

I don't mind him as a person, but the push he gets is pretty annoying (and I understand it's because of merch sales). Plus how many times are they gonna go for the 'overcome the odds' angle in every arc he's in? I'm just glad he's taking a break from the WWE title for now.

 

[Perspicacity]

He barely came in sniffing distance of the world title this year. Dude is slumming in the US division

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I feel he deserves more respect then he gets.

I don't, I've had to sit through ten years of generally average matches, boring cookie cutter promos and squashed pushes at the top of the card

It's not that difficult to have great matches with the people you list as long as you hold your end up, and yes, he can do that

not so much the stunner, the stf or the canadian destroyer though

 

[iMax]

Absolutely.

Still can't stand his character though.

 

[Frustrated_Grunt]

I've realized I don't groan anymore when I hear his music on Raw these days. It helps that he lives in his own "Cena-verse" storyline that's away from the main event these days. This is the most enjoyable version of Cena since his debut.

 

[notworksafe]

Absolutely agree. Cena's best year as far as both high profile matches and his weekly stuff.

The John Cena US Title Open is the best idea WWE has come up with in a while and it's a great way for Cena to make both himself and other talent look good.

 

[aGuyInaBearSuit]

They're finally giving him opportunities to wrestle people other than those who WWE has already decided are "main eventers." It's giving Cena chances to try out new stuff against different opponents and might help give midcard talents a bump up in WWE's eyes. Good for everybody.

I kind of hope Cena never returns to the main event and spends the rest of his career helping build midcard talents but I know it's too good to be true.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

He's always been wonderful, but people were too upset that he was a better champion than their anti-vax hippies or fatass Canadian favorites.

 

[Kaladin]

I've loved his US Title run. He's given a platform for undercard workers to have main event level matches on Raw each week.

Most people that have wrestled Cena in his US Championship Open series have benefited from it, and now they're using it as a big way to introduce Kevin Owens to the main roster.

Cena is at his best when he is using his platform as a main eventer to put over someone else....see his feuds with Bryan and Punk.

 

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

Yep. By far the best year ever for Cena match wise. He's had some of the best matches this year and of his career in general.

His character is still garbage.

 

[RP912]

No lie, Cena been amazing this year with that US strap. He's still a poop head though.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

His character is still a bit stale, but in the last year he pretty much dominates my top 5 matches list.

 

[Strangelove77]

He's been a lot of fun to watch recently. And he works his ass off. He's earned everything he's got.

 

[RightChandMan]

I agree with you 100% Cena has been on fire this year and I'm not even that big of a fan.

You forgot to list his match with Ambrose the night after Mania....that was another great one.

 

[borghe]

I pay $10/month for WWE Network, and still have no decent access to RAW or Smackdown.. god fucking damn it.

Thanks for making me remember this..

on a related note, when Smackdown taped here last week, Rollins and Cesaro stopped by the Crossfit gym I go to for their workout. Funny enough my daughter was there when they were but had no idea who they were "I just thought they were a couple of strong guys dropping in".... I have failed as a parent (she's 14).

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

He's been a lot of fun to watch recently. And he works his ass off. It's hard to disagree that he doesn't deserve all the championships and accolades he gets.

I don't think you said what you meant to say

 

[JMDSO]

I pay $10/month for WWE Network, and still have no decent access to RAW or Smackdown.. god fucking damn it.

Thanks for making me remember this..

You aren't gonna get it on the network.. might want to get something like Hulu instead.

 

[iMax]

I pay $10/month for WWE Network, and still have no decent access to RAW or Smackdown.. god fucking damn it.

Thanks for making me remember this..

on a related note, when Smackdown taped here last week, Rollins and Cesaro stopped by the Crossfit gym I go to for their workout. Funny enough my daughter was there when they were but had no idea who they were "I just thought they were a couple of strong guys dropping in".... I have failed as a parent (she's 14).

Trust me, you're not missing a thing.

 

[mreddie]

Next to his 2004 and feuding with Punk stuff, yep.

 

[The Faceless Master]

I pay $10/month for WWE Network, and still have no decent access to RAW or Smackdown.. god fucking damn it.

Thanks for making me remember this..

on a related note, when Smackdown taped here last week, Rollins and Cesaro stopped by the Crossfit gym I go to for their workout. Funny enough my daughter was there when they were but had no idea who they were "I just thought they were a couple of strong guys dropping in".... I have failed as a parent (she's 14).

no access to Raw/SD and full access to NXT. living the dream!!!

 

[Liquidsnake]

I tuned out of wrestling for the better part of the 2000's, because he bored me to death.

Anyways, hes been so bad for so long, that I am surprised he is being carried to excellent matches with a younger generation, it does take a certain willingness by him to have these kick out fests.

Anyways, he is the worst wrestler of his generation.
He is a 3rd graders fantasy
There is nothing he can do to redeem himself in my eyes for the decade long kindergarten wrestling we had to endure.
I will be very happy the day he calls it quits.
The fact that he is even close to Flair's 16 is the biggest disgrace to the business, and something that should not be allowed to happen.

 

[Strangelove77]

I don't think you said what you meant to say

You're right. Godammit.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

I think his '07 is probably still better, but John Cena wrestling like he's a PWG star has been pretty fun.

 

[Heroman]

I tuned out of wrestling for the better part of the 2000's, because he bored me to death.

Anyways, hes been so bad for so long, that I am surprised he is being carried to excellent matches with a younger generation, it does take a certain willingness by him to have these kick out fests.

Anyways, he is the worst wrestler of his generation.
He is a 3rd graders fantasy
There is nothing he can do to redeem himself in my eyes for the decade long kindergarten wrestling we had to endure.
I will be very happy the day he calls it quits.
The fact that he is even close to Flair's 16 is the biggest disgrace to the business, and something that should not be allowed to happen.

The idea that he has been carried for most of his carried for most of his career is crazy .You dont have some of the best matches in wwe history if your carrier someone.

 

[OctoMan]

Zayn vs Cena was a seriously awful match. I mean I don't blame them considering the circumstances, but not sure why it's included with the rest. The crowd was fun I guess.

 

[Guzim]

And he'll be in Trainwreck in theaters this Friday!

 

[Perspicacity]

Zayn vs Cena was a seriously awful match. I mean I don't blame them considering the circumstances, but not sure why it's included with the rest. The crowd was fun I guess.

This is a bad opinion

 

[Lingitiz]

We're all saying that now until Brock takes the title from Seth and Cena is thrust back into the main event for all eternity.

 

[lovely ladies]

I tuned out of wrestling for the better part of the 2000's, because he bored me to death.

Anyways, hes been so bad for so long, that I am surprised he is being carried to excellent matches with a younger generation, it does take a certain willingness by him to have these kick out fests.

Anyways, he is the worst wrestler of his generation.
He is a 3rd graders fantasy
There is nothing he can do to redeem himself in my eyes for the decade long kindergarten wrestling we had to endure.
I will be very happy the day he calls it quits.
The fact that he is even close to Flair's 16 is the biggest disgrace to the business, and something that should not be allowed to happen.

Lol, this burns at your soul.

 

[FallingEdge]

And he'll be in Trainwreck in theaters this Friday!

stole Ziggler's spot and his girl

 

[Dazzler]

WWE is best consumed by just watching NXT and the monthly specials

RAW and Smackdown are hot garbage

 

[Voysa Reezun]

I have to admit, I enjoy John Cena as WWE Champ if only because the whining on the internet is amusing.

I wish message boards were around in the '70s. "When are they gonna take the title off Bruno? The guy hogs the championship. They should have let Ivan Koloff have a longer run with the title!" Superstar Billy Graham would be that era's CM Punk in terms of how fans would have viewed him.

WWE's business model has always been to ride a babyface champ for years and years. Sammartino, Hogan, and now Cena (Hart/Michaels/Austin/Rock all had shorter runs due to injury, becoming a movie star, or Vince McMahon just deciding to fuck around with someone's contract). That strategy shouldn't cloud what a great wrestler Cena is. I do agree that Cena's sort of stale, which is a result of increased TV time, but again, Cena's been a legitimately great pro wrestler for quite awhile (since 2006, I think) and shouldn't be talked about like he's somehow not fit to shine Ric Flair's boots.

 

[Liquidsnake]

Lol, this burns at your soul.

Because Cena and Flair are not even in the same universe. Their names should never be mentioned one after the other.

This would be the biggest travesty in the history of the sport. I would put an astrix next to Cena's name for ever. It would be The Barry Bonds treatment. I would not acknowledge it, non of you should either.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

Because Cena and Flair are not even in the same universe. Their names should never be mentioned one after the other.

This would be the biggest travesty in the history of the sport. I would put an astrix next to Cena's name for ever. It would be The Barry Bonds treatment. I would not acknowledge it, non of you should either.

I appreciate Ric Flair, but he is overrated and Cena is underrated by a large amount of fans. The idea that they aren't in the same ballpark is either based in some romantic view of the NWA/WCW days or is based on a hatred of WWE booking style that unfairly tarnishes Cena. I'm not arguing that Cena is better than Flair, but yeah, they are in that same upper echelon of performers.

 

[Amory]

They've been good matches, if a little repetitive. The formula is "high impact move or finisher, false finish" rinse and repeat.

But it's definitely entertaining to watch. I've enjoyed Cena's matches but a lot of that has to do with how good Kevin Owens is.

The match with Cesaro last week was good too.

 

[Liquidsnake]

I appreciate Ric Flair, but he is overrated and Cena is underrated by a large amount of fans. The idea that they aren't in the same ballpark is either based in some romantic view of the NWA/WCW days or is based on a hatred of WWE booking style that unfairly tarnishes Cena. I'm not arguing that Cena is better than Flair, but yeah, they are in that same upper echelon of performers.

Brother Flair's 80's run is the greatest run of interviews, and matches we have ever seen.

Flair never had a bad interview, he never had a bad match. And he wrestled 330 times a year, Carried the industry for the decade, and made more stars than the sky on a hot Texas night.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

Brother Flair's 80's run is the greatest run of interviews, and matches we have ever seen.

Flair never had a bad interview, he never had a bad match. And he wrestled 330 times a year, Carried the industry for the decade, and made more stars than the sky on a hot Texas night.

Before I criticize Flair, let me say that I appreciate how great he was and would not flinch at anyone who asserted that he was the best wrestler ever.

Aesthetically, I think Flair had a number of issues in the ring (on the mic, yeah, he might be the greatest English-speaking promo ever. He and Jake Roberts are the first two guys that spring to mind).

In particular, Flair's philosophy of doing signature spots because he knew that the crowd had come to see them works if you're actually in the crowd at the time, but watching his matches from afar, he jams his stuff into every match whether it makes sense or not. People complain about WWE style forcing people to hit certain spots every time whether or not they make sense, and rightfully so, but Flair is the king of getting his shit in, and it breaks the illusion more often than it should and makes some of those matches less than they should be.

Cena is a great draw as well; Flair was a draw regionally for certain, but nationally, that's a bit harder to quantify. WCW didn't really draw on a national level until Hogan showed up (though Flair drew great house show numbers with Savage in WCW before the promotion really heated up nationally), I think in terms of drawing power, Cena and Flair are roughly in the same neighborhood,.

I love Flair, he's had lots of classics, but this idea that he is somehow so far beyond Cena is silly in my view.

 

[Liquidsnake]

Before I criticize Flair, let me say that I appreciate how great he was and would not flinch at anyone who asserted that he was the best wrestler ever.

Aesthetically, I think Flair had a number of issues in the ring (on the mic, yeah, he might be the greatest English-speaking promo ever. He and Jake Roberts are the first two guys that spring to mind).

In particular, Flair's philosophy of doing signature spots because he knew that the crowd had come to see them works if you're actually in the crowd at the time, but watching his matches from afar, he jams his stuff into every match whether it makes sense or not. People complain about WWE style forcing people to hit certain spots every time whether or not they make sense, and rightfully so, but Flair is the king of getting his shit in, and it breaks the illusion more often than it should and makes some of those matches less than they should be.

Cena is a great draw as well; Flair was a draw regionally for certain, but nationally, that's a bit harder to quantify. WCW didn't really draw on a national level until Hogan showed up (though Flair drew great house show numbers with Savage in WCW before the promotion really heated up nationally), I think in terms of drawing power, Cena and Flair are roughly in the same neighborhood,.

I love Flair, he's had lots of classics, but this idea that he is somehow so far beyond Cena is silly in my view.

Cena can't even lock up properly. Hes the sloppiest wrestler I have ever seen of his stature.

 

[Splendor]

He is doing some of the best work of his career. One of the few big benefits of him being at the top for so long is that now whoever is in the ring with him looks bigger just for hanging on.

When Neville almost hit the Red Arrow on him 2 weeks in to his main roster run I got legitimately excited for what seemed the vote of confidence for Neville on the main show, and having guys like Stardust have a competitive match can do a good job keeping a character that would otherwise be without purpose be relevant, at least for one week.

Also, Owens going over clean shocked the cynical old wrestling fan within me and got me legitimately excited in the stupid way that only wrestling can.

 

[DeathyBoy]

He barely came in sniffing distance of the world title this year. Dude is slumming in the US division

Dude gives no fucks. He gets sent down a division, and has the best match each week while making lower talent look ultra competitive AND at the same time works a feud with Kevin Owen where he makes a newbie look like a megastar.

Cena is the fucking man.

 

[DeathyBoy]

Cena can't even lock up properly. Hes the sloppiest wrestler I have ever seen of his stature.

Cena went an hour with Shawn Michaels and barely broke a sweat.

Is he sloppy? Yeah. But his speed, his stamina, his ferocity...

 

[Guzim]

One thing I will say that Cena disappointed me in was his WrestleMania entrance this year. Especially after Rusev's amazing entrance.

 

[DeathyBoy]

Nice thought out post.

Here's where I feel how the two vastly differ. If you go back and watch that '92 Royal Rumble, Flair SELLS the challenge of surviving the ring against bigger men having come into the ring at No. 3. He SELLS the difficulty, you see the wheel turning, he's looking for windows of opportunity with chaos surrounding him. It is classic storytelling and, imo, marks one of the best spots to point in that regard.

So, with that being said, and having now caught up to some RR of the paast few years, no other wrestler has come close to inserting that layer of storytelling into a match, least of all Cena. Cena cannot carry a story the way Flair did and we all know how important it is to sell a story in the program.

I think the point is more that...

Flair wrestled for an hour with ease, so did Cena.
Flair adapted to who he faced, so did Cena.
Both spent years on top without losing a step.
Both can be moved up/down the card and never slum it quality wise.

 

[FStop7]

Because Cena and Flair are not even in the same universe. Their names should never be mentioned one after the other.

This would be the biggest travesty in the history of the sport. I would put an astrix next to Cena's name for ever. It would be The Barry Bonds treatment. I would not acknowledge it, non of you should either.

Aren't Cena and Flair friends?

 

[hlhbk]

Dude gives no fucks. He gets sent down a division, and has the best match each week while making lower talent look ultra competitive AND at the same time works a feud with Kevin Owen where he makes a newbie look like a megastar.

Cena is the fucking man.

Owens is hardly a newbie. He looks like a star because he is. Just because someone isn't wrestling in WWE doesn't mean they are a newbie.

Also as much as I have hated on Cena his work this year has been great.

 

[Fox318]

I think it speaks to him not being involved in a storyline that has Steph, HHH, or Vince in the main role.

Simple as shit storylines work the best in wrestling. Cena wants to be the champion and people want his ass beat.

Fucking simple as shit. Its why the Rusev matches had no heat. Nobody wants to root for some cookie cutter corporate tool as some sort of representative of the nation.

People liked him originally because he came across as a thug and somebody who wanted to beat people up. Then they branded him as a kids star and he started dressing up like a power ranger while the business was dying.

Now Cena is somebody who is in a position where he can put people over, he can have good matches, and he can cut promos on how he wants to be the best and beat this other guy.

And guess what? It works. You don't need to hire a team of writers from shitty UPN sitcoms to figure that story out.