“I used to think I was put on Earth to be a wrestler. That was it. I was put on Earth to be a WWE Superstar. Then I started doing a little bit of acting, and I’m like ‘oh, it’s easy, I’m a storyteller.’ No, I’m a human being, breathing air like everybody else, and I’m significantly insignificant. I’m a grain of sand on a beach in a pale blue dot out in the middle of nowhere. I just want to be useful. Life, to me, is a gift. In my tenure, I understand I have been given lottery ticket after lottery ticket after lottery ticket. I am lucky. I understand my luck, and I try to live each day grateful for the luck, so when the sun goes down, I look at what I did for the day, even if it’s relax… did I earn the sunset? Some days I don’t, and I motivate myself to try to do it again, but most days I do, and that’s my sense of purpose. So now I have ‘what makes me happy?’ and I can chase those things, and that’s what makes the ride super fun, man.” – John Cena
I kid you not, I’ve started and restarted this column at least two dozen times in recent weeks.
I’ll start something, get a couple hundred words typed out, decide I’m not feeling the “vibe,” delete everything, and start brainstorming for the next edition.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
John Cena’s in-ring career officially coming to an end has me conflicted.
On one hand, as I’ve stated numerous times in the past, I am all about professional athletes getting the opportunity to walk away when they want to. John has been given that opportunity. Far too many athletes don’t get to make that decision for themselves, and they’re forced to retire due to injuries or by teams/organizations flat out not wanting them anymore. We see it all the time in pro wrestling, from Magnum TA to Droz to Tyson Kidd, and many others.
On the other hand, though, we’re talking about the end of the road for the man who is not only the greatest WWE Superstar of all-time, but who is also my favorite professional wrestler of all-time.
John came along at a very interesting point in my life and my wrestling fandom. As a kid, my first favorite wrestler was Ric Flair, who was my introduction to the sport, but it was Hulk Hogan that helped me fall in love with wrestling. As I got a little older, that’s when The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin came along and won me over.
With John Cena, though, he made his debut when I was already an adult. I wouldn’t say that I was falling out of love with wrestling in my early adult years, but I would say that early adulthood provided me with a lot more to do, giving me less time to devote to wrestling. To show my age, I was three weeks shy of my 20th birthday when John answered Kurt Angle’s open challenge and made his debut on Smackdown in 2002.
I won’t sit here and pretend that I saw a future World Champion when he debuted. In fact, I don’t think I paid much attention to him at all in the beginning. It wasn’t until his character shifted, and he was cutting freestyles and wearing jerseys every week, that I began taking notice.
At that stage of my life, I owned a sports jersey collection that was only rivaled by pro athletes and rappers. I had three closets at my place, all completely filled with jerseys from wall-to-wall. Each room had at least one dresser in it, with each drawer stacked to the brim with jerseys. Storage bin after storage bin after storage bin after storage bin, all packed with jerseys. There wasn’t a team in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL that wasn’t represented in my collection, not to mention the ridiculous amounts of college jerseys I had. Throwbacks, current players, personalized specialties, obscure players… I had them all.
To see someone on WWE programming who shared my love for jerseys was special. He was immersed in the hip-hop culture. I was immersed in the hip-hop culture. The natural connection was there.
I’m not 100% sure what I expected from him as a character then, but I was still excited to witness the journey, whatever it would be.
As John began to move his way up the card, I found myself paying more attention to the WWE product. Not just his work, but WWE, as a whole. Just like that, I was back to being the diehard fan I was for years.
If you were a member of the LoP Forums, the message board for this very site, when it was up and running, you might remember that I was one of the first (and certainly one of the most passionate) defenders of John’s in-ring work when fans began to turn on him between WrestleMania 21 and WrestleMania 22. It just seemed weird to me that fans were getting what they had been asking for, and then, when they received it, they decided they didn’t want it anymore. Was John the smoothest in-ring performer of all-time? No. His matches were always more about the storytelling aspect instead of moves being strung together. He was working the matches he had always worked, and it’s what had pushed him to the top of the wrestling world, but fans suddenly decided that he “couldn’t wrestle” and that he was “being pushed down our throats.”
It didn’t make sense.
My journey as a wrestling fan over the last 20 years is directly tied to John Cena’s career. This was before I started writing columns. Before I discovered Ring Of Honor and numerous independent wrestling promotions. Before I was introduced to the work of Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, The Briscoes, Kazuchika Okada, CM Punk, Shingo Takagi, Homicide, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Kevin Steen/Owens, El Generico/Sami Zayn, Tyler Black/Seth Rollins, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Will Ospreay, Shinsuke Nakamura, and on and on… wrestlers who would go on to become all-time favorites of mine, even further changing and shaping my fandom.
The craziest part about all of this is that I haven’t really thought about any of it before. I was talking about John’s retirement with someone a few weeks ago, and they asked me why I became such a big fan of his. After thinking about it for a moment, I made that connection about what my fandom “owes” John Cena. Like I said about Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, those two are the reasons I discovered pro wrestling and fell in love with pro wrestling, respectively, and I “owe” everything to them. John Cena, however, gets all the credit in the world for rejuvenating my love for wrestling at a time when things could’ve gone downhill.
So… what is it, specifically, that I like about John Cena’s in-ring work? Why did I continue being a fan, years after he dropped the jerseys and freestyles from his presentation? As I said, he was never the smoothest guy in the ring. According to the man himself, he has/had “two left feet” when it comes to athleticism. He didn’t come to the business with a championship amateur background like Kurt Angle, or with the size advantages of Big Show, or with the overwhelming athletic ability of John Morrison, and so on. That meant he needed to work harder and find other ways to succeed.
From his early days in Ohio Valley Wrestling, John captured the attention of fans and coaches alike with his natural charisma. The way he connected with crowds helped him to stand out in an OVW class that included the likes of Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Batista, and Shelton Benjamin. To say that continued once John was called up from OVW would be quite the understatement.
Look no further than the years of loud, dueling chants of “let’s go, Cena” and “Cena sucks” as proof of the man’s connection. No matter what is going on, no matter who he is facing, no matter where he is on the card… everyone cares, in one way or another. Every roster of every promotion features people who “can’t wrestle,” and while some of them reach heckling status, the vast majority of them don’t see much of a reaction at all because, frankly, nobody cares.
After spending a good amount of time becoming a mega fan of John Cena’s matches and promos, I got to learn about the man behind the on-screen character, and once again, that’s when everything changed.
We, as fans, were given access to the work that John was doing with the United States military, as well as with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting wishes of seriously ill children all across the country. He had an already busy schedule as the top name in WWE, and was also busy with his career as a rapper, while also becoming a budding actor and working on multiple projects. Seeing him take on the charity work, as well as the media obligations that major WWE stars have on their plates, made me view him in an entirely different light.
How can you not be moved by watching him interact with the Make-A-Wish kids? Every single time I’ve seen video of his wish granting, he comes across as someone who truly loves doing it, and not just because he feels that he has to or is being pressured by the company to do it. When you see or hear from family members of the children after the fact, the “reviews” are always the same… he engages with the kids, treats them like they’re the only people in the room, and goes above and beyond to make the kids forget about their problems, even if it’s just for a few moments.
In 2018, I became a father. If any of you are parents, you’ll understand the paradigm shift that happens in your life when you welcome a child. One of the changes for me is how emotional I have become since my daughter was born, especially when it comes to things that involve children. If I watch a movie scene or a YouTube video that involves a sick child or the story of a father/daughter bond, there’s a pretty good chance I’m going to end up with tears welling up in my eyes, if not outright crying. I can’t help it.
Because of that, videos of John’s Make-A-Wish work have a new meaning for me now. I put myself in the shoes of these families, thinking about my daughter facing the unthinkable obstacles that these kids are facing, and it hurts my heart. The fact that John has been involved in so many situations like this… he topped the 650 wish mark over three years ago, making him far and away the most popular celebrity in the 45-year history of Make-A-Wish… blows my mind.
I think about all of these things, and when you put them all together, I think John Cena presents one of the greatest legacies, and perhaps THE greatest legacy, in the history of pro wrestling. More officially recognized World Title reigns than anyone to ever do it. Just about every in-ring accolade that there is to achieve in WWE. Transcending the sport of wrestling to become a platinum-selling rapper and an award-winning actor. The legendary work ethic, balancing multiple streams of business with record-breaking charity work. It’s all there.
I also think about the journey that I’ve been on with my wrestling fandom over the last 23 years. Falling back in love with the sport, watching a meteoric rise to superstardom, and witnessing the single greatest WWE career of all-time unfold right in front of me. He’s been around for so long that even my daughter knows who he is now. Hell, the first thing she ever heard me rap from beginning to end was John’s verse on “The Time Is Now,” and she looked at me in amazement, blown away that I somehow knew all of the words to a song because she didn’t think something like that was possible at such a young age.
Thank you, John Cena.
Thank you for the in-ring career you gave to the world over the last two-plus decades. The memorable moments, matches, and promos. That connection with live crowds all over the world.
Thank you for the person that you are. For being a real-life superhero to countless people in all walks of life, providing a light in their times of darkness. For making me want to be a better man and earn every possible sunset I can get.
Wrestling won’t be the same without you.
Weekly Power Rankings
John Cena: Simply the best.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Kyle Fletcher: This might be the Match Of The Year when it comes to wrestling television. My goodness, what a match. They wrestled a balls-to-the-wall style for nearly 20 minutes, packing in so much action. The Continental Classic continues to have wrestlers stepping their game up on a weekly basis. The icing on the cake was the win by Speedball, continuing the trend in this year’s tournament where upsets take place. That’s not a knock on Mike Bailey at all. He’s great in the ring. It’s just that he has been positioned as a tag team wrestler, while Fletcher has basically been presented as a guaranteed multiple-time World Champion in the not-too-distant future.
Ilja Dragunov vs Tommaso Ciampa: In the same week, we got what may have been the overall television Match Of The Year, as well as what some are calling WWE’s television Match Of The Year, and also what some are calling NXT’s television Match Of The Year (more on that shortly). Life can be pretty beautiful sometimes, huh?
Oba Femi vs Je’Von Evans: In a short amount of time, these two have built up a ton of in-ring chemistry together. I fully expect their rivalry to continue for years to come, with the potential for them squaring off in WrestleMania main events being there.
Claudio Castagnoli vs Konosuke Takeshita: The CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, who is a full-time AEW roster member, facing the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, who is also a full-time AEW roster member, on AEW television. Wrestling is crazy. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that this went to a draw. If I were CMLL or New Japan, I probably wouldn’t want my top champion losing in “random” AEW matches, either. It fit in the context of the Continental Classic, though, so it’s not like it’s a big deal that neither man was victorious here.
AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater: Quite the sprint here, with all four men going crazy from the start. They knew they didn’t have a ton of time to work with, so they made sure to make the most out of the time they were given. That’s such an important part of pro wrestling.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Kevin Knight: Helluva week for ol’ Speedball. He’s having a really good showing in the Continental Classic, and as we’re coming up on the final stretch of the tournament, he has positioned himself where he has a good shot at winning the entire thing.
John Cena vs Gunther: I’ve seen, heard, and read everyone’s opinions on the match itself, as well as on the way the match ended. As I said on Twitter in the immediate aftermath of the match, I enjoyed the ending. A submission loss is supposed to take place when you’ve fought with everything you have, but there is no escaping the fate that has been placed in front of you. Cena fought and fought and fought and fought, trying to escape Gunther’s Sleeper, but ultimately, there was no escaping his fate. People that are upset about the “Never Give Up” man giving up are taking things entirely too literally. He’s telling people to fight, and that’s exactly what he did, right down to the wire. The message doesn’t change. Battling deadly diseases, mental health issues, and general life hurdles are tough, but you have to fight. Yes, real life scenarios are different than pro wrestling matches, but again, you fight and fight, and even though you put up the fight of your life, sometimes you simply cannot escape fate. That’s life. “Never Give Up” is an easier sell for merchandise than “Fight As Much As You Can Instead Of Just Giving Up Right Away In The Face Of Any Adversity You Face, Please” would be. In kayfabe, Gunther now has something that nobody in the history of pro wrestling has, which is worth more than gold.
Mark Briscoe vs Daniel Garcia: It’s still cool to see Mark Briscoe hold singles gold in AEW in late-2025. He has had such a crazy career, and it would’ve been easy for him to fade away following the tragic loss of his brother, Jay, but I’m glad to see him shining still and receiving plenty of love almost three years after Jay’s passing.
AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs The War Raiders: Even though they were thrown together seemingly at random, AJ Lee continues to look strong as a tag team, putting on impressive performance after impressive performance. With AJ’s retirement tour set to begin at the turn of the calendar in a couple weeks, I would assume this won’t be a long-term team, but I’ll enjoy their work together while it lasts, however long that is.
Iyo Sky vs Kairi Sane: Two veterans who know each other very well. Of course the match was going to be entertaining. Iyo’s in-ring hot streak continues as she tries to solidify her case for being the Wrestler Of The Year in 2025, and Kairi continues to show that she is deserving of being more than just a background player for Iyo and Asuka.
Jack Perry vs Kazuchika Okada: The match itself was good, but in the end, the main thing that will be remembered was Jack Perry’s… umm… creative… counter to a Tombstone attempt by Okada. When you’re about to get dropped on your head, you do what you can to survive. In this case, that meant biting Okada right in the sushi roll. Clever.
Samoa Joe vs Eddie Kingston: It wasn’t pretty, but it was never going to be, and it was never supposed to be. This was just two rough and tough veterans trying to beat the hell out of each other, and sometimes, you don’t need more than that.
Bayley vs Sol Ruca: I like that Bayley is so untouchable that she could lose 100 matches in a row and still be beloved by live crowds and taken seriously as a contender. I’ve got zero issues with her losing here. Sol Ruca is someone that is clearly viewed by those in charge of WWE as having a very bright future, so giving her a high-profile win against a future Hall Of Famer makes sense.
Lyra Valkyria vs Roxanne Perez: I like the work that Roxanne has been doing on Raw, but I think we’re quickly reaching the point where she needs something bigger and better to do. Now that John Cena’s final match has come and gone, WWE can truly shift its focus to the Royal Rumble and to WrestleMania season, so perhaps that’s coming soon.
Jordynne Grace vs Kelani Jordan: When Jordynne officially joined NXT, it seemed like a lock that she would be a huge deal in the women’s division on Tuesday nights. Months later, and it feels like she has lost almost every big match she has been a part of. That’s crazy to me. Obviously, there’s still plenty of time to turn it around. I’m not calling her a lost cause or anything. It would just be nice to see her gain some momentum.
The Usos: April 1st, 2023. That was the last time Jimmy and Jey Uso held Tag Team Titles together. They just made the announcement that they’re back as a team, and they’re gunning for the World Tag Team Titles again. That’s great news… unless, of course, it’s part of the rumored heel turn for Jey Uso, who will end up turning on his brother after a loss or something. We shall see.
Cody Rhodes vs Oba Femi: We probably shouldn’t have expected anything other than the finish we got here. Drew McIntyre was looming over the match the entire time. On the bright side, though, Oba proved that he belonged in the ring with the face of WWE, and showed that this was only the beginning for him on the main roster. I don’t know how realistic the possibility is, but he is already a super popular pick to shock the world by winning the Royal Rumble next month. That would be something, wouldn’t it?
Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron: The match they won the titles in didn’t quite meet the cut here, but congratulations to the brand new AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions. As good as Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa are together, putting the titles on Willow and Harley was the right decision. Their act is hot, they’re super popular, and there is a lot of entertaining scenarios you can create with Harley as a champion. I dig it.
This Week’s Playlist: “Sabado” by Snow Tha Product… “Am I Blurry?” by LaRussell, Snow Tha Product & ClayDough… “under your skin” by Silent Planet… “Adrenaline” by Volumes… “Best Shot” by High Watah… “Take It Personal” by Gang Starr… “Code Of The Streets” by Gang Starr… “Mass Appeal” by Gang Starr… “Work” by Gang Starr… “Above The Clouds” by Gang Starr & Inspectah Deck… “Rite Where U Stand” by Gang Starr & Jadakiss… “The Time Is Now” by John Cena & Tha Trademarc… “Right Now” by John Cena & Tha Trademarc… “Bad, Bad Man” by John Cena, Tha Trademarc & Bumpy Knuckles… “If It All Ended Tomorrow” by John Cena & Tha Trademarc… “Prize Fighter” by Jean Dawson… “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn… “Alone” by Heart… “Angel” by Jon Secada… “Da Rockwilder” by Method Man & Redman
