The X-Factor: John Cena, and his greatest rivalry

It still hasn’t sunk in. It’s the end of the line for John Cena, unless the rumors about The Rock are true. When Cena hit the main event scene in 2005, I’d been a fan since 1999, but I was still a bit naive. Didn’t start reading the dirt sheets until that year. When the mixed reactions started I was a bit stymied. 

Then came 2006. 

I saw New Year’s Revolution, saw Cena go wire to wire to win, and then Vince McMahon hit the stage to say there was one more match and someone was “cashing in”. 

That BS with Matt Hardy made me resent Edge, not just because he cheated on his wife with his friends GF, but because the boss saw fit to reward him and punish Matt when he was the victim.

So it happened, and NYR 2006 became historic for the first cash in, but also for the start of what many think is Cena’s greatest rivalry. The night after losing the title, Cena had no choice but to acknowledge the mixed reactions. Mr. Hustle Loyalty Respect was champ again three weeks later.

Cena went on to face Triple H at WrestleMania 22. Chicago was harsh, but what came two months later pushed me.

ECW One Night Stand – June 11, 2006.

“IF CENA WINS WE RIOT”.

The sign was so inspiring. “IF ROMAN REIGNS WINS WE REMAIN APATHETIC” is my favorite.

New York crowds have a right to cheer who they want but throwing back Cena’s shirt several times? Uh-uh. There’s not many men who could’ve marched into that room without getting eaten alive.

Edge cost him the title again. Between that and the venomous crowd, that was the night I became a true fan of John Cena.

So the feud with Edge continued. Rob Van Dam had to drop not one but both his straps – the WWE Championship to Edge – after getting busted for possession.

SummerSlam 2006. Once again, Edge played dirty and escaped Cena with the title, right after he went to the home of Cena’s father and slapped him silly.

Edge had pushed him before, but now he was begging for it.

I’m not embarrassed to say I was jumping up and down when Cena won the title back at Unforgiven 2006, and from then on he’d hit the ground running with a year long reign. 

The spinner title was my first, and my next replica was the Network logo with Cena’s side plates. The Attitude Era is what drew me in, but it was John Cena’s rise that made me love the business all over again.

It amazed me how much the haters kept lying to themselves. They refused to admit his matches weren’t carry-jobs by his opponents. Some of the jabs were making a good point or two, but otherwise it was blind hate. Just angry throwing at the dartboard not even trying to hit the bulls-eye.

Yet, at the 2008 Royal Rumble, the MSG fans went bonkers when his music hit, but went right back to booing him once he hit the ring.

You know he’s a decent guy if he granted over 650 wishes people. I vaguely remember a promo where Cena expressed that people who don’t like him have thanked him for being a hero to their kids. 

The world can really suck. It needs heroes.

While the heel turn didn’t exactly catch fire, it made for one of the best talking points in recent years.

Maybe his greatest match was at the 2017 Royal Rumble against AJ Styles. There’s also their bout at SummerSlam ’16.

Apart from Edge, maybe it was Randy Orton. CM Punk. AJ Styles. Bray Wyatt. Dear Lord, the Firefly Funhouse. 

Well, what’s left to say? I was at the July 4, 2017 Smackdown when John returned from a filming a movie. Sat in the front row next to the entrance. Got to high five him after his opening promo, and there’s a shot of me holding up my two titles while he made his entrance. He did a dark match teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura and gave me a nod when he saw my title with his plates. In hindsight, I should’ve taken a pen so he could sign my title.

Don’t mess with the X.