The X-Factor: The John Cena hate train

Unforgiven 2006. Toronto. That night began the longest WWE Championship reign since Kevin Nash. 380 days. John Cena would go on to prove himself as one of the best, even if the vicious haters would swear he wasn’t. I checked his Wikipedia page, which at the time had a section called “Fan backlash”. Wanted to see if it was changed. Some idiot wiped out the whole page and put this in response to Cena’s big win.

“Because he sucked more dick than Hogan”.

The Belgian crowd booed him for the right reasons.

Anyone who was watching over the last 20 years will get it. The hate was irrational if not just plain crazy. To this day I refuse to forgive the ECW fans for throwing his shirt back. 

The strength it took not to lash out online ala Seth Rollins or CM Punk. Other men would’ve told the fans where to stick their criticism. I’ll admit, as one of his biggest fans, some of it was on point. Yet, was Cena waiting for a chance to lash out? How hard was it for him to constantly turn the other cheek? Bite his tongue whenever he got blamed for things that weren’t his doing?

The hate was horrible.

The turn has also left people revisiting one of his biggest watershed moments from WrestleMania 36. Any chance it’ll be touched upon on screen? Alexa Bliss or Uncle Howdy taunt him saying The Fiend was right all along? Would make for good TV. A common theme was that The Fiend tainted the ones he feuded with. So, there you go.

They’ve called this turn the greatest since Bash at the Beach ’96. Well, it’s 1b for me.

I just can’t picture him winning #17 as a heel. Let him retire as the champ and a hero and ride off into the sunset Trish Stratus style.

Lucky man Cody Rhodes is to do four main events in a row. Hulk Hogan and Roman Reigns have. What about the main event of Night 1? The rumors that the winner will join Cena vs. Rhodes? They’ve got a good story.

Here’s a final thought. The whole thing loses some weight when you remember he’s been cheered for the last four years. It’s also worth bringing up he’s been part-time for nearly a decade. That could be a reason why, and in his last full-time year he was putting on bangers AND raising the US title’s profile. What if he hadn’t gone Hollywood? He’d probably still hear the dueling chants.

Are we ever gonna hear how The Rock got him to turn?

Las Vegas is still a month away. A lot can happen.

Don’t mess with the X.