5 career turning moments for John Cena
Today, John Cena is the biggest professional wrestler – or sports entertainer if you’re Vince McMahon – in the world. Despite taking more and more time off from active in-ring duties for movies, his upcoming wedding, and being the WWE’s brand ambassador to the outside world, he’s still very much The Face That Runs the Place.
Whether you love him or hate him, you have to admit that Big Match John has done a hell of a lot for the only wrestling promotion in which he has wrestled. For all of his faults and mistakes, the man is very very good at his job. He is a modern day Hulk Hogan who threatens to eclipse even the legendary Hulkster himself.
Also read: An open letter to the Doctor of Thuganomics, John Cena
But, what brought him to this stage? How did he go from being an unknown whippersnapper challenging Kurt Angle to equalling The Nature Boy Ric Flair’s record 16 World Titles? Well, there are some very definite moments that have brought him to his current state as the Leader of the Cenation.
So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 career turning moments for John Cena:
Please Note: These entries are listed chronologically and not by their importance to his career.
#5 His debut against Kurt Angle
As I mentioned in the intro to this article, John Cena made his debut as a nobody against Kurt Angle. Appearing on an episode of Friday Night Smackdown just days after Vince McMahon had demanded “Ruthless Aggression” on an episode of Monday Night Raw, the youngster echoed his boss as he answered Kurt Angle’s Open Challenge.
Although he lost, he put on a hell of a show and nearly got one over on the legendary Olympic Gold Medalist. It was a pivotal moment for Cena, who was making the jump up from WWE developmental to the main roster. There was no way he was going to be successful if he didn’t make an impact on his debut and that’s just what he did.
In his first ever test, Cena passes with flying colours to ensured his career changed for the better. If he had messed this up, there is no way in hell he would become the biggest WWE Superstar on planet Earth.