John Cena reveals reason why he decided to drop popular gimmick

The latest presentation from the WWE Network is a special documentary that focuses on one of the most crucial periods in WWE history: The Ruthless Aggression Era. The special sees several Superstars from the era talking about the impact it had on the company, as well as on their careers.

WWE legend and 16-time World Champion John Cena was featured on the second episode of the series, where he talked about the rapping gimmick that he popularized back in 2003-04. Cena went into detail on when he decided to stop rapping:

I had a personality that attached to the people who were watching, but then slowly the people who were watching changed and they began to be more kids and more families to come to these events. And I saw it happen. I didn’t need a sheet of analytics. I can see it. So I said, this is it. We’re changing up right now. I remember going into Vince’s office and said, ‘I have to stop rapping.'

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Cena returns at WrestleMania 35 as The Doctor of Thugonomics:

Cena came up to the main roster in the spring of 2002, and was presented as a babyface in the beginning. The Gimmick didn't work for him, and he soon transformed himself into an obnoxious, disrespectful rapper. The character change worked and he went on to become a mainstay on SmackDown.

With the passage of time, Cena turned into a major mainstream name and donned the gimmick of a babyface, primarily directed towards WWE's young audience.