"Greatest of all time? Absolutely not" – WWE veteran chooses between Hulk Hogan and John Cena (Exclusive)
Hulk Hogan and John Cena are two of the most successful WWE Superstars in history. SmackDown commentator Michael Cole recently referred to Cena as "the greatest of all time," but Vince Russo disagrees with that statement.
Cena will return to WWE in-ring action this Friday when he teams up with Kevin Owens to face Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on SmackDown. Like Hogan, the 16-time world champion is often mentioned when fans debate which superstars would appear on a wrestling version of Mt. Rushmore.
Russo discussed the greatest of all time topic with Dr. Chris Featherstone on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo show. While he appreciates Cena's success, the former WWE writer thinks no one can match Hogan's level of star power:
"Top five," Russo said about Cena. "Listen, man, having been in the business and having worked for that company, you gotta be a special animal for that kind of longevity. You just do. You have to be a special person to be able to work in that environment for decades and decades and decades. Number one, at the top of my list, would be longevity, but greatest of all time? Absolutely not." [6:32 – 7:28]
In the video above, Russo gives his take on the possibility of John Cena facing a former rival at WrestleMania 39.
Why Vince Russo rates Hulk Hogan above John Cena
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Hulk Hogan was presented as WWE's star attraction. The wrestling legend's popularity was so huge that former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon booked him to headline eight of the first nine WrestleMania shows.
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Vince Russo worked with many iconic names during his time as a writer, including Hogan, The Rock, and Steve Austin. He believes The Hulkster drew more money than anyone in the history of the business:
"Anybody who says that Hulk Hogan wasn't the greatest of all time are just out of their minds," Russo continued. "The money that guy made that company when he was on top, and the fanbase he brought to the WWF [WWE], I'm sorry, bro, I worked with Rock, I worked with Austin, Cena was not a greater champion than Hulk Hogan." [7:29 – 8:00]
Michael Cole is not the only person to refer to Cena as "the greatest of all time" on WWE television. The moniker has been associated with the veteran for several years. Vince McMahon even used the term during an announcement about Cena's most recent return to RAW in June.
Who do you think is the greatest WWE Superstar of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.