Cena: still very professional despite the jeers by some fans. photo by Hub Pacheco
P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O.
by Jeff Ty
For John Cena haters out there, consider this:
Young superstars, when pushed ahead of their contemporaries, sometimes swallow in their own poison. The perfect and classic example would be my childhood favorie The Ultimate Warrior. However, upon knowing of his unprofessional behavior that led to his downfall or "self-destruction", I was turned off by him. I don't believe that I admired a selfish egomaniac, but that showed us the risk of overpushing a promising but risky young wrestler. Here are other 2 examples.
Brock Lesnar: He was only 24 when he beat THE ROCK, yes, The People's Champion to win his first WWE Championship. Before that, he was crowned 2002 King of the Ring. His championship reign was solidified by his Hell In A Cell match against THE UNDERTAKER, yes, The Dead Man does job! Then he also won another WWE tradition, eliminating The Undertaker last to win the 2003 Royal Rumble. Then he went on to main event Wrestlemania 19, where he beat KURT ANGLE, yes, the Olympic Champion, for his second WWE Championship. In Septmeber 2003, Kurt Angle again jobbed to him in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match where Lesnar won his third and final WWE Championship. But after he lost to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004, he disgraced himself in front of WWE fans at Wrestlemania 20, flashing a dirty finger to them.
Damn, I didn't even include those countless WWE superstars who jobbed to push this ungrateful Minneapolis native. He complained about the hectic schedule of the WWE, but that is how things are. If the Ultimate Warrior was only unpopular among co-wrestlers and WWE officials but not with wrestling fans, Brock Lesnar was infamous everywhere in the wrestling world, whether it be fans or co-wrestlers.
Randy Orton: Although not as grave as Brock Lesnar, he is also a contemporary example of young and promising wrestlers that were given the opportunity to follow the footsteps of greats like Stone Cold and The Rock. He was included in the Elimination Chamber at Summerslam 2003. A month later, he recorded a pinfall over SHAWN MICHAELS, yes, the Heartbreak Kid via Ric Flair's antics at Unforgiven 2003. At Survivor Series 2003, he led Team Bischoff to victory over Team Austin, scoring the deciding pinfall over Shawn Michaels again. A month later, at Armageddon 2003, he beat RVD for the Intercontinental Title, his first championship. At Wrestlemania 20, he willed Evolution (Ric Flair, Batista, and him) to a win over the fabled ROCK N' SOCK CONNECTION, yes, Mick Foley and The Rock. A month later, at Backlash 2004, a hardcore legend and a future Hall of Famer in Mick Foley jobbed to him in a Hardcore Match. And heaven forbid, at Summerslam 2004, he became the youngest WWE Champion of all-time, beating CHRIS BENOIT, yes, the Rabid Wolverine. At Survivor Series 2004, he again scored the deciding pinfall in the Classic Survivor Series match. At New Year's Revolution 2005, he was the last wrestler to be pinned. However, unlike Brock Lesnar, he did lost some key matches, like Unforgiven 2004 to Triple H and Wrestlemania 21 to Undertaker. During the 2nd half of 2005, everybody knew that he was in for a big push this year, 2006, so it was a given that he would become champion at Wrestlemania 22. For some reason, Rey Mysterio instead pinned him, who in the first place is an experienced veteran who had gone through many obstacles during his years in WCW, ECW, Japan, Mexico, other U.S. "indy" wrestling organizations, etc.
For those very women who blush and/or shriek at the sight of the handsome Randy Orton, reports of him being unprofessional with female co-wrestlers began spreading on the Internet, which many believed was the reason why WWE chose to suspend him indefinitely since April. Apparently, one could infer that his constant pushes began to increase his ego. This has been really very embarassing for Randy Orton, who as of press time, is still suspended.
And John Cena? Please, not only he is a marketing gem and symbolic representative for the WWE, he is also a very professional wrestler and person who knows how to deal with those fans who don't give him some serious shit. He is a bit overpushed, but he knows how to handle the pressure, unlike the Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton. John Cena, without a shadow of a doubt, has exceeded expectations much like LeBron James in the NBA. It is only fitting to say that in years' time, he would be the next Stone Cold or The Rock that we are longing for nowadays. Here is an illustration to summarize:
Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton < JOHN CENA < The Rock and Stone Cold
Young superstars, when pushed ahead of their contemporaries, sometimes swallow in their own poison. The perfect and classic example would be my childhood favorie The Ultimate Warrior. However, upon knowing of his unprofessional behavior that led to his downfall or "self-destruction", I was turned off by him. I don't believe that I admired a selfish egomaniac, but that showed us the risk of overpushing a promising but risky young wrestler. Here are other 2 examples.
Brock Lesnar: He was only 24 when he beat THE ROCK, yes, The People's Champion to win his first WWE Championship. Before that, he was crowned 2002 King of the Ring. His championship reign was solidified by his Hell In A Cell match against THE UNDERTAKER, yes, The Dead Man does job! Then he also won another WWE tradition, eliminating The Undertaker last to win the 2003 Royal Rumble. Then he went on to main event Wrestlemania 19, where he beat KURT ANGLE, yes, the Olympic Champion, for his second WWE Championship. In Septmeber 2003, Kurt Angle again jobbed to him in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match where Lesnar won his third and final WWE Championship. But after he lost to Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2004, he disgraced himself in front of WWE fans at Wrestlemania 20, flashing a dirty finger to them.
Damn, I didn't even include those countless WWE superstars who jobbed to push this ungrateful Minneapolis native. He complained about the hectic schedule of the WWE, but that is how things are. If the Ultimate Warrior was only unpopular among co-wrestlers and WWE officials but not with wrestling fans, Brock Lesnar was infamous everywhere in the wrestling world, whether it be fans or co-wrestlers.
Randy Orton: Although not as grave as Brock Lesnar, he is also a contemporary example of young and promising wrestlers that were given the opportunity to follow the footsteps of greats like Stone Cold and The Rock. He was included in the Elimination Chamber at Summerslam 2003. A month later, he recorded a pinfall over SHAWN MICHAELS, yes, the Heartbreak Kid via Ric Flair's antics at Unforgiven 2003. At Survivor Series 2003, he led Team Bischoff to victory over Team Austin, scoring the deciding pinfall over Shawn Michaels again. A month later, at Armageddon 2003, he beat RVD for the Intercontinental Title, his first championship. At Wrestlemania 20, he willed Evolution (Ric Flair, Batista, and him) to a win over the fabled ROCK N' SOCK CONNECTION, yes, Mick Foley and The Rock. A month later, at Backlash 2004, a hardcore legend and a future Hall of Famer in Mick Foley jobbed to him in a Hardcore Match. And heaven forbid, at Summerslam 2004, he became the youngest WWE Champion of all-time, beating CHRIS BENOIT, yes, the Rabid Wolverine. At Survivor Series 2004, he again scored the deciding pinfall in the Classic Survivor Series match. At New Year's Revolution 2005, he was the last wrestler to be pinned. However, unlike Brock Lesnar, he did lost some key matches, like Unforgiven 2004 to Triple H and Wrestlemania 21 to Undertaker. During the 2nd half of 2005, everybody knew that he was in for a big push this year, 2006, so it was a given that he would become champion at Wrestlemania 22. For some reason, Rey Mysterio instead pinned him, who in the first place is an experienced veteran who had gone through many obstacles during his years in WCW, ECW, Japan, Mexico, other U.S. "indy" wrestling organizations, etc.
For those very women who blush and/or shriek at the sight of the handsome Randy Orton, reports of him being unprofessional with female co-wrestlers began spreading on the Internet, which many believed was the reason why WWE chose to suspend him indefinitely since April. Apparently, one could infer that his constant pushes began to increase his ego. This has been really very embarassing for Randy Orton, who as of press time, is still suspended.
And John Cena? Please, not only he is a marketing gem and symbolic representative for the WWE, he is also a very professional wrestler and person who knows how to deal with those fans who don't give him some serious shit. He is a bit overpushed, but he knows how to handle the pressure, unlike the Ultimate Warrior, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton. John Cena, without a shadow of a doubt, has exceeded expectations much like LeBron James in the NBA. It is only fitting to say that in years' time, he would be the next Stone Cold or The Rock that we are longing for nowadays. Here is an illustration to summarize:
Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton < JOHN CENA < The Rock and Stone Cold
