10 Reasons Why It Took John Cena 16 Years To Get Good At Wrestling

By Marcus K. Dowling /

2. He Didn't Have To "Run The Gauntlet"

Pictured are The Rock, Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan, aka the three men Triple H had to defeat before anyone took him anywhere near seriously as a main event performer. When you realize that Cena never wrestled Austin or Hogan and caught The Rock when he was a part-time wrestler -- yet is still seriously considered a main eventer -- you can see where the pieces of the puzzle that are missing that allow some to consider John Cena to not be a great wrestler-as-main eventer exist. Cena's a tremendous draw. However, that's "tremendous" in a depressed era in which WWE's entire business model has shifted and in-ring presentation has evolved. Thus, Cena's in this weird place of not having really had to prove himself as a great wrestler in extraordinarily high profile and gargantuan money situations against a plethora of legendary opponents like, say, Triple H did.