10 Historic 2002 Raw & SmackDown Moments To Check Out On WWE Network

5. John Cena Introduces 'Ruthless Aggression'

Today, John Cena is arguably the biggest star that WWE have on their roster. The man may not be the most popular with a certain portion of the audience, but he's still someone who always provokes a reaction whenever he appears. Love him or hate him, it cannot be denied that Cena is a huge name. Obviously, that wasn't always the case, even the biggest stars have to start somewhere. On the June 27th episode of Smackdown in 2002, Cena first made his presence felt. Answering an open challenge by main event star Kurt Angle, the wide-eyed young grappler was booked to take the 'Olympic Hero' to his limits before ultimately succumbing to defeat. Nonetheless, it was a promising debut, and history would dictate that John Cena had a lot more to offer. Given all that's happened since, it's entertaining to look back to a time when wrestling fans didn't have a clue who Cena was. Reacting positively to his fire and in-ring ability, the live crowd on Smackdown seemed excited by the new name on the roster. Cena may not have had much character to speak of, but he did impress on his in-ring debut.