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

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.