10 Reasons Why John Cena’s WWE Legacy Is Disastrous

1. Commercial Safety

John Cena Raw
WWE.com

Cena's legacy is commercially triumphant. Even those who rage against the narrative that he is objectively and consistently great, as the article sort of gives away, absolutely cannot deny that.

John Cena was a massively consistent pay-per-view and ratings draw whose durability and dependability helped in no small part to secure several lucrative TV deals across several continents. His pristine PR persona - and much like everything Cena did, this was legitimately hard-earned - allowed WWE to heal its public image to an unprecedented degree, seducing reluctant sponsors to associate their brands with that of WWE.

Modern-day WWE is the house that John Cena built. Its foundations are unshakeable.

This unfortunately manifests as a company that no longer needs to push itself creatively. The formulas settled upon long ago remain hugely lucrative and thus completely impervious to change. Jinder Mahal became WWE Heavyweight Champion in part because John Cena reinforced a monopoly and created a monster. Cena drastically altered the creative fabric of WWE and cemented it for the immediate and long-term future. His time is Then. Now. Forever.

Even if he's no longer around.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!