10 Secrets To Vince McMahon's Success

3. John Cena

Vince McMahon WWE Champion
WWE

John Cena was the perfect choice to lead WWE into the lucrative PG Era.

Yes, he represented a reversion to type. In his garish colour scheme, comeback routine and triumvirate of moral mantras, Cena was very much the modern Hulk Hogan - but can you blame McMahon? Despite nightly showers of abuse from the older set wise to the trick, Cena was a super-charismatic and super-dedicated workhorse whose immense popularity secured a new generation of fans - and cosy arrangements with several sponsors, the likes of which would not have touched WWE, had Cena's beaming, child-friendly visage not acted as a lure. Cena was similarly PR-friendly; his work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in particular was fundamental in scrubbing the company's public image, post-Chris Benoit.

That garish, ever-evolving colour scheme also helped WWE shift a ludicrous amount of merchandise - helpful in determining the scope of Cena's enduring appeal in an age in which traditional metrics started to fall by the wayside.

Cena is a hero to kids, and a big match worker even to those reluctant to outwardly praise him - and his house show pull hasn't yet been picked up.

Contributor
Contributor

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!