10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2019

7. John Cena's Pay-Per-View Streak Ends

Roman Reigns Rusev Hulk Hogan
WWE

John Cena rolled back the years at WrestleMania 35 with a joyous takedown of Elias that saw 'The Champ' dust off his fondly remembered original persona for the night. But in not strictly locking horns on 'The Grandest Stage', Cena's appearance brought about the end of a significant era.

By not formally competing in match there, or on any other Sunday supershow for that matter, Cena broke a streak of wrestling at least once on pay-per-view every year in WWE since his 2002 debut.

Once the robust workhorse of a company going through significant transition in the mid-2000s, Cena was the dependable face of changing times and drew well as a pay-per-view and television star as well as at house show venue box offices and merchandise stands. His move to Hollywood saw him effortlessly pivot into becoming the organisation's living legend, allowing for several blockbuster battles from 2016 onwards despite his own easing into Hollywood's gentler grip.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett