10 Things You Learn Binge Watching WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era
5. John Cena’s Body Of Work Was Stunning
John Cena is rightly regarded as one of the best stars to emerge during the era, but you learn something fascinating by following his career week to week between 2002-2008: Fans didn’t know how good they had it with him. Chants of, “You can’t wrestle” were grossly unfair and plagued "Super Cena" even before that negative nickname was coined.
Let's be clear about one thing straight away. Cena was always good in-ring. He’d rise to the challenge vs. top workers like Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels and Triple H, but also dragged guys like The Great Khali and Big Show kicking and screaming to some of their best matches. This wasn't some savvy veteran hauling Khali to bangers either - Cena was still relatively new himself.
Check out the 'Falls Count Anywhere' brawl at One Night Stand 2007 (no longer an exclusive ECW show) for proof that Cena knew what he was doing. It might've been fairly short at just 10 minutes, but Cena vs. Khali popped the live crowd and came across as a desperate babyface struggle against the odds.
Cena didn't deserve the hate that'd accelerate and come his way.