Wrestling unfortunately has a long history with homophobia. Associating a wrestler as overly feminine or queer has long been an easy way to draw fans ire. It dates all the way back to Gorgeous George in many ways, and has been utilised as recently as a few years ago with Paul Heyman and Ryback. If a wrestler isnt coded as a gay to get boos, then often their rival will imply or accuse them of being homosexual, with the obvious implication that this makes them somehow lesser. John Cena as the public face and representative of WWE should know better than this, but in 2011 he got in serious hot water for his remarks against The Rock, The Miz and Alex Riley. Notable comments include
Just don't go racing to Witch Mountain, Rock, cause your mountain is Brokeback.
and
Rock didn't win, but it's OK, I'll give him a pearl necklace.
These comments are absolutely unacceptable in this day and age, and John Cena should absolutely know better. Theres a million ways to insult your opponent with denigrating a whole section of your audience, and its these sorts of statements that alienate potential viewers and perpetuate the worst stereotypes about professional wrestling. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) brought this to WWEs attention, and they soon partnered up to eliminate homophobia from wrestling. While John Cena has learned his lesson, but it is still an issue in WWE, most recently towards the best-friend/stunt-team double act of The Miz and Damien Mizdow courtesy of Dolph Ziggler.
