11 Most Important Wrestlers Of The Ruthless Aggression Era

When John Cena debuted on SmackDown in June 2002, he looked impressive physically, but nothing else resonated with the crowd. After a red hot start with the likes of Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho, Cena would quickly become another guy wrestling on SmackDown’s sister programme, Velocity.

During a coach trip with the rest of the SmackDown locker room, Cena started rapping to pass the time and entertain his peers, and was overheard doing so by Stephanie McMahon. Enter the Doctor of Thuganomics. Cena capitalised on the white rapper gimmick and resorted to cheap heat by way of insulting audiences and wearing sporting rivals' attire.

Cena picked up momentum, and by 2005, he went on to dethrone the dastardly JBL as WWE Champion. From there, he remained the guy in WWE, dividing public opinion until this day.

Cena may not be the most graceful wrestler in the ring, but he is capable of having epic matches and has been the best opponent of several wrestlers including Edge, Rob Van Dam, and CM Punk.

The Franchise did become a superman with a predictable repertoire, but no other wrestler stood up to carry the company on their shoulders. Despite being considered a little dull between the ropes, Cena is the most significant wrestler in the post-Rock and Austin era.