5 Rare Before-They-Were Famous Wrestling TV Appearances

2. John Cena Features In Training School Film

Today, John Cena is one of the biggest stars in WWE. Going further, the man is the franchise star for the company, pulling in more money from merchandise sales than anyone else on the roster. For a lot of younger fans who have only ever watched WWE's product whilst Cena has been a part of it, it's unthinkable to imagine him as anything other than a top name, but obviously there was a time when the guy was trying hard to make a name for himself and break into the business. In 1999, John Cena was a well put-together young man who desperately wanted to get into wrestling. That journey led him to Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California, where he'd become part of a documentary exploring the promotion's training school. Perhaps due to his appearance and decent level of comfort in front of a camera, Cena was one of the stars of the film, and it wasn't long before the then-WWF came calling with a developmental contract offer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECB6zHgdCjk Eagle-eyed viewers will also be able to spot future TNA World Champion and WWE employee, Samoa Joe in the documentary. Joe was also part of UPW, but wouldn't find success as quickly as his training school peer, John Cena. It was during this period that Cena developed his 'Prototype' character, a half man, half machine gimmick that he'd use for a while in the WWF's development system, Ohio Valley Wrestling. It's pretty fascinating to look back at John Cena in this position, where nobody really knows much about him or what he can bring to the table. Of course, that would eventually change, and the guy forced his way to the top of the WWE food chain, but it's cool to see the days before he was such a sought after celebrity documented.