In 2002, it was clear that John Cena had a lot of potential. The man had a well-muscled look, and had performed admirably in WWE's developmental system, Ohio Valley Wrestling. Alongside the likes of Randy Orton and Batista, Cena was considered one for the future. With that in mind, his first few appearances on WWE television were average at best. Since those days, Cena has poked fun at the range of colourful outfits he'd wear during his first showings. Looking to emulate the colours of various local sports teams and provoke at least some reaction, the guy ended up looking fairly plain. There was no real character for Cena, he was simply a young buck who wanted to make a name for himself on the main roster. Seeing endless potential in his young peer, Chris Jericho wanted to look out for Cena. At the Vengeance 2002 Pay-Per-View, Vince McMahon initially wanted 'Y2J' to squash the newcomer in quick fashion. Disagreeing wholeheartedly with the suggestion, Jericho instead pitched a Cena win. At first, Vince was having none of it, but eventually caved, and the rest is history. Winning his first ever WWE PPV match was a huge moment for John Cena, especially over a star the size of Chris Jericho.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
