One MIND-BLOWING Secret From Every Year Of WWE History

21. 2004 - WWE Lost Faith In John Cena

John Cena sad sad man
WWE

This one is shocking, and yes, the year is correct. 

You’re probably aware that WWE had lost faith in John Cena two years prior. He didn’t catch on after taking Kurt Angle “to the limit” in his debut. That is a misleading, romanticised WWE narrative, by the way; the match went 05:38 and Cena looked competent, as all of Kurt’s opponents at a minimum did. It wasn’t Flair Vs. Sting, but WWE overstates things because they really wanted to launch the ‘Ruthless Aggression’ initiative. It was only when Cena impressed a nearby Stephanie McMahon with his freestyle rapping skills that he was given a platform to get over and became an overnight sensation. 

He was off to the homophobic races as the Doctor of Thuganomics, and never looked back - or did he?

According to the May 24 WON, a month after he drew a big crowd response at the all-important Madison Square Garden, “there [was] something of an internal backlash on Cena”. 

Dave Meltzer added more insight, reporting that more than one veteran believed that Cena’s in-ring work wasn’t up to main event standard, and while it was acknowledged that he’d been promoted from developmental too early, he wasn’t improving, and believed himself to be so over that he didn’t feel the need to improve. 

It’s wild to read that back, in 2024, equipped with the knowledge that Cena - love him or hate him - was a complete workhorse when he eventually got to the top.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!