2. John Cena May Not Have Become The Face of The WWE So Soon
One year after Austin's retirement, John Cena won the opening match at WrestleMania XX. He defeated The Big Show for The United States title, and kicked off the event by rapping about S.T.D's. Quite a WrestleMania debut! And a gesture on the part of Vince McMahon that spoke volumes: he was taking a chance on the white-boy rapper. One year later, Steve Austin was at WrestleMania 21: locked into his bionic knee braces, he stormed out to a deafening reception as a guest on Piper's Pit. Once again, Stone Cold was called in to keep a segment afloat, as Roddy careened around the ring and threatened to capsize the entire operation. Meanwhile, John Cena beat JBL for his first WWE title. This was a huge turning point for the company: Cena wore the flagship belt, and then he was drafted to the flagship show Raw. It wasn't long before John Cena was heavily promoted as the face of the company, and the future of WWE. His character flourished as the sharp-tongued rapper, but evolved into the much more palatable god-and-country-loving super-Cena who currently holds the record for Make-a-Wish grants. Cena was young, muscular, and willing to work tirelessly and with any storyline thrown his way. Would there have been a position open for John Cena, white-boy rapper, if Steve Austin was still in the picture? Would Cena have languished in the mid card for a few years longer, or kept the rapper image past its shelf life? These two men could have had some brutal knock-down, drag-out battles on the mat and on the microphone, if Austin hadn't retired. Or maybe Cena wouldn't have even had the chance.