WWE Trades Ruthless Aggression For PG | Wrestling Timelines

June 28, 2010 | Baloney, Fudge, And Mustard

John Cena Sheamus
WWE Network

The PG Era of WWE does not work without one man: John Cena.

By 2010, John Cena is far and away WWE’s biggest star. He has been the biggest star in the company for several years, and now, he is virtually the only main event-level act. Shawn Michaels retired in March. His opponent on the night, the Undertaker, is in his last year as a full-time attraction. Triple H is off television as he focuses on his corporate career, and will also only return on a part-time basis. Batista went on hiatus in May, and will not return until 2014, when he makes some appearances as a part-timer.

Cena’s presence is even more pronounced, and as a babyface, he has never been more neutered.

The kids love him. They love him for his superhuman strength, his character’s values, and his room-dominating charisma. The grown-ups in the room see right through him. He is not Hulk Hogan. Hogan was corny, but he was still a pro wrestler who could sell big and convince an entire arena to fall under his spell. Cena brushes off big moves and shrugs at big losses because he’s here to have fun and he always gets his win back. Many despise him and his cringeworthy attempts at comedy. The absolute worst material is spewed out on the June 28, 2010 WWE Raw.

Cena presides over a different era of WWE, in which you get welcomed to Monday Night Raw by the master of ceremonies. Cena, as the mascot of a company that is now a show about a wrestling show, does a take on the Rock’s stand-up comedy act. It’s awful. When the anonymous Raw General manager rules that Cena must wrestle Mark Henry, The gurning Cena, who is not allowed to swear, says “Baloney, fudge, and mustard! My life is being ruined by the internet! I haven’t flipped out this bad since my mom cancelled my subscription to Warcraft!”

This is horrendous on several levels. The material is wretched. The fake swearing is childish. The reference to a viral YouTube video is a desperate attempt to reach the kids. If Cena is being earnest, he is literally behaving like a child; if he’s trying to be funny, he isn’t, and he is treating an upcoming match against a man marketed as the strongest alive like a joke.

But how can WWE possibly be such a dark and sleazy place when this unfunny cornball is the star of the show?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!