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I've been a loyal subscriber for about 4 years and couldn't stay silent any longer. John Cena deserves the fans respect, and not a 60/40 split in every crowd. In the last 2 years, John Cena has been somewhat of a lightning rod of opinion. Some people love him and some people hate him. Very few are undecided.
Since his arrival in WWE with his neon green or blue tights and knee pads, you could tell he was different. He was admittedly green in the ring, but he had all the tools to become a long term character, once he found his niche. He found it with his hip-hop persona. I am not the biggest fan of the gimmick, but since he has ended the rapping part of it, and tried to give better promos, with a tinge of teenage humor, ala Shawn Michaels, and less grade school humor, he has evolved. In addition to this, he has improved in the ring. Yes, he has a limited move set, but so did the Rock, who wrestled longer. Yes, his matches can be repetitive, but so were almost every one of Hulk Hogan's. Yes, he sometimes lumbers around in the ring, but so did Stone Cold. My point is, he has tried to get better and is the definition of a professional, in and out of the ring.
Let's compare him to Batista, for example, who's been in the limelight for about the same time, and also had the benefit of a Triple H rub for a year. Batista pouted and had bad matches when he didn't have the belt, has not added one move to his arsenal, needs to have good matches pulled out of him-which is rare, and gives some of the most boring promos in the business. Cena carries himself like the champ, doing promotional work, interviews, dark matches, etc. Have you heard one negative backstage story about Cena, ever? No. But we've all read about Batista's diva attitude, the Booker T fight, etc., but the fans go crazy for Batista, although the crowd is cooked for Smackdown.
The Rock went through a similar situation, in that he was pushed down our throats and we booed him, until he had earned his spot. As you saw last night, the fans still love him, myself included. John Cena is not being pushed down our throats anymore. He has earned his spot and then some with hard work, determination, and respect for the business.
Stop booing him because kids and women like him, they like him for their own reasons. You can like him for the reasons I've just laid out above.
Mike Penland
mpenland2@comcast.net
