WWE superstar John Cena looking forward to WrestleMania in New Orleans
In the early days, there was Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Then came Lou
Thesz and Bruno Sammartino. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Hulk Hogan and
Ric Flair were the biggest stars in professional wrestling. They gave
way to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the late 90s.
And since then?
Well since then, the wrestling landscape has been dominated by one man: John Cena.
Cena debuted in 2002 and won his first title at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. His status as the top star only rose higher when a large portion of the audience took to hating him. Chants of “Let’s go, Cena,” followed by “Cena sucks!” have reverberated through arenas and stadiums throughout the world for the past nine years.
The scene will be no different on April 6, 2014, when World Wrestling Entertainment presents its biggest show of the year, WrestleMania 30 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Tickets for that event are set to go on sale Nov. 16 at the Superdome box office and at ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $25 to $850.
“The buildup to WrestleMania starts with announcing the city,” said Cena, who is 6-2 in championship matches at WrestleMania. “When we announced New Orleans (in February), it truly was a big thing. It was epic to see the arena itself without the field. They had the empty floor for us to see. The next step for that snowball rolling downhill is the on-sale. It’s usually a really, really big deal for us. It solidifies WrestleMania 30’s place in history. And it’s very important to everybody in the WWE. Nov. 16 is a very important day in history, because WrestleMania 30 is only going to come around once.”
Who Cena faces at the Superdome is anyone’s guess at this point. But he did capture the World Heavyweight Championship on Oct. 27 at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and plans on defending that title on the grand stage.
“This is not taken as a shot of disrespect to anyone who has held the title before me, but it’s now viewed as a second-tier championship,” Cena said. “(Defending it at WrestleMania 30) will truly put a stamp on making it the real deal. I want the WWE universe to realize that it’s not a second-tier championship. It should be treated with as much respect as the WWE title.”
With his recent title victory, Cena took another step in putting his name alongside one of the greatest of all-time. He now has 14 world titles, which is a WWE record, but the recognized overall record is 16, held by Ric Flair. Cena is only concentrating on the present, though.
“If I have two more (titles), that means I’m going to lose it two more times,” he said. “So I’d rather stay at 14. That record is held in pretty high esteem. Just to be in that conversation, that means I’ve done something right over the years. If it gets to the point of where it does happen, I’ll enjoy hearing what our fans have to say.”
Many fans will be quite upset if that day comes, as they hold Cena’s wrestling skill in low regard. For some time, those fans have been calling his wrestling repertoire The Five Moves of Doom.
But that’s no worry to Cena, who has always welcomed the vitriol while continuing to serve as a role model for the legions of fans who sport his “You can’t see me” merchandise and represent his three mottos: hustle, loyalty and respect.
“I’m glad at least (the critics) are watching,” said Cena, who along with World Series MVP David Ortiz, Olympic gold-medal gymnast Gabby Douglas and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry recently partnered with Capri Sun to compete as a group of pros against a team of contest-winning children in field-day type events in early 2014. “So I’ll keep accepting their criticism as far as my in-ring skill set and just keep moving on. I’ve won 14 championships with five moves, and if I could only get myself a sixth one, I’ll be able to break that 16 mark. ... I truly take (the criticism) in jest.”
Love him or hate him, Cena will soon be on billboards and street signs around the downtown area. And with tickets going on sale in two weeks, New Orleans is on the road to WrestleMania.
“Honestly, 30 is a big deal for us,” Cena said. “It will be exciting to see what WrestleMania 30 is all about. I think it will have the panache of the big marquee matchups that we’re used to. But I think you’ll also see some new talent, some new superstars, superstars that will carry the WWE to WrestleMania 40. I think they’re going to have some shining moments as well. I look forward to seeing that.”
The WrestleMania Three Count with John Cena
What is your first memory of watching WrestleMania?
Cena: WrestleMania III. What a one to start with. Over 90,000 people. One of the biggest built matchups of all-time: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (won by Hogan). That was a really special moment for me as a kid. That was the moment that sealed the deal for me, I wanted to hold that championship.
Who is your dream WrestleMania opponent?
I really got to live a dream the past few years having some big marquee matchups with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (The Rock won at WrestleMania 28; Cena won at WrestleMania 29). And when you rub elbows with a guy like The Rock, you truly are in the company of the greatest of all-time. It was like watching a prize fight where everyone is just throwing haymakers. For us to be interactive over a 2 1/2 year span, it was pretty impressive, especially in this day and age. It was a dream scenario for me.
What is your favorite WrestleMania match?
I really enjoyed the second time that Shawn Michaels faced the Undertaker (won by the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26). And I watched every second of that match knowing that I had to compete afterward. But I watched every second of it as a fan. And I enjoyed it as a fan.
And since then?
Well since then, the wrestling landscape has been dominated by one man: John Cena.
Cena debuted in 2002 and won his first title at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. His status as the top star only rose higher when a large portion of the audience took to hating him. Chants of “Let’s go, Cena,” followed by “Cena sucks!” have reverberated through arenas and stadiums throughout the world for the past nine years.
The scene will be no different on April 6, 2014, when World Wrestling Entertainment presents its biggest show of the year, WrestleMania 30 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Tickets for that event are set to go on sale Nov. 16 at the Superdome box office and at ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $25 to $850.
“The buildup to WrestleMania starts with announcing the city,” said Cena, who is 6-2 in championship matches at WrestleMania. “When we announced New Orleans (in February), it truly was a big thing. It was epic to see the arena itself without the field. They had the empty floor for us to see. The next step for that snowball rolling downhill is the on-sale. It’s usually a really, really big deal for us. It solidifies WrestleMania 30’s place in history. And it’s very important to everybody in the WWE. Nov. 16 is a very important day in history, because WrestleMania 30 is only going to come around once.”
Who Cena faces at the Superdome is anyone’s guess at this point. But he did capture the World Heavyweight Championship on Oct. 27 at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view and plans on defending that title on the grand stage.
“This is not taken as a shot of disrespect to anyone who has held the title before me, but it’s now viewed as a second-tier championship,” Cena said. “(Defending it at WrestleMania 30) will truly put a stamp on making it the real deal. I want the WWE universe to realize that it’s not a second-tier championship. It should be treated with as much respect as the WWE title.”
With his recent title victory, Cena took another step in putting his name alongside one of the greatest of all-time. He now has 14 world titles, which is a WWE record, but the recognized overall record is 16, held by Ric Flair. Cena is only concentrating on the present, though.
“If I have two more (titles), that means I’m going to lose it two more times,” he said. “So I’d rather stay at 14. That record is held in pretty high esteem. Just to be in that conversation, that means I’ve done something right over the years. If it gets to the point of where it does happen, I’ll enjoy hearing what our fans have to say.”
Many fans will be quite upset if that day comes, as they hold Cena’s wrestling skill in low regard. For some time, those fans have been calling his wrestling repertoire The Five Moves of Doom.
But that’s no worry to Cena, who has always welcomed the vitriol while continuing to serve as a role model for the legions of fans who sport his “You can’t see me” merchandise and represent his three mottos: hustle, loyalty and respect.
“I’m glad at least (the critics) are watching,” said Cena, who along with World Series MVP David Ortiz, Olympic gold-medal gymnast Gabby Douglas and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry recently partnered with Capri Sun to compete as a group of pros against a team of contest-winning children in field-day type events in early 2014. “So I’ll keep accepting their criticism as far as my in-ring skill set and just keep moving on. I’ve won 14 championships with five moves, and if I could only get myself a sixth one, I’ll be able to break that 16 mark. ... I truly take (the criticism) in jest.”
Love him or hate him, Cena will soon be on billboards and street signs around the downtown area. And with tickets going on sale in two weeks, New Orleans is on the road to WrestleMania.
“Honestly, 30 is a big deal for us,” Cena said. “It will be exciting to see what WrestleMania 30 is all about. I think it will have the panache of the big marquee matchups that we’re used to. But I think you’ll also see some new talent, some new superstars, superstars that will carry the WWE to WrestleMania 40. I think they’re going to have some shining moments as well. I look forward to seeing that.”
The WrestleMania Three Count with John Cena
What is your first memory of watching WrestleMania?
Cena: WrestleMania III. What a one to start with. Over 90,000 people. One of the biggest built matchups of all-time: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (won by Hogan). That was a really special moment for me as a kid. That was the moment that sealed the deal for me, I wanted to hold that championship.
Who is your dream WrestleMania opponent?
I really got to live a dream the past few years having some big marquee matchups with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (The Rock won at WrestleMania 28; Cena won at WrestleMania 29). And when you rub elbows with a guy like The Rock, you truly are in the company of the greatest of all-time. It was like watching a prize fight where everyone is just throwing haymakers. For us to be interactive over a 2 1/2 year span, it was pretty impressive, especially in this day and age. It was a dream scenario for me.
What is your favorite WrestleMania match?
I really enjoyed the second time that Shawn Michaels faced the Undertaker (won by the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26). And I watched every second of that match knowing that I had to compete afterward. But I watched every second of it as a fan. And I enjoyed it as a fan.
