The run of John Cena as the face of WWE saw him having a memorable stint as a polarizing character. Cena was heckled with many negative chants and boos despite playing a face character for the entire run. Most fans respected Cena, but they resented him for being WWE’s choice getting pushed over the expense of others.
WWE trusted Cena to continue leading the company to strong success even with a pressure that was unlike anyone else. Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock were the prior faces of the brand to not deal with such backlash. Find out more about a memorable time in WWE history with the explanation of Cena being a polarizing flag bearer.
10 Wasn't Booed On SmackDown Like He Was On Raw
John Cena beating JBL for the WWE Championship was a huge moment in his career that fans supported. The fans of Cena during his time on the SmackDown brand cheered Cena for the rest of his time on the brand before moving to Raw.
WWE had no reason to believe fans would sour on Cena or start heckling him any time soon. The shift started when Cena moved to Raw in the draft. Cena was viewed as the top star on SmackDown with a huge push lasting a year before winning the big one.
9 Fans Turned When Booked To Beat Internet Favorites
A small percentage of fans started to turn on John Cena during his first few feuds on the Raw brand. Cena worked with both Christian and Chris Jericho shortly before each man left the company leading to some of the diehard fans turning against the top star.
Both wrestlers losing in their last major program created the tension forming against Cena. The next program with Kurt Angle saw the boos starting to intensify. Cena steamrolling over all the top workers created reasons for the fans to turn on him.
8 Reached Another Level During WrestleMania 22 Weekend
WWE was able to control the tide turning against John Cena since more fans cheered for him over heckling him. The live crowds in cities with diehard fan bases were more vocal, but Cena was still the top hero most weeks.
WrestleMania 22 was the setting where things started to change in Chicago. Cena was booed at a new level during his Hall of Fame induction speech for William Perry. The show itself saw Chicago hating Cena with loud disrespectful chants. During their main event match, Triple H was the fan-favorite as a heel.
7 WWE Started Using Cena's Heat For Rob Van Dam Match
The boos for John Cena started to grow each week in 2006 with it becoming part of his routine. WWE tried to avoid referencing it until Cena entered a feud with Rob Van Dam for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006.
Van Dam used his Money in the Bank briefcase to get his title shot in front of the avid ECW fanbase. WWE utilized the hatred for Cena as part of the match story against RVD. The outstanding scenario of the crowd heckling Cena all throughout the match made it must-watch television.
6 Helped Create New Stars
WWE leaning more into the polarizing character of John Cena having hatred from many of the fans ensured his match always had interest. Even if Cena’s opponent didn’t have much credibility in the main event scene, the mixed reaction to Cena ensured the match would have excitement.
The crowd atmosphere of Cena’s matches helped create new stars working against him. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and Edge all took the next step in their careers when feuding with Cena. The legacies of these names in WWE may not have the same appeal if Cena was a normal face character.
5 Feud With The Rock Was Only Time A Heel Turn Was Teased
The Rock coming back to WWE started a two-year program for two one-on-one matches with John Cena. Wrestling fans always speculated on what could have been if Cena turned heel when many fans hated him, but the idea was only considered once.
Cena potentially going to the dark side for his feud with Rock was an idea that just never panned out. WWE didn’t want to risk losing out on the money that Cena was drawing as the face of the company. Kane also tried to influence Cena to turn heel but wasn't successful.
4 Fans Didn't Boo When He Returned From Injury
New York fans were one of the loudest crowds when it came to heckling John Cena for the better part of his polarizing run. The audience loved to troll Cena, but the respect for his presence in WWE was proven to be there in 2008.
Cena returned many months earlier than expected from an injury in the Royal Rumble match. Madison Square Garden reacted with pure elation for one of the biggest pops in WWE history. Even the crowd that typically hated Cena had love for him being part of the show and missed him.
3 Anti-Cena Merchandise Was Popular
WWE started to market John Cena as a polarizing star in the late 2000s and were enjoying it for the rest of his run. Cena received enough hate from the crowd for WWE to try to make money off it by coming up with a t-shirt.
The “Let’s Go Cena? Cena Sucks!” shirt was a hot seller purchased by fans who disliked Cena but cared enough to pay to express it. A WWE documentary saw Cena showing proof that the shirt helped him outsell CM Punk and The Rock at the Survivor Series 2011 event.
2 Allowed WWE To Easily Book Face vs Face Feuds
WWE has struggled to book face vs face feuds in their history due to the confusion involved. It can hurt one wrestler’s momentum to face another popular star with the same appeal. The variable of John Cena getting booed by half the audience made it easier for him.
Shawn Michaels didn’t have to turn heel to enter his program with Cena at WrestleMania 23. The infamous Summer of Punk angle saw CM Punk getting to organically turn face when feuding with Cena. Daniel Bryan was the best instance of a great face being allowed to beat Cena since the polarizing run allowed it to be a great story.
1 Influenced Fan Reaction To Roman Reigns
The end of John Cena’s run as the face of the company saw WWE wanting Roman Reigns to replace him. WWE expected Reigns to have more fan support since he was coming off the outstanding run in The Shield.
The tides turned when fans figured out that Roman was going to receive the mega-push which turned them against him. Reigns received the same polarizing reception, but it came before he was established as a difference to the Cena scenario. Cena called out Roman for dropping the ball replacing him in the worked shoot promos during their feud.