Despite being the ultimate hero on and off WWE television, John Cena has always produced a polarizing reaction from WWE fans. This is exemplified by the "Let's go Cena, Cena Sucks" chants that take place in almost every John Cena match. In many cases, the hate and love for Cena in a crowd is divided evenly down the middle.
However, there have been some instances where certain WWE crowds haven't been so mixed on this issue. Sometimes, Cena has been loved as the hero WWE portrays him to be; others, he's been vilified in the opposite fashion. Below are examples of both cases, with explanations as to why the crowd acted the way they did.
10 Loved: RAW After WrestleMania 21
The Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 21 served as John Cena's coronation as the new WWE Champion. While the fans from the night before appreciated him winning the title from JBL, it falls short in comparison to his reception the next night. During a segment with Chris Jericho, Cena was announced to be RAW's surprise draft pick, driving the fans in the arena crazy with excitement. When Cena's music hit it was possibly the loudest pop of his career, symbolizing that Cena was ready to be the new face of WWE for years to come.
9 Couldn't Stand Him: ECW One Night Stand 2006
Cena never had a chance to be loved by this crowd for so many reasons. The ECW One Night Stand 2006 pay-per-view took place at the home of ECW, The Hammerstein Ballroom in Philadelphia, PA. While Cena embodied the clean-cut corporate nature of WWE, Rob Van Dam represented ECW and all that comes with it. The fans booed Cena from start to finish while incorporating chants that were way harsher than "Cena sucks." It can be argued that there wasn't one Cena fan in the building that night.
8 Loved: Royal Rumble 2008
There's nothing like surprise entrances at the Royal Rumble, especially when they're truly unexpected. When John Cena returned early from injury at the 2008 Royal Rumble, fans in the Madison Square Garden arena erupted in cheers and celebrated when Cena won the match.
Normally, New York crowds haven't always been favorable towards Cena. However, this time, it appeared they were just appreciating the crazy moment. Some fans point to this moment as one of Cena's loudest crowd pops.
7 Couldn't Stand Him: Money In The Bank 2011
The 2011 Money In The Bank pay-per-view took place in Chicago, IL, the hometown of John Cena's opponent, CM Punk. While it's common for wrestlers to be appreciated more in their hometowns, the connection between CM Punk and Chicago wrestling crowds is at another level. The hate against Cena and the love for his opponent this night rivaled the crowd at ECW One Night Stand 2006; however, the only difference is that this Chicago crowd was so much larger than the size of that Philadelphia crowd. The fans erupted when Punk pinned Cena, as this was one of the most memorable nights in WWE history.
6 Loved: Debut Match Against Kurt Angle
While the whole arena wasn't exactly chanting Cena's name in this example, they were certainly behind him in unison. John Cena made his WWE debut on an episode of SmackDown where he took up Kurt Angle on his open challenge to the WWE locker room. Fans got behind Cena as the ultimate, young underdog who was taking it to the cocky veteran. The few times Cena almost pinned Angle you could feel the crowd's energy hoping it happened, and when Angle got the win the crowd was dejected.
5 Couldn't Stand Him: RAW After WrestleMania XXVIII
It's no secret that WWE crowds the night after WrestleMania can get rowdy. When John Cena stepped in front of the post-WrestleMania XXVIII crowd on RAW, he was met with increased energy that was used to boo him. Another factor at play here is that his episode of RAW took place in Miami, FL, The Rock's hometown. Things got worse for Cena when Brock Lesnar made his return that night. Fans encouraged Lesnar to attack Cena and cheered even louder when he hit him with the F-5.
4 Loved: Extreme Rules 2011
At the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in 2011, John Cena faced The Miz and John Morrison in a triple-threat match for the WWE Championship. Cena came out victorious, and after the match made the announcement to the crowd that Osama Bin Laden had been captured by U.S. armed forces.
The crowd this night not only loved Cena for ending The Miz's abysmal WWE Title reign, but also for delivering positive news in a manner that only someone as classy as Cena should.
3 Couldn't Stand Him: Unforgiven 2006
Canadian wrestling fans are extremely loyal to their native wrestlers, and at Unforgiven 2006 this was on full display. The main event of the evening saw John Cena challenging for the WWE Championship against Edge in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The Toronto crowd lived and died by every one of Edge's moves, cheering for every assault on Cena and deflating when Edge was put through multiple tables at the end of the match. Cena got the victory but never the adoration of the fans on this night.
2 Loved: Promo With Roman Reigns On RAW
Since "The Shield" disbanded as a stable, WWE fans have been intent on sharing their displeasure with any attempts to make Roman Reigns the next face of the company. When John Cena returned to WWE to feud with Roman Reigns, fans felt this was another attempt to pass the proverbial torch to Reigns and wanted to reject it. When Cena cut honest promos about Reigns' inability to connect with the fans and take over WWE's top spot, the fans went wild with approval. Fans were not only delighted to see a serious, rather than corny John Cena but also to see someone speak their minds on a WWE stage.
1 Couldn't Stand Him: WrestleMania 22
At WrestleMania 22, John Cena squared off against Triple H for the WWE Championship in Chicago, IL. A year prior, Cena was cheered for beating JBL for the title, now, a year later, he was vilified. Despite Triple H being the clear cut villain heading into this match, the Chicago Crowd was fully behind him in hope that he would win the match. In unison, the crowd chanted different expletives at Cena, highlighting just how hostile a Chicago wrestling crowd can be.