The evolution of John Cena would see him play two completely different characters as the major chapters of his WWE career. Fans from the Ruthless Aggression Era will remember Cena breaking out with the gimmick of the freestyle rapper. WWE eventually would get rid of that presentation in favor of the PG-Friendly version of Cena that made him appeal to the younger demographic.
Fans have strong preferences for one of the two characters portrayed by Cena. Each side has valid arguments that we’ll look at it objectively. To this day, Cena's rap career is something old-school fans have missed while his PG version helped him raise the platform of WWE. Find out all the relevant information to make your choice! These are five reasons we preferred John Cena as the rapper and five reasons we prefer the PG version.
10 Rapper Cena: He proved he was a star
John Cena's hip hop era was the act that proved he was a top star. Originally, Cena was struggling with a generic face character until his career-defining heel turn and rapping gimmick. The edge Cena showed here helped him showcase his potential.
Cena started to get over and move towards the top of the card. Feuds with the likes of Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker all helped Cena make an impact in the main event picture. Cena showed WWE that he could be a superstar with the rapping character
9 PG Cena: He became a WWE icon
John Cena’s transition to the PG character came when WWE wanted him to become “the guy.” The selection of Cena showed that WWE believed he would be the wrestler to lead them into the future and it was completely on the money.
Cena clearly succeeded in the important role making him a beloved figure in WWE history. There are maybe five wrestlers at best that can be considered as big of a star as Cena was for the company. The PG era is when Cena reached joined the elites like Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
8 Rapper Cena: His gear was more fitting
The move to the rapper character would see John Cena wrestling in jean shorts and sneakers. Cena had traditional gear before this that just never stood out for the better. The same shorts and sneakers combination would remain for Cena during the PG era.
Cena looked a bit out of place in the outfit during the clean-cut character phase since fans grew used to it with the rapper character. The comfort would see him never change up the look even though it was more fitting for the edgier character.
7 PG Cena: He had significantly better matches
The progression of John Cena as a performer would see his matches improve drastically throughout the years. Cena was a slightly above average wrestler during the rapping gimmick, as his matches rarely stood out unless carried by a legend.
The future would see Cena mature into a special performer. Wrestlers like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Umaga, Edge and countless others had classic brawls with Cena. An argument can be made that Cena has the most “great matches” in WWE history with most coming in the PG era of his character.
6 Rapper Cena: He was completely organic
One of the biggest complaints about John Cena's PG version was the forced push to make him look strong at the expense of everyone else. In contrast, Cena’s rise during his rapper phase was completely organic, with the crowd naturally loving him.
Everything felt easy since Cena was performing with complete comfort and the audience loved every second of it. The changes would elicit would the mixed reaction Cena became known for. None of the fans that booed Cena in the PG era would have dared root against the rap star.
5 PG Cena: He set up his future in Hollywood
John Cena has recently started his move into Hollywood with a handful of movie roles per year. In fact, he's even slated to appear in 2021's highly anticipated The Suicide Squad! The WWE career set Cena up for great success following many years of representing a global brand as the face of the company.
Cena’s range of work involved in the WWE role gave him many tools needed to thrive in acting. The high-profile as one of the most recognized athletes in the world is another asset that makes him a talent many studios would happily cast for a major role.
4 Rapper Cena: His hilarious rap battles
The various rap battles between John Cena and other wrestlers always provided incredible entertainment. Freestyle rapping in general was a beloved form of art in the early 2000s, making it even more relevant for Cena’s rapping character.
Opposing wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Big Show did a great job keeping up with Cena and adding their own comedic twists on the raps as well. Cena often provided more entertainment with his raps than his matches, as they became must-see television.
3 PG Cena: He helped the company grow internationally
John Cena's star power found major success for WWE as the company tried to expand globally. Cena took many trips for WWE to promote the brand. At one point, he even learned Mandarin to help with various trips promoting WWE.
The company needed a clean character like Cena’s PG run to market the WWE in other countries. Cena helped WWE grow in a way that no other top star did in their runs on top. WWE is in a significantly better place thanks to the greatness of Cena in and out of the ring.
2 Rapper Cena: His heel character
Many fans have been clamoring for a John Cena heel turn. The vision would have seen him shake up the industry the same way Hulk Hogan did when forming the New World Order. Cena’s rap character was the only time we’ve been able to see him play a heel.
The incredible intensity shown by Cena in the role helped make him a credible and captivating heel. Cena worked a different style and cut promos with a different approach. Despite it being hard to argue of if the heel version is better or worse, Cena certainly thrived in the heel role when asked to play it.
1 PG Cena: No one has been able to replace him
John Cena’s run as the face of WWE has come to an end as he transitions to Hollywood. WWE has struggled immensely to find a new star who could stand at the top like Cena did. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch have all been on equal footing for that spot in recent years.
But as talented as they are, none of them have broken out in the way Cena did during his run as a PG-rated hero. WWE thrives on its own as a brand now, but it usually is best to have a face of the company. Cena did such a great job in the role that now, it's even harder to replace him moving forward.