John Cena

name=John Cena

World Wrestling Entertainment

Cena's first televised WWE match was against Kurt Angle on June 27, 2002. Angle was giving free shots at himself to newcomers, something he still does from time to time, and Cena had been inspired by Vince McMahon's recent, somewhat inscrutable, speech to WWE's rising stars, exhorting them to show "ruthless aggression" and they would have a place among the legends. He almost beat Kurt Angle, surviving the Angle slam and kicking out of the ankle lock submission hold, but ultimately losing to a hard amateur-style pin.

Related Topics:
Kurt Angle - June 27 - Vince McMahon - Angle slam - Ankle lock

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Word Life

Cena was a typical face, an underdog in each match, which at first did not get much reaction from the fans. After losing with Billy Kidman in a tournament match for the new WWE Tag Team Championships, Cena turned heel and blamed Kidman for the loss. Shortly after his heel turn on an episode of SmackDown!, he performed a freestyle rap and his gimmick was changed to that of a white rapper. This gimmick at first got him a lot of heel heat from the fans, but he was later being cheered by them due to the freestyle raps he made on other wrestlers. During his run as a heel, Cena feuded with the Undertaker and Chris Benoit and aligned himself with the Full Blooded Italians. One of Cena's symbols was a modified classic WWF logo (without the "F") with the slogan "Word Life."

Related Topics:
Face - Reaction - Billy Kidman - WWE Tag Team Championship - Heel - Freestyle rap - Rapper - Gimmick - Heat - Feuded - Undertaker - Chris Benoit - Full Blooded Italians

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Cena also feuded with Brock Lesnar. During that feud, he derived his signature finishing maneuver, the F-U as a counterpart to Lesnar's similar F-5 move. When Lesnar turned heel, they briefly joined forces. However, due to his his growing popularity, Cena eventually turned face, betraying Lesnar and feuding with him again. Cena established his signature "You can't see me" catch phrase and hand gesture during this time as well. In a 2003 Survivor Series match, he was on a team led by Kurt Angle with Benoit, Bradshaw and Hardcore Holly against Lesnar, The Big Show, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan and A-Train. In the end Cena hit the F-U on The Big Show and got the final pin, leaving him and Benoit as the sole survivors. The two superstars ended their feud there, though they would fight each other during Cena's run for the WWE United States Championship.

Related Topics:
Brock Lesnar - F-U - F-5 - Catch phrase - Survivor Series - Bradshaw - Hardcore Holly - The Big Show - Nathan Jones - Matt Morgan - A-Train - WWE United States Championship

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United States champion

In 2004, Cena's popularity was increasing. He feuded with The Big Show, leading to a WrestleMania XX victory to win the WWE United States Championship, his first WWE title. Eventually he was stripped of the title by then-SmackDown! General Manager Kurt Angle. Cena later won the title back after winning a best-of-5 match series with Booker T. His second title reign was short-lived as he lost the title to the debuting Carlito Caribbean Cool in Cena's first televised match since regaining the title.

Related Topics:
2004 - WrestleMania XX - WWE United States Championship - Kurt Angle - Booker T - Carlito Caribbean Cool

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As part of an angle, Cena was allegedly attacked in a Boston nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesus, which kept Cena from wrestling for about a month because of a kidney puncture (in actuality, Cena was filming "The Marine"). He returned to wrestling just in time for Survivor Series. When he returned, he exacted revenge on Carlito in a SmackDown! match and won the U.S. title back but was attacked afterward in the ring by Jesus, who hit Cena in the kidney several times with Cena's own chain.

Related Topics:
Angle - Boston - Nightclub - Bodyguard - Jesus - Kidney - The Marine - Survivor Series

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Cena's United States title reigns were notable for two reasons. His second title reign came after a best-of-5 series of matches, a series of matches similar to the one wrestled by Booker T and Chris Benoit for the World Television Championship in WCW. In addition, Cena wore a modified United States title belt during his third reign as champion. The new belt featured the same colors, but with the face plate fashioned as a Spinner.

Related Topics:
Chris Benoit - World Television Championship - WCW - Spinner

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WWE champion

After a strong showing at the 2005 Royal Rumble, Cena became involved in a feud with John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) after Cena won a No.1 contendership tournament to face JBL in the SmackDown! main event at WrestleMania 21 for the WWE Championship. This feud saw him lose his United States Championship to JBL's Chief of Staff Orlando Jordan, with he and JBL "destroying" the turntable belt the following week. During this feud Cena established a name for his core of fans, the "Chain Gang Soldiers."

Related Topics:
Royal Rumble - Feud - John Bradshaw Layfield - WrestleMania 21 - WWE Championship - Orlando Jordan

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SmackDown! General Manager Teddy Long told John Cena to wait for WrestleMania to get back at JBL for destroying the Spinner belt but Cena put Long in the F-U for keeping him away. As punishment, Cena was sanctioned; he could not touch JBL until WrestleMania 21 or he would lose his title shot. If he was struck by JBL first, however, then he could retaliate. A campaign of vandalism against JBL's property ensued, including ruining his ten-gallon hat at the contract signing, spraypainting a yellow streak down his back, and slashing the tires of his limousine. At one point, Cena stopped interference by The Cabinet on a match, hitting the Basham Brothers and Orlando Jordan with a steel chair. He threatened JBL with the chair, but instead of forfeiting his title shot by striking JBL, Cena sat down by his cowering body and did his "You Can't See Me" gesture in his face.

Related Topics:
Teddy Long - Yellow - Limousine - The Cabinet - Basham Brothers

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Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship on April 3, 2005 at WrestleMania 21 in Los Angeles. JBL stole the real WWE belt back before the next SmackDown! taping. Cena, however, had a custom WWE title made, just as Stone Cold Steve Austin did with his "Smoking Skull" belt. The new belt was similar his custom U.S. title belt, featuring a Spinner type WWE logo plate.

Related Topics:
April 3 - 2005 - Los Angeles - Stone Cold Steve Austin

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SmackDown! featured a series of matches to decide who Cena would face in his first title defense at Judgment Day. John Cena successfully defeated JBL, the winner of the tournament, in a bloody "I Quit" Match. JBL, cornered against a glass pane, quit to avoid getting hit by a tractor trailer's exhaust pipe. He got hit anyway, sending him through the glass pane behind him. Cena was finally able to claim the real WWE Championship belt, though he still carried around his Spinner belt.

Related Topics:
Judgment Day - "I Quit" Match - Tractor trailer

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Cena on RAW

On the June 6, 2005 episode of RAW, John Cena became the first draft pick in the annual WWE Draft Lottery, with Eric Bischoff drafting him from SmackDown! to RAW. This came as a surprise to many, as Cena was the reigning WWE Champion of the SmackDown! brand and had previously expressed a desire to remain on SmackDown!.

Related Topics:
June 6 - RAW

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Upon entering RAW, Cena immediately entered an angle with Chris Jericho and Christian. The rivalry between Christian and Cena had already been established when Christian attacked Cena on the Jericho's Highlight Reel, while Cena's rivalry with Jericho started when Jericho turned on Cena in a tag team match against Christian and Tyson Tomko.

Related Topics:
Chris Jericho - Christian - Turned - Tyson Tomko

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Cena defeated Christian and Chris Jericho in a Triple Threat match at WWE Vengeance by knocking Jericho out of the ring and pinning Christian. On the June 27 edition of RAW, Cena teamed with Shawn Michaels and a returning Hulk Hogan for the first time to beat Jericho, Christian, and Tyson Tomko.

Related Topics:
WWE Vengeance - Shawn Michaels - Hulk Hogan

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Cena quickly made enemies with RAW general manager Eric Bischoff, delivering the F-U to Bischoff on the July 11, 2005 edition of RAW. Bischoff vowed to make Cena's stint on RAW difficult and chose Chris Jericho to contend for Cena's title.

Related Topics:
Eric Bischoff - July 11

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On July 12 ,2005 Cena and Jericho went to do the first ever battle of the bands on RAW. The battle featured Cena's Chain Gang against Jericho's Fozzy. Cena performed but Jericho refused, claiming the audience was biased against him and said that Fozzy won't perform until the upcoming SummerSlam PPV. After a successful title defense against his rival Carlito, Cena successfully defended his title against Chris Jericho at SummerSlam 2005.

Related Topics:
Battle of the bands - Fozzy - SummerSlam

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On August 22, 2005 Cena beat Jericho in a "You're Fired" match for the WWE Championship despite the General Manager giving Cena a low-blow and a Brass Knuckle to Jericho. After the match, Kurt Angle came into the ring and attacked Cena while Eric Bischoff revealed that Angle was the number one contender for Cena's world title.

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After several weeks of feuding, both men faced off in the main event of Unforgiven, where Cena lost to Angle for hitting Angle with the WWE Title belt,but still was the Champion. After the match, Cena gave both Eric Bischoff and Angle an F-U through the Spanish announcers' table.

Related Topics:
Unforgiven - Spanish announcers' table

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At WWE Homecoming on October 3, 2005, John Cena decisively defeated General Manager Eric Bischoff in a NO Disqualification Match despite a few good kicks and a low-blow from Bischoff and attempted interference and a missed chair shot by Kurt Angle. After the Match, Kurt Angle and John Cena were battling it out but Smackdown! General Manager Theodore Long, upset that Bischoff cancelled his 6-Man Tag Team Match, decided to end the show with a RAW VS Smackdown! Street Brawl. Smackdown! Superstars stormed the Ring and overwhelmed Angle and Cena until RAW's Superstars joined in the battle. The Street Brawl ended in Victory for the RAW Superstars.

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