I haven't posted a blog in a long time, I have just been going around and making "War and Peace" length comments on which ever blogs that arrouse my ire. But I finally have enough ammo to load up the gun and pull the trigger so here it goes.
I have been a life long fan of Professional Wrestling, not just the in-ring stuff but the sheer pagentry of it all. The sights and sounds, the promos, the storylines; all of it put together. There have been many wrestlers that have come and gone that I have followed throughout their stay in wrestling's limelight. All the way back to the days of the Hulkster to the arrival of the Undertaker in WWE to Scott Hall and the Original Horsemen.
But one individual who remains enigmatic to me is Jon Cena. He is not enigmatic in the traditional sense of the word, but I can't for the life of me figure out why people hate him so much. Could it be that people boo him because they are jealous? Of what you may ask? His looks, his physique(Hell I am man enough to say I am jealous of his build)! Could it be because your wife or girlfriend incessantly makes comments about how hot he is? I know mine does, Cena to her is Beth Phoenix to me! Or could it be that he got a MAMMOTH push that was unlikely for someone as unproven as he?
People let the boos rain down when he used to come to the ring with a microphone and rapped during his whole entrance. I thought it was funny because he was like a stockier Markey Mark at the time! When Lesnar decided to walk out of the WWE and Cena had to pick up the feud with the Big Show(who stayed 1 month longer on 2 bad knees to put Cena over)was to the best of my recollection the start of CenaMania!
My most vivid memory has to be from Wrestlemania 23 which I was lucky enough to attend. The enourmous amount of energy that he and HBK had to expend during that match was incredible. I have NEVER......EEEEEEEEEEEVER heard or felt anything like it. The crowd would cheer Cena one moment and boo him the next. He hit Michaels and the crowd boos, HBK hit Cena and they cheered. Back and forth, back and forth the pendulum swings during the course of a match. When Cena came out on top it was such a cresendo it was deafening! For me the only close second memory of this memory had to be at a Halloween edition of Smackdown that I attended in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was during the early stages of the Big Show/Cena feud. Cena FU'd Big Show through the announce table.....I was speechless.
You may think that this is a "gush" or "fluff piece" from someone who seems like a "Cena Mark" as I have heard that term thrown around quite frequently on this site and many others. But before you judge me or the merits of my fan-hood, consider the fact that I am just like anyone else who tunes in on a weekly basis. I am a fan first and a critic second. I know that there are much more talented wrestlers on the WWE roster that don't get the respect and the push that they may deserve. I know some people are going to read my work here and rip me for what I have said, but I would be naive' if I didn't expect it.
For me it all boils down to one thing; no it boils down to one word for me: R-E-S-P-C-T. At the risk of sounding a bit cliche' I have the utmost respect for Cena, and not only him but for ALMOST all of the wrestlers who put their bodies on the line some 275 or more days a year. Forsaking their personal lives and their families to entertain US, the fans.
So that is it, I'm done. I made my case and it's how I feel and it isn't going to change. So let the Cena hate fest' 2008 begin!