On the June 27th episode of Raw earlier this year, where he commemorated the 20th anniversary of his debut, John Cena was last seen on WWE TV.
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The career of John Cena has been spectacular. From representing WWE as its face and a 16-time World Champion to representing DC Comics in Hollywood as Peacemaker. However, Steve Austin thought his influence on the pro wrestling industry might be greater than most people realized.
Many outstanding wrestlers have been connected to WWE over the years. Each era in the history of professional wrestling has had its share of superstars, from Hulk Hogan to The Undertaker, Steve Austin to Triple H to Andre the Giant, but according to Steve Austin, John Cena may have had the greatest impact on the sport.
Despite his advanced age, The Texas Rattlesnake is said to be considering a comeback, with John Cena being named as a possible rival after a recent viral video showed off Austin’s ripped body to the globe.
According to Steve Austin in an interview with Complex, the 16-time World Champion was instrumental in changing the culture of professional wrestling.
“I think the sneaker culture is cool in wrestling, but for me, a traditional guy who started off as a technical wrestler turned into a brawler, it wouldn’t have fit my style … Of course, [John] Cena comes first in my mind when I’m thinking about sneakers in the wrestling game, and he really went over the top with it … And going into the John Cena thing when he started pumping the things up. I was like, Cena’s really working for a sneaker deal here because it turned into a thing, and the crowd got behind it, and he’s one of those guys; what a tremendous career he had, and it affected so many people,” he said. [H/T Ringside News]
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On the SmackDown program from June 27, 2002, John Cena made his main roster debut. In one of the most crucial moments in the blue brand’s history, Cena responded to Kurt Angle’s open challenge by promising to defeat him with “Ruthless Aggression.” Cena’s performance won him praise from the public and other celebrities, but he lost against the Olympic gold medalist.
Cena left the realm of professional wrestling and moved to Hollywood in recent years, following in The Rock’s footsteps. He has however continued to compete, most recently failing in his effort to end Roman Reigns’ illustrious reign as the Universal Champion at SummerSlam in 2021.
In reality, John Cena has participated in at least one match annually since making his professional wrestling debut in the summer of 2002. However, this run may soon be coming to an end. It will be the first calendar year he hasn’t competed since that first match with Kurt Angle unless he makes a sudden comeback to the ring in the latter months of 2022.
On the June 27th episode of Raw earlier this year, where he commemorated the 20th anniversary of his debut, John Cena was last seen on WWE TV. The 16-time World Champion spoke about his favorite WWE moments and praised the crowd for their support.
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