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Post by hbkjason on Apr 7, 2020 4:35:50 GMT -5
Wrestling Memories: Basic Thuganomics
I have really enjoyed the Ruthless Aggression series on the WWE Network and it reminded me of just how big a John Cena fan I was during his rise to stardom. I am not going to talk about the modern John Cena as I do not want to give PJ a headache by talking about modern wrestling. However, I am going to look back at the first part of his run as a star and what it meant to me as a fan and how at a live event in 2004 I saw a cool moment with him. I will admit that when he first debuted and had his little thing with Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho, I did not see anything special at all. Sure, he was all jacked up, but he had less than zero personality and the most interesting thing about his very early run was his first Ruthless Aggression figure that captured his look very well, even if it did come with a gas can. It was actually that figure that made me take a bit more interest in John Cena. A figure which I picked up here in a store called Poundstretcher's, seriously the number of stores that sold Jakks WWE figures back then was crazy. When they turned John Cena into the rapper, I thought it was awesome. In the early days, he felt pretty legit and the fact most of his raps where funny (well to my early 20s brain they were) I was on board pretty fast when he did the whole rapping thing. In 2003 he had some pretty solid matches and Kurt Angle, in particular, I felt really brought the best out of him and it was a fun way for him to throwback to his debut.I felt that towards the end of 2003, you really felt that John Cena was going to be a big deal. Here in the UK, we had this awesome wrestling magazine called Power Slam. I remember them saying that he was the Aire to the Smackdown throne and I agreed. Of course, this was long before they started this very strange anti John Cena agenda that they had, it got so bad it actually turned me off the magazine and I stopped getting it. His defeat of the Big Show at WrestleMania XX was huge and one of the matches I was most looking forward to on the show. The actual match was not that great, but him moving up to that next level certainly was, you really did feel like you were watching history and he got a hell of a pop from the crowd. His whole US Title run was fun I thought, even if I did have a hard time getting that figure with the US Spinning Title… not the figure, I found that multiple times, but finding one without the damn belt being stolen was tough!One great Jon Cena memory I have during this time was at a house show here in the UK in 2004. It was the WrestleMania Revenge Tour and at this show, John Cena would defend his title against a not quite 100 percent JBL, Bradshaw. I was so into Cena at this time I was super excited to be able to buy his white World Life shirt from the merch stand before the event started. I was such a fan that I bought two…. Why I did this I had no idea, but I felt this shirt was going to be hard to get. The best part of this night was not that match, but what would happen after the main event. The main event was between Eddie Guerrero and Big Show for the WWE Championship. This was actually a fun match and the only live Big Show match I have seen where he actually put in some effort. After the match, Eddie Guerrero took to the mic and asked Cena to come out. He did and they did this impromptu rap that was a ton of fun and in all honesty one of the most fun things I saw at a live event during this time. I am sure they did this at most of the events they were on during this tour. Cena had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand and got most of us standing on the seats which really pissed off the security guards. I know that after he became the WWE Champion it was the “cool” thing to hate on John Cena, but I honestly never got it. I always found him entertaining and felt that he was far better in the ring than many people gave him credit for. He for me is one of the all time greats and until NXT, he was probably the last new guy that I really got behind. What are your thoughts on the early days of the Dr of Thuganomics? |
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 30, 2009 14:58:56 GMT -5
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Post by jason1980s on Apr 7, 2020 8:00:56 GMT -5
I'm just glad John Cena was able to get the jobber stink of working with Bull Buchanan off of him to becoming a superstar. Bull was so awful, probably the absolute worst wrestler I've ever seen in all my years of watching.
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Post by hbkjason on Apr 7, 2020 10:50:18 GMT -5
I'm just glad John Cena was able to get the jobber stink of working with Bull Buchanan off of him to becoming a superstar. Bull was so awful, probably the absolute worst wrestler I've ever seen in all my years of watching. I forgot all about B Squared lol. |
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Apr 9, 2020 1:36:22 GMT -5
I remember how disappointed I was when Cena went from "Basic Thuganomics" to "My Time Is Now" theme song. He went from being the number 1 fan of all teenagers and 20 year olds to being hated by those same age brackets when he changed his theme and his style to please the small children in the crowd.
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Post by The Brain on Apr 9, 2020 1:42:44 GMT -5
I've never been a Cena fan or rap fan personally but I did enjoy the segment he had with Kurt Angle in June 03.
Like I said in the past here, goofy Angle=GOLD.
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Post by LK3 on Apr 9, 2020 1:54:56 GMT -5
I can't pinpoint exactly when I began becoming annoyed with Cena, but it was sometime mid-to-late 2004. Basic Thuganomics was awesome and Cena was my top 3 favorites with Brock and Orton before I soured on him. Probably some cringey babyface stuff, and I thought the Chain Gang was dumb.
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 28, 2024 9:46:56 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 3:05:16 GMT -5
Cringe Cringe Cringe. I liked Cena back then, but watching the old segments back I actually feel embarrassed for him.
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Post by hbkjason on Apr 9, 2020 3:29:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies guys, one thing I forgot to mention and I am kind of embarrassed about is that I not only purchased his rap album, I actually still have it in the attic and it has survived numerous purges of my attic! Why this CD has survived and I cannot get rid of it I do not know! While I was not really a fan of his music I thought the video they did for Bad Man or whatever it was called was hilarious.
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Post by MKSavage on Apr 9, 2020 10:43:30 GMT -5
Never understood the appeal of this guy.
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Post by LA Times on Apr 9, 2020 11:02:19 GMT -5
John Cena was the first guy to take a rap gimmick and make it work. Before that, it was a mark of death for a wrestler (See PN News, Men on a Mission, PG13, etc)
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 30, 2009 14:58:56 GMT -5
Posts: 2,335
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Post by jason1980s on Apr 9, 2020 11:30:39 GMT -5
I am both pleased and shocked that he made it as big as he did. When he was Prototype in OVW my friend Todd (from Sunny bed photo fame) bought a Proto signed photo from his website for $5. I thought it was crap for a "nobody" to be charging for the autograph and yet almost 20 years later I wish I had that Prototype signed and personalized photo with a legible autograph from John.
I'm not the biggest fan but I get why he is a star. Maybe he wouldn't be as big in the 80s or 90s with so many stars but with so many guys looking fresh off the indys I get why he is a star. I also watch his 12 Rounds movie a few times a year because I enjoy his acting in it. His new commercial about the credit score is pretty silly though. I see him being typecast in movies as the silly guy or a comedy movie guy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 21:33:58 GMT -5
I am both pleased and shocked that he made it as big as he did. When he was Prototype in OVW my friend Todd (from Sunny bed photo fame) bought a Proto signed photo from his website for $5. I thought it was crap for a "nobody" to be charging for the autograph and yet almost 20 years later I wish I had that Prototype signed and personalized photo with a legible autograph from John. I'm not the biggest fan but I get why he is a star. Maybe he wouldn't be as big in the 80s or 90s with so many stars but with so many guys looking fresh off the indys I get why he is a star. I also watch his 12 Rounds movie a few times a year because I enjoy his acting in it. His new commercial about the credit score is pretty silly though. I see him being typecast in movies as the silly guy or a comedy movie guy. I would have bought it if I knew what he’d become! I wonder if you met him today and gave him an OVW picture would he sign it as “prototype”? I’d be very surprised if he became as big as The Rock in Hollywood, but I can see him having a good acting career. |
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Post by LA Times on Apr 10, 2020 15:15:51 GMT -5
I am both pleased and shocked that he made it as big as he did. When he was Prototype in OVW my friend Todd (from Sunny bed photo fame) bought a Proto signed photo from his website for $5. I thought it was crap for a "nobody" to be charging for the autograph and yet almost 20 years later I wish I had that Prototype signed and personalized photo with a legible autograph from John. I'm not the biggest fan but I get why he is a star. Maybe he wouldn't be as big in the 80s or 90s with so many stars but with so many guys looking fresh off the indys I get why he is a star. I also watch his 12 Rounds movie a few times a year because I enjoy his acting in it. His new commercial about the credit score is pretty silly though. I see him being typecast in movies as the silly guy or a comedy movie guy. I would have bought it if I knew what he’d become! I wonder if you met him today and gave him an OVW picture would he sign it as “prototype”?
I’d be very surprised if he became as big as The Rock in Hollywood, but I can see him having a good acting career. I went to a John Cena autograph signing at a Toys R Us shortly before Wrestlemania 28. I gave him an Ultimate Pro Wrestling Training VHS cassette for him to sign and he signed it as both John Cena and Prototype. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2020 15:36:11 GMT -5
I would have bought it if I knew what he’d become! I wonder if you met him today and gave him an OVW picture would he sign it as “prototype”?
I’d be very surprised if he became as big as The Rock in Hollywood, but I can see him having a good acting career. I went to a John Cena autograph signing at a Toys R Us shortly before Wrestlemania 28. I gave him an Ultimate Pro Wrestling Training VHS cassette for him to sign and he signed it as both John Cena and Prototype. That's cool! I met him at Strand Book Store in NYC last year the Friday before WM 35. He was nice. Speaking of WM 35, I was glad to see the Dr of Thuganomics one more time. I liked the character. A lot of people compared him to Marky Mark, but he was much cooler than that guy! John Cena is still cooler than Mark Walhberg(I can't stand him). Like a lot of others I was upset when they made the edgy rapper John Cena into a wholesome character who cut cheesy promos and was making fart jokes that only Vince McMahon loled at. I didn't really hate Cena before around One Night Stand 2006. From then until Summerslam 2016 I wasn't a fan. Sure he had some bad matches, but he also had excellent matches like the one with Shawn Michaels that lasted an hour. |
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Post by JC Motors on Apr 11, 2020 16:17:32 GMT -5
Remember when Cena would wear actual sports team jerseys and wore a padlock and chain?
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