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John Cena will always be credited as The Face That Ran the Place for well over fifteen years in WWE. A young lad from Massachusets came from nothing and made himself into the biggest star of the industry, becoming a household name across the entire world.
John Cena accomplished every major accolade in his WWE career and battled the likes of legendary superstars such as The Rock, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar. With a storied career that will surely lead him into the WWE Hall of Fame someday, John Cena shifted his base to Hollywood with his desire to conquer the world of films and television. Over the years, Cena's appearances on WWE programming have become limited due to his hectic acting schedule, but The Champ has stated numerous times that WWE will always be his home.
However, it is strange to imagine how different would John Cena's life would be if he had decided to not pursue a career in Hollywood and chosen to continue as an active WWE performer. Let's explore the subject and try to envision John Cena's career without the bright lights of Hollywood and still as an WWE in-ring talent in today's landscape.
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John Cena Could Have Been An Intercontinental Or Universal Champion
When we look back at John Cena's career in WWE, the Cenation Leader has one of the most accomplished resumes in the history of the company. From multiple championships to headlining major shows like WrestleMania, Cena has done it all. Well, except for some of the present accolades.
First off, John Cena was the proud holder of the WWE United States championship. From his early days of holding the star-spangled prize to using the championship as an opportunity for rising stars in his John Cena US Open Challenge, there is no doubt that Cena has been one of the best WWE United States champions in history. However, Super Cena never held its counterpart, the WWE Intercontinental championship, nor did he compete for the prestigious championship on live television.
Adding to that, Cena has also never held one of the top world championships prevalent in WWE today that is currently in possession of Roman Reigns, the WWE Universal Championship. John Cena contested once for the title against Reigns himself in the main event of WWE SummerSlam 2021, only to be speared back to Hollywood by Reigns and lose his only chance to clinch that championship.
John Cena Could Have Had Dream Matches Against Today's Stars From NXT
We have seen many top WWE superstars transition to veteran and backstage roles over the years to work toward the future generation of WWE. Superstars like Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Road Dogg have retired from the in-ring competition and taken up management roles to develop the next breakout stars of the company. Moreover, other stars like Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio are working with younger talent inside the ring to make them better athletes and get them over as top-tier talent in the business.
John Cena would have found himself in similar roles, had he been active in WWE today. He could have lent his years of in-ring expertise and experience to WWE's developmental territory, NXT, working hand in hand, maybe as a trainer or backstage executive. Furthermore, Cena could have worked lesser dates and competed against younger talent such as the likes of Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Grayson Waller, and Matt Riddle in various high-profile feuds. This could have also led to Cena participating in dream matches that the WWE Universe would have been thrilled to watch.
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The WWE Universe Could Have Finally Witnessed The Long-Awaited John Cena Heel Turn
Ever since John Cena abandoned his early roots of being a bad guy known as The Doctor of Thuganomics and donned his Super Cena gimmick, fans have expressed their desire for Mr. Hustle. Loyalty and Respect turn from the good guy superhero to the ruthless heel that they have been wanting to see for years.
The chances of turning John Cena's heel turn looked really strong during his memorable feud with The Rock in 2012. In a candid interview with Pat McAfee in 2022, Cena revealed that he toyed with Vince McMahon over the idea and was open to embracing the hate and going rogue only under one condition. “Early on, I remember Vince toyed with the idea of possibly turning me heel for The Rock, the Rock one in Miami. And I told him, I’m like, ‘Hey! No problem, 100 per cent, I’ll do it. But just remember that this is so, we’re so deep in, at this point. We can’t do it and then jump back. So if we do it, I have to be the opposite of virtue, I have to be pure evil and we have to go all-in.”
Had Cena decided not to pursue a career in Hollywood, the WWE Universe could have finally witnessed the dark side of John Cena. With Cena having done everything and presumably on the last leg of his career, that could have prompted John to turn heel and explore a completely new direction of his career. This could have been along the lines of what we have seen in the film Fast 9, in which John Cena portrayed the role of the antagonist and was well-appreciated for his performance.
John Cena's life as an active WWE superstar in today's landscape will always remain an unknown reality, but the respect and admiration for his work in wrestling and Hollywood will always make him one of the biggest stars in the entire entertainment business worldwide.
