OK, I will it, the title of this piece is a little bombastic. Everything is subjective in art, and pro wrestling is no exception. But now that I've got your attention, let me actually explain why John Cena's first heel promo in his WWE career can be considered not just an amazing moment of television that will go down in pro wrestling history, but the single best time that a wrestler took a microphone in their hands. And if my arguments don't convince you, you can always yell at me in the comments.
On March 17, 2025, Monday Night Raw opened its first-ever show in Brussels, Belgium, with something that not many people expected: "My Time Is Now" sounded in the sold-out Forest National arena, immediately eliciting a chorus of "boos" from the eight thousand people in attendance. As John Cena walked out to the ring, his first statement was already clear: no new music, no new gear. You won't get what you want. And this was only the beginning.
John Cena Has Always Been a Heel
Whiny Heel John Cena Was Not on My 2025 Bingo Card
To truly appreciate the 22-minutes of beauty that Cena gifted us last Monday, you have to watch his promo several times. As our Tribal Chief said, "There are levels to this." Cena's speech can be looked at from different perspectives, and each time you will get a different impression. At first, my reaction was "What the hell is this guy talking about?" Of all the performers in WWE history who could take up a microphone and whine about their careers, Cena is probably the last one. He won everything, he made millions, he was the uncontested top star of the company, and he successfully transitioned into a Hollywood career. What are you complaining about?
But then, as John led us through this journey, it slowly dawned on me. Cena did not just turn heel at Elimination Chamber 2025. Cena has always been a heel. Everything he did until hitting Cody with the Jeff Jarrett-patented "nutslap" was a lie. Every time he smiled, every time he catered to his fans, to the audience, to the kids, he was lying. He did everything he had to do to get to the top and to stay there, but psychologically, it was taking a toll. Sure, you can argue that the toll was paid in millions of dollars, but that's not the point here. Listen to any professional wrestler (especially those who commented on Cena's promo) and they will all agree: dealing with the fans is not easy, regardless of how successful you are.
You've made me a freaking a toy. I'm an object to you.
"You claim to me," Cena said to the "Let's go Cena! people", but instead, "all you ever do is steal from me. You steal my personal moments. You steal my time. You've made me a freaking a toy. I'm an object to you." This was the turning point. Like all master performers, Cena led us one way with the whining at the beginning, then swerved and threw us off balance. When he said "I'm an object to you," I couldn't help but gasp. He made me believe that one of the richest and most famous people in the world was actually suffering the whole time as he built his success. Bravo, sir.
Something that resonated with me particularly was John's mention of how he had to change to please fans, but it was never enough. You can interpret that any way you want, but to me, it's a beautiful retcon of the history of John Cena. Rapper Cena was cool, but that wasn't enough. The company wanted him to change, and he did, but John isn't blaming Vinnie Mac (and rightfully so, as it wouldn't further this story in any way). He blames fans. When he changed, he started "winning, and winning, and winning" as he said, but fans complained again. You're winning too much, John. But was this actually true?
Was John Cena Truly That Dominant at the Height of His Carrer?
He Has Given a Lot More Than People Think
Let's take a look at some significant moments from Cena's history. ECW One Night Stand 2006, Cena loses the WWE Championship to Rob van Dam. Money in the Bank 2011, John Cena (c.) vs. CM Punk for the WWE title. Punk wins the title and kayfabe leaves the company, leading to a 434 days-long championship reign. SummerSlam 2013, Cena loses the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan (ittedly, Cena had to take time off due to injury). SummerSlam 2014, Cena loses the World Heavyweight Championship to Brock Lesnar during a squash match. In 2016, Cena puts over the newly-signed AJ Styles in a series of matches, including (yet another) loss at SummerSlam for the WWE title.
Sure, you could argue that for any one of these moments, there were countless others where Cena hugged the spotlight and "buried" other talents. Let's look at his WrestleMania record, then. Cena's time at the top of WWE lasted roughly between 2005 and 2015/2016. Over his entire career, he only main evented WrestleMania five times (not counting the match with Rhodes), a surprising statistic. Of those, he won three times and lost twice, at WrestleMania XXVII, against The Miz, and at WrestleMania XXVIII, against The Rock. Hardly an impressive record. As a comparison, Triple H main evented 'Mania seven times, of which he won four.
Fast-forward in time, and the next phase of John Cena's career was about giving, as he said in his promo. He put over every talent he was asked to, got squashed by Undertaker at WrestleMania, and built a newfound positive reputation among the fandom. However, while the fans may have been happy to see him, he was clearly not. The definition of toxic relationship Cena came up with to describe his connection with the WWE universe was a brilliant one. Even when he finally turned heel - giving the fans what they had been asking for years - they still had demands. Change your music. Change your gear. The hell with that, Cena said. That's my voice over that theme song. This is my style. You dress like me, I don't dress like you (want me to).
Cena Got Real for the First Time in His Career
Cena Proved He Is the Master of His Craft
Those who expected Cena to be at least a little uncomfortable in his first time playing the bad guy got disappointed during Raw from Brussels. There was not an ounce of hesitation in John's voice or mannerism, so much so that, as I said before, he successfully gave the impression that these thoughts and feelings had always been present inside him, he just could never let them out. The Cena we saw until now was a character, the one we see now, who almost left the ring in Brussels before beginning to speak, is the real one. Regardless of if this is true or not, that's the story Cena is selling, and I'm buying it wholeheartedly. This is when pro wrestling works its magic: blending truth and fiction to let us suspend our disbelief.
Perhaps a little too much, even. I couldn't help but compare Cena's Oscar-worthy performance with what followed from Cody Rhodes. Actually, I compared it with Rhodes' whole body of work since coming back to the WWE. It's no secret that Cody is filling Cena's shoes as the face of the company, the photogenic, kid-friendly champion who sells tickets, merchandise, and does all the media. Sure, Cody added that touch of AEW-tinged past and edginess that made him popular among that sector of the fandom who hated Cena in his heyday, but does that make him more real? Leaving the (numerous) references to his great late father aside, since getting to the top of the WWE, Cody has not delivered a single promo that had an iota of the realism that Cena dropped on us all last Monday.
This only makes their feud and match more interesting, however. I can't wait to hear Cena tell Cody that, to become successful, he had to essentially become like him, trading the "hammer to the throne" with a new version of "hustle, loyalty, and respect." But I'm getting ahead of myself. Ultimately, what makes Cena's promo the best wrestling promo of all time, in my eyes, is that he took 25 years of possibly the most successful career in the business and turned it upside down, giving us a new, shocking perspective. And at the end of it, I couldn't say "nah, this is too forced," I had to say "wow, this is too real." If John Cena can convince me that his life as the greatest WWE star of all time was actually tragic, he can convince me of anything. And that's what I want from pro wrestling.
