The Weird History Of John Cena's Father In WWE Storylines
John Cena has had quite a career in the company. His debut was memorable as he answered the open challenge of Olympian Kurt Angle and nearly took his head off with a clothesline that echoed across the full arena. Cena then fought the gold medalist and hung in there, showcasing ruthless aggression that Vince McMahon had demanded from the batch of new superstars.
Despite a strong showing, Cena lost to Angle as he should have but the impact was palpable. Even The Undertaker, then WWE Champion, acknowledged the effort and gave Cena props in a backstage segment.
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The future looked promising for the newcomer. Cena would be featured alongside a few prominent names but he could not quite capture the success early on as aside from his look, his in-ring work was sloppy and his mic skills were not given due attention.
The Rapper Gimmick Saved Cena From Being Cut
Reports at that time indicated that Cena was on the list of wrestlers to be future endeavored but after impressing Stephanie McMahon with his rhymes on a WWE tour bus, Cena took on the persona of a quick-witted rapper and his biggest asset, his skills on the microphone, shone through and the rest is history, albeit not in the way Cena or the promotion anticipated.
After working a bit as a heel, the company turned him babyface and Cena won his first title, The United States Championship at WrestleMania 20, by lifting up and slamming the Big Show. He won his first title in style and soon enough, Cena was pushed into the main event scene just a year later.
After the departure of Brock Lesnar, Cena was fast-tracked to the WWE Championship and he won the same from JBL at WrestleMania 21. The company decided to move forward with Cena as the franchise player, as opposed to Batista and soon after winning his first world title, the champ was drafted over to RAW and set to carve out a legacy on the flagship show of the company.
Then, something else happened. The new face of the company was subjected to a deafening shower of boos just a few months after his arrival on RAW and this occurred on nearly every episode.
The reception to the new star during PPV events was even worse, with events such as One Night Stand 2006 and WrestleMania 22 sticking out as perfect examples of merciless and unadulterated hatred, the kind monster heels would only dream about.
The abysmal reception did not make Vince McMahon and he still had his sights set on Cena to carry on as the face of the organization. Instead of turning him heel, the company went the opposite and started presenting Cena as a bullet-proof goody two shoes, and consequently, his rivals were altered to be more vicious and inhumane. And one of the instruments to get the crowd on the side of Cena was the father of the man himself, John Cena Sr.
Yes, the company went to great lengths to improve the reception against John Cena and so, from time to time, his own father was involved in storylines, usually in an attempt to garner pity for John Cena. The first instance was when Edge, the heated rival of Cena, visited the household of his rival and slapped Cena Sr. across the face.
This was done in preparation for SummerSlam 2006 which was set for Boston a week later and so, Edge invaded the household, wiped his nose clean on a Celtic jersey as cheap heat, and then slapped the elder Cena to make sure that the crowd at SummerSlam would cheer the intended babyface. Sadly, Cena was booed as usual.
The next superstar to target Cena Sr. was Randy Orton and the storyline occurred in 2007. The Legend Killer interfered in a match between Cena and Booker T and after beating up Cena for a while, Orton was ready to punt kick the champion into unconsciousness. Instead of doing so, Orton yanked someone over the guardrail and knocked the same person unconscious with a knee to the side of the head.
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The commentators started yelling that Orton had just attacked John Cena’s father and a horrified Cena watched on from the ring. The reception did not improve much, even after this but kudos to Cena Sr. for taking a bump.
Cena Sr. Actually Took Bumps In The Ring
The elder Cena actually wrestled Orton on the September 17 edition of RAW. The match was booked by Jonathan Coachman and Cena was handcuffed at ringside. In the closing moments, Cody Rhodes interfered for the DQ and Orton ended up dropping Cena Sr. with an RKO.
Seven years later in 2014, during his millionth feud with John Cena heading into Royal Rumble 2014, Orton targeted Cena Sr on an episode of RAW, punching away at the father of his nemesis but thankfully, he did not punt kick him as he did before.
The last prominent appearance of Cena Sr. was during the buildup to Cena versus Rock and for some reason, whether just for the hilarity, the nostalgia or for cheap pops, Mick Foley parodied his highly acclaimed segment with the Rock from the Attitude Era, This Is Your Life. Cena was the subject this time around and his father was brought at the very end.
Hilariously, Cena Sr. outdid his son and actually turned heel. He went on to rant and tore into the crowd who booed Cena, calling them apes jacked up on testosterone. After calling them losers and suckers, Cena stepped in and begged his dad to leave, and sadly, he did.
The intent behind the inclusion was transparent. WWE tried to soothe the hate against Cena but despite taking bumps for his son, the involvement of Cena Sr did not change the perception of the crowd.
Thankfully, Bray Wyatt did not go after Cena Sr. in an attempt to possess him or something.
