Cena vs. Rock – Cena Goes Old School!

ESPN Anchor Robert Flores is talking about it!   Hear full podcast here now.

Wrestlemania Season inspires fond memories like the Holiday Season.  For the fans it’s a time for you to get more excited then any other time of the year.  For the WWE, it’s a time for them to pull out the big guns.  For the wrestling business it’s a chance to shine and remind us why we all love it. Last week, The Rock returned recapturing the imagination of the fans.  The 2/21/11 vignette lead to the return of The Undertaker and Triple H.   And last night on Monday Night Raw, we saw the return of John Cena rapping.

John Cena has been THE guy in WWE since 2005 when he was moved to the RAW brand.  It was in that time period that Cena transitioned away from the rap character into the more modern day version you see today.  John felt to broaden his character he needed to get away from the one-dimensional rap gimmick that grabbed the attention of fans.  I agreed with the decision but like a well planned stipulation match, it has it’s a place for a one-off returns.  Last night on RAW was the time.  Rock had punked out Cena and Cena’s first response was crucial.  This was not PG Cena.  And all those deep base “Cena Sucks” voices were cheering along with him again.

The period that Cena rapped every week on Smackdown in 2002-2003 is a time that showed that patience, consistency and believing in a character paid off.  Before that, Cena would call himself “Johnny Boots and Tights” as the most distinguishable thing about his character was his constantly changing tights based on the city we were in.  It was on an international tour in 2002 where a battle rap on a bus between Cena and another Smackdown talent was heard by Bruce Prichard, Stephanie McMahon, Seth Mates, Paul Heyman and myself.  It wasn’t fireworks going off at the time.  We all didn’t look at each other and say “This is exactly what the WWE needs.”  It was a collective decision to say, “Let’s try it.”  And on a Halloween edition of Smackdown in 2002, we did.

Every week, John would create these raps dissing his opponent.  No matter who it it was.  It was consistent and his momentum built.  There were those on the inside who said “you’re killing this kid with it”.  But the secret to this success was in the hands of John Cena.  I’d suggest a scenario for the rap and he’d go off and create it and then we’d produce it.  In one year, he went from being “Johnny Boots and Tights” to the most talked about newcomer in the WWE.  His matches in 2002 with Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle as a heel got him hot enough for the fans to be clamoring for him to be their hero.

At No Way Out 2003, Cena was scheduled to face Kurt Angle.  Earlier that day, Cena and I went outside to produce this segment to air on the Sunday Night Heat show prior to the pay-per-view.  All I told John was there would be a fan challenging him to rap, the fan would rap John and John was to retort.

John just seized the moment and created something memorable.   Even watching it nearly eight years later, it still is cool to me.  Yeah, it was for a PPV pre-show but it set the tone and showed how much passion he really had.   It was one take and couldn’t have ever been duplicated.  Later that night, it did air on Heat but did not air to the live house.  A discussion with the executive producer revealed he didn’t play it to the arena because “it was too good… would make John too much a babyface live”.  Seems the people already started to make up their mind on that.  The match featured a split audience in Baltimore chanting “Let’s Go Angle… Let’s Go Cena…”  John Cena was turned babyface three weeks later.

John Cena vs. The Rock – simply as a confrontation is one of the great elements WWE has brewing for this years Wrestlemania. We don’t know what we’re going to see and isn’t that the secret to what we want out of wrestling?  To be hyped up for whatever does happen?

Favorite Cena Raps from the 2002-2005 Era

And a personal favorite of mine.  The music video released to promote his album.

David Lagana / IWantWrestling.com

We’re NOW on iTunes – you can subscribe here.

If you’re using another service, you can find the Podcast RSS here.

You can find every episode of our podcasts here.

If you liked this article please support the site by clicking our sponsors, subscribing above and sharing stories with the buttons below.  You can reach me on our Twitter, Facebook pages or you can email me . And don’t forget to voice your opinion on Twitter whenever you’re discussing what you want out of wrestling. #IWantWrestling

Finally…. The Rock Has Come Back to Wrestling!!!

Moments that stick with us are genuine.  They can be manipulated but can’t be manufactured.  Tonight in Anaheim, CA on Monday Night Raw was one of those moments.  There were misdirections, there were leads, there were reports.  But at 10:58pm Eastern it became a reality.  The live reaction let you know immediately what was happening was big.  The ripple effect on social media outlets let you know how wide it reached.  The Rock had come back to wrestling… Finally.

I had two people who were there live, tweet me.

That’s the energy The Rock creates.  We’re now on the Road to Wrestlemania knowing that The Rock will be the guest host; including a tease that there will be a confrontation with John Cena.  But, tonight was about the people.  Rock always called himself “The People’s Champion.”  Tonight for fifteen minutes the Rock entertained and electrified the people by giving a performance that should be studied by everyone who aspires to be the best.  If you’re a young wrestler, aspiring actor, performer, comedian or simply a person wanting to accomplish anything, watch and study what the Rock did tonight!

Today is/was Valentines Day.  It’s one of those days that draws a positive or negative reaction.  A love/hate type of day.  For me, Valentines Day 2002 was the day I was hired by WWE!  Yep, I’ve been in the wrestling business officially for nine years today.   There I was, sitting in the waiting area of the WWE TV studio after my second interview.  My flight back to Los Angeles was in a few hours and a car was on it’s way to get me.  I didn’t know if I had the job or what would be next.  Stephanie McMahon saw me as she was walking out and said, “oh, I’ll see you in Milwaukee on Sunday.”  Yep, it was that quick and this journey began.  Ironic that the hobby that became my job would start on Valentine’s Day.   And here on 2/14/11, the Rock returned and reminded us all why we love the business so much.

Tonight’s moment reminded of my second night in WWE in February of 2002.  The return of Hulk Hogan to WWE TV was met with a confrontation with with The Rock setting up their legendary match at Wrestlemania 18.  It was my second day in the company; my duties ranged from shadowing Ed Koksey to doing whatever I was told to do.  This included letting Rock know how close we were to the segment being on the air as he prepared.  He had worked passionately with Brian Gewirtz (who he always collaberated with and most likely did tonight) to create these epic and memorable promos.  Brian doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done over the years.  As it’s been said millions of times before, walk a mile in someone’s shoes.  That night, it was a home run between Hogan and Rock.  We all remember it to this day.

The Rock always impressed me by his work ethic.  Remember when debuted, he wasn’t well loved; chants of “Die, Rocky, Die”.  Did he quit?  Did he hope someone else would help him get to the top?  He worked harder.  He didn’t wait for anything to be handed to him.  He reached the top of the wrestling business faster then anyone else. He had another dream to chase down in Hollywood.  And for everyone who said he wouldn’t make it there, I think he’s doing pretty good.  And tonight, he came back to the WWE and as he called it… came back to his family.

One thing Rock always seemed to have problems remembering was my name.  “Hey Steve, good to see you.”  When you’re new at WWE, the rule is they don’t really learn your name for the first few months because people didn’t last.  There would be long stretches when The Rock wouldn’t be around and my interactions were usually limited to a hello, handshake and pleasantries.  When he would come back, he kept calling me Steve.  Was he waiting for me to correct him?   Was I walking into some horrible rib?  Then in Atlanta in 2003, I was assigned to produce a few shots with him during the Goldberg program.  Just as we’re about to go live with the shot, we’re standing there talking and he looks over at me.  “You know I know your name is David, right?  I’ve known the whole time.”  He gave me a wink and a smile as the stage manager counted down the shot.  That is Rock’s charisma.  He’s got you in the palm of his hand; controlling your emotions while charming you at the same time.

 

Rock goes Social

As I wrote earlier, Rock is now fully jumped into social media launching a Twitter and Facebook page.  He presented an amazing and genuine message to his fans tonight on RAW before he entertained them with his routine.  He said he came back to the WWE not for the money or to promote a movie but for the fans.  He told them he would never leave them again.  Rock’s new t-shirt proclaims “I Bring It.”   That’s his brand.  He brought it tonight.  He brought it in the past and we know he’ll bring it to Atlanta for Wrestlemania 27.

David Lagana / IWantWrestling.com

We’re NOW on iTunes – you can subscribe here.

If you’re using another service, you can find the Podcast RSS here.

Subscribe to IWantWrestling.com on YouTube.

If you liked this article please support the site by clicking our sponsors, subscribing above and sharing stories with the buttons below.  You can reach me on our Twitter, Facebook pages or you can email me . And don’t forget to voice your opinion on Twitter whenever you’re discussing what you want out of wrestling. #IWantWrestling