Happy Birthday! John Cena Turns 39 Today

There are professional wrestlers, and then there is John Cena. Since debuting in 2002 in the WWE, [...]

John-Cena-Champion-Again
(Photo: WWE)

There are professional wrestlers, and then there is John Cena.

Since debuting in 2002 in the WWE, Cena has gone from having to make an impression, to being the credited face of the company itself. From his first match against Kurt Angle on SmackDown! during Angle's open invitational challenge to being able to main event five WrestleManias, Cena has been the embodiment of "ruthless aggression" to hustle, loyalty, and respect.

Cena has cemented his legacy as the face of his generation. The same generation that brought us Randy Orton, Batista, Brock Lesnar, The Miz, and reintroduced Shawn Michaels to those who were previously uninitiated, Cena was handpicked to lead the company into new horizons. After Lesnar departed in 2004, Cena came out from The Next Big Thing's shadow and became an entity all his own winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania from the Big Show and a year later, the WWE Championship from JBL.

From that point forward, Cena defined what it meant to carry the championship and the company on his shoulders. He was the Hulk Hogan of his era, representing WWE in all shapes and form from talk shows to eventually becoming the biggest Make-A-Wish granter in history. And speaking of history, and Hogan, Cena is currently the 4th longest reigning WWE Champion in history, right under Hogan, Bob Backlund, and Bruno Sammartino.

Easily one of the most polarizing superstars in WWE history, Cena continues to be a huge selling factor and one of the biggest merchandise sellers of all time, rivaling the likes of The Rock and Steve Austin, but caters to a different crowd. To the younger fans, he's a walking superman, "overcoming the odds" at every chance...which is what the older fans have been turned off by in the past. Despite the surging boos from the audiences, Cena has learned to embrace it and make it part of his overall schtick. He's even come a meme that has been known as "Unexpected Cena", and took it with stride.

In addition to his wrestling accolades, Cena is one of the very few professional wrestlers to have performed both his own entrance theme songs and released a rap album around the time of his first championship reign. You Can't See Me debuted at number 15, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2010.

Today is John Cena's birthday and while some of the WWE Universe might not be his biggest fans, you have to admit that he's gone above and beyond the call of duty for the company, bringing awareness to the company on a global scale and entertaining millions around the world.

Here's to you, champ.

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