John Cena and the Rock: 5 Similarities

The year long wait is almost over. The rivalry between John Cena and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starts to heat up as we get to WrestleMania 28. This match is being promoted as the greatest match in the history of the WWE.

This clash is between the top guys from two different generations in the WWE. However, are they similar?

Here is a look at how The Rock and John Cena are similar.

Rose to Fame as a Heel

Twenty years from now, both The Rock and Cena will be remembered for leading their generation of wrestlers primarily as a face. However, they both got to the top of the company as a heel.

The Rock won the Intercontinental Championship early on in his career; however, his one-dimensional face character got old quickly with the fans. He then turned heel and joined the Nation of Domination.

In this group, he actually acquired the name "The Rock." His time as a heel with the Nation of Domination, led directly to the top of the company and WWE Champion.

John Cena was not always the happy-go-lucky boy scout for the WWE that many believe he is now. He made his debut by taking Kurt Angle up on his open challenge and although he lost, his efforts in the match made him a fan favorite.

He then was part of the contest to name the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions, with Billy Kidman. After they lost, Cena turned on Kidman and ultimately became a heel. He then took on the rapper gimmick and was a heel. Cena rose to the top of the company as the "Doctor of Thuganomics."

Movie Stars

If you are asked to name two WWE superstars who are movie stars you probably will say The Rock and John Cena. The difference between the two is that the Rock has made the complete transition over to movies, whereas Cena is still a full-time wrestler.

The Rock has been in some decent movies like Walking Tall and Fast Five. But he has also been in some rough movies like Tooth Fairy. 

John Cena is not as big of a Hollywood draw as The Rock, but he has starred in somewhat decent movies like 12 Rounds and the Marine.

Signature Move

Both The Rock and John Cena have signature moves that they perform on their grounded opponents.

Cena's move is the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He throws his hand in the air and does his "You Can't See Me" taunt in the face of his opponent, followed by a run of the ropes and a delayed fist drop.

The Rock's move is the People's Elbow, which is a running delayed high-impact elbow drop.

Both these moves are theatrical and electrifying.

Catchphrases

John Cena and The Rock have their own catchphrase. Both appear in their entrance music and could easily be recited by a WWE fan.

Cena's popular catchphrase, which is in the chorus of his theme song and on most of his T-Shirts, is "You Can't See Me."

The Rock's entrance music starts with and his promos and usually end with his catchphrase, "If you smell what the Rock is cooking."

Mic Skills and Charisma

The Rock is considered the best superstar of all time on the mic. His charisma and ability to cut excellent promos are what allowed him to become the legend he is today.

Cena is also very charismatic and is able to cut some solid promos. He is very good on the mic and also was able to rise to the top of the company because of these skills.

Since their rivalry has started, they have both delivered some memorable promos and the best is most likely yet to come as WrestleMania gets closer.