Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: 5 Reasons Why Cena Is Still the Face of the WWE

When Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE in April after retiring from UFC, it sent shock waves through the entire WWE universe and threatened John Cena's reign as the top man in the company.

After all, Lesnar was a dominant competitor and extremely popular in his first go-round in the WWE from 2002-2004, and his celebrity only grew since that time. 

However, nearly two months later, it's clear that John Cena is still No. 1 in the WWE and neither Brock nor anyone else will take that away from him in the near future. 

Here is a list of five reasons why John Cena is still the face of the WWE.

Fan Reaction

Love him or hate him, there are few superstars in the history of the WWE who can generate a reaction quite like John Cena.

When Cena first became the face of the company seven or eight years ago, he was tremendously popular with almost all WWE fans. Today, while he still remains the most popular superstar in the company, he also has legions of WWE fans who absolutely hate his guts.

How often has a Superstar been able to simultaneously be the most loved and hated superstar in the WWE? Cena is polarizing. Some love him for his clean-cut baby face image and "hustle, loyal, and respect" motto (mostly children) but other, older WWE fans may hate him for that very same reason. 

Cena is popular in large part because of his 11 world championship reigns, but a lot of the credit has to go to Cena himself.

How many people thought his white rapper gimmick would lead to him being the face of the company when he first came onto the scene? Cena has been able to become popular by using his charisma to his advantage.

He never has been a great in-ring wrestler, which many people dislike him for (more on that later), but he makes up for it by knowing how to cut promos and engage with the WWE audience.

Recently Cena has begun recognizing and even embracing the boos and the "Cena Sucks" chants. It only adds to his character and makes those who support him even more vocal. Cena will never turn heel because he doesn't have to. He already has more heat than most heels now, so why bother jeopardizing those fans who love his character? 

Booing John Cena does not concern Vince Mcmahon. It would be much more concerning to him if Cena failed to garner any reaction at all—like half of the WWE Superstars do. 

He Is the Company's Only Real Celebrity

Please note that I am not counting The Rock, since he is not a full-time WWE Superstar. 

Ask any non-wrestling fan you know to list out all of the WWE wrestlers he or she has heard of.

More often than not you are going to get answers like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and maybe even guys like Ric Flair, Bret Hart, HHH, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, The Miz, or The Big Show depending on whom you talk to.

One guy almost guaranteed to be on that list though is John Cena. Cena has been able to do what so few WWE superstars have been able to accomplish: become a household name.

Cena is recognizable to those who don't watch wrestling because by and large he's the one going out there and starring in guest spots on TV shows, doing interviews on behalf of the company and starting the engines at Daytona. 

How many WWE Superstars have the details of their divorce splattered over the pages of TMZ? Not many, but John Cena did.

This is why Lesnar and the rest of the back will never be able to get to Cena's level. Cena himself is not just a wrestler—he is a brand. 

When The Rock's popularity entered into the mainstream, he left wrestling and became a Hollywood actor. Cena likely could have done the same thing, but he chose to remain loyal to the company.

As long as he remains in place, he will be the one name that is instantly recognized by wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.

The Spinner Belt

Ever since 2005, the WWE has gone with the "spinner" belt (although the centerpiece no longer spins) as its primary design for the company's most prestigious title. 

Make no mistake about it,  this is a reflection of how the WWE feels about Cena. The belt came into place to reflect Cena's hip hop gimmick and even today when he isn't holding the belt, Cena still has his image all over the Championship.

Although many (including myself) hate the belt design and want to see it go back to the traditional WWE/F Championship style, the reason the WWE hasn't changed the design back is because it is tremendously popular. Merchandising sales of the spinner belt have always been high since it first came onto the scene, which goes back to Cena's overall popularity, especially amongst children.

It is impossible to look at the title without thinking of Cena, since it was his design. As long as the belt stays in place, it exemplifies that the WWE is still a "Cena first" organization.

He Is Still in the Main Event Even When He Isn't Champion

John Cena vs. Kane in an Ambulance match, John Cena vs. The Rock, John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match, John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis.

Those are the main events of the last four WWE pay-per views, notice a theme? (Cena is 2-2 in those matches by the way, so no one can continue to make the claim that the WWE always books him to win). 

Cena is always going to be in the main event as long as he is on TV because the WWE believes in Cena as its top guy through thick and thin.

I wanted to see CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan be the main event at Over the Limit just as much as anyone, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen.

When Cena faces The Big Show at No Way Out, that will be the main event as well, so we might as well all get used to it.

Because of Cena's popularity and all he does for the company, it would be foolish for the WWE not to put him in the main event.

His match at Wrestlemania with The Rock was billed as the biggest of all time for a reason. Because like it or not, Cena is the biggest superstar of this generation, and that is not going to change. 

He Is a Great Entertainer

Notice how I did not say great wrestler. Cena is not the most technically proficient superstar (although he is a lot better than many give him credit for), but he puts it all out on the line every time he steps foot in a WWE ring.

I am not Cena's No. 1 fan. I hate how he is booked sometimes with his "Super Cena" persona, and oftentimes his matches can be unspectacular.

But on the biggest of stages against the highest quality opponents, Cena always brings it. Over the course of his career, he has had many great matches that overshadow the times where he has fallen flat.

It is not Cena's fault that the WWE has booked him to be champion as many times as it has, and it is not his fault that it wants him to win these matches in come-from-behind fashion. As fans, it's unfair to take it out on him. Cena has risen to the top through love of the business and hard work, and he has experienced many setbacks before he was able to get to where he is today.

Cena will never be my favorite wrestler, but I respect his talent, and there is no doubting that every time you see John Cena in a WWE ring he will put everything he has into his performance.