WWE Took a Risk on John Cena 25 Years Ago—Why Doesn't It Anymore?
Over 18,000 Yankee-color-clad fans packed Madison Square Garden for John Cena's final WWE Raw on Nov. 17, just shy of a month out from his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington D.C.
Cena has sported a new shirt tailored to every city he's appeared in during his retirement tour in 2025, and New York City was no exception. His Yankee-inspired tee—complete with "John Cena's Final Raw" embroidered on the right sleeve—unsurprisingly flew off the shelves and was the perfect thing to purchase with the debit and pay-later Klarna Card.
From the food to the drinks to custom Cena merch, this particular MSG Raw was a can't-miss, historic happening for fans and Klarna customers alike. Only being in the building could one capture the essence and emotional impact of such an epic occasion.
"Thanks for the house" is a common pro wrestling phrase said by those in the business toward the main attraction considered responsible for selling out whatever venue they're in. Cena was likely on the receiving end of that honor by more than a handful of his peers last Monday night.
The moment those all-too-familiar trumpets blared, an unmistakable aura overcame The World's Most Famous Arena. Newly-crowned intercontinental champion Cena emerged to a raucous reaction, very much worthy of the "Greatest of All Time" title that has been bestowed upon him by the masses.
Every ounce of admiration the crowd had for Cena inside those hallowed halls reaffirmed him as the real deal.
Larger-than-life Superstars like Cena are seemingly appear once in a lifetime, yet that same era also spawned some of WWE's most iconic competitors.
Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton all graduated from WWE's then-development territory OVW to the main roster in 2002 and, of course, went on to enter a whole other stratosphere of stardom in the industry and beyond.
It wasn't long before that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock graced the squared circle, spilled some beers, flipped a few birds and led WWE to its biggest boom period ever as part of the Attitude Era. The powers that be at the time took a chance on every single one of them, and although some needed more seasoning than others, they all eventually reached elite levels of success.
That isn't to say WWE isn't without its household names today. Roman Reigns received an equally-enormous ovation upon returning at the end of Raw in MSG, and he got his start on the Raw roster a full decade after Cena and Co.
The Shield, consisting of Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (now Jon Moxley in All Elite Wrestling, were a similar story in that WWE ran the risk of fumbling them before they could truly get going by immediately thrusting them into the main event spotlight in 2012.
Ultimately, that risk paid off exceptionally well as the three of them have been ruling the roost in WWE and AEW for years now, but why aren't they taking those same risks anymore?
Making Safe Choices Isn't Conducive to Creating Stars
In the case of Cena, he wasn't a world champion overnight. Despite his memorable "ruthless aggression" arrival on SmackDown, he struggled to find his footing and infamously almost got fired before having his job saved by Stephanie McMahon and landing on his Doctor of Thuganomics character that catapulted him to new heights.
More importantly, it was the officials who afforded him the opportunity to express himself and go out on a limb with a gimmick so drastically different than what he portrayed previously. Had that experimental period of his career not panned out, he would have almost surely been let go soon after.
Cena being able to overcome the odds obviously worked out wonderfully, and the same can be said for so many world champions from back then. There were a number of others who faded into obscurity, but the risks were worth the reward.
The WWE landscape has shifted considerably since then. The week-to-week programming is infinitely better now than it has been in decades thanks to Triple H taking over for Vince McMahon as head of creative, but between safe booking choices and the company being beholden to TKO shareholders, it feels as if WWE as a whole has strayed away from doing anything too unorthodox in recent years.
Cena, Lesnar, Reigns, Rhodes and the rest of WWE's current main event scene are guaranteed draws. The company has no reason to rush into elevating anyone to the upper echelon because everyone they're pushing prominently is profitable and established.
That won't last, and when WWE's booming business begins to dim, it will need the next Cena to fall back on. The question is whether it has someone waiting in the wings—whether that be on the main roster, in NXT or as part of the NIL or ID programs—ready to fill that spot when the time comes.
Current Booking Doesn't Allow for Anyone to Become Bigger Than the Brand
If The Rock wasn't the same caliber of star as Austin in their respective primes, he was close to it.
When WWE did the unthinkable and turned their golden goose Austin heel in April 2001, Rock was there to slide into that spot as the premier babyface—until he wasn't.
The Great One took time off to film multiple movies and never really returned to that role. He became bigger than the brand and didn't return for another seven years. It's not a stretch to assume WWE wasn't thrilled that one of its homegrown headliners was gone so soon after ascending the ranks to main event status.
When so many others before him left for bigger and better things, Cena stayed put in WWE and dominated at the top of the card for over a decade. That said, even his commitments outside of the squared circle gradually took precedence once his stock started to skyrocket.
"Thank you for the house" isn't as applicable or as commonplace as it used to be. Now more than ever, WWE is about the brand than it is any one or two talents. WWE sells itself as the experience, regardless of who's advertised to appear.
Great strides have been made within the last year to showcase women on the rise, most notably Tiffany Stratton, Stephanie Vaquer, Roxanne Perez and Giulia. That's in addition to Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair being tentpole performers for the promotion.
The men's division is where WWE has more so failed to replenish the pot. Capitalizing on Jey Uso's groundswell of popularity at the onset of 2025 wasn't enough.
Dominik Mysterio is well on his way to becoming a fixture in the world title picture, but whether he can be "the guy" remains to be seen. Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu and Oba Femi all have that potential but won't get beyond a certain level until WWE pulls the trigger on pushing them aggressively.
More than anything else, it's the creative risks that are missing from modern-day WWE. For better or for worse, they made past eras of the company stand out as must-see TV, and reflecting on that as Cena prepares to hang up his patented jorts and baseball cap combo could be what inspires higher-ups to utilize them again.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
