John Cena's Controversial 25-Year Relationship with WWE Fans Defined His Greatness

On Dec. 13, John Cena will compete in his final-ever match, leaving a legacy as one of the most renowned but divisive WWE stars of all time.

The 48-year-old has enjoyed an uneven farewell tour, to say the least. Nevertheless, he has received a hero's welcome in every city since he announced his retirement, even in Chicago, where its partisan crowd stridently booed him during the main event of Money in the Bank in 2011.

His reception at the site of his last SmackDown appearance of the year was about as mystifying as it gets. The onlookers at Allstate Arena even jeered a usual fan favorite, Sami Zayn, as he offered him a shot at the United States Championship.

Some new fans may not realize how outrageous this looked to longtime wrestling buffs, but it was quite a departure from the days when Super Cena fatigue was real. It's hard even to reconcile with a time when people weren't excited to see the future Hall of Famer now.

Still, longevity and nostalgia have a way of transforming contempt into respect and indifference into enthusiasm. That's exactly what many of us are experiencing as the most impactful top star of his era won't be around to be our favorite punching bag anymore.

The Last Time Is Nigh

The vitriol Cena endured as the poster boy for WWE during some of its creative lows, and a dominant overachiever in his prime, was never really personal. He just became a target for everything some viewers had come to detest about the product.

Even worse, his standing as the company's most prominent Superstar felt too preordained to many of us. He was Vince McMahon's chosen one, and fans wanted to reject him even though he was the obvious choice in retrospect.

The company's stubborn approach to his ascent and presence as a main eventer didn't help matters. It often felt like no matter how giving he was or who he lost to, he would inevitably end up back on top.

Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images

Don't even get us started on some of the wrestlers we desperately wanted to see him lose to. However, for every infamous moment like singlehandedly beating The Nexus, there are other, less talked-about instances where he legitimized someone like CM Punk.

Despite his permanence at the top of the card, his self-deprecating humor and dedication to the business eventually made him endearing. So much so that the fans wouldn't even universally boo him when WWE finally gave them the opportunity they often fantasized about.

The company executed one of the greatest heel turns ever at Elimination Chamber. Yes, the follow-up will go down as a generational flop, but part of the reason it didn't last an entire year is that crowds mostly just want to show Cena how much they appreciated him.

His dissonant time at the top molded him into the legend we know today and helped to define his greatness. That kind of pressure may have ruined lesser stars, but he came out the other side better for it.

An Uncanny Parallel

In 2015, the late Kobe Bryant embarked on his farewell tour during his 20th season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The legendary shooting guard held the second-longest tenure with the same team, behind only Dirk Nowitzki, making him synonymous with one of the most lucrative and iconic organizations in basketball.

Despite his many accomplishments, it was difficult for many fans to process his retirement because he had cultivated a reputation as one of the sport's greatest antagonists. Bryant stopped some of our favorite players from winning a championship and reveled as he silenced crowds in opposing arenas with clutch fourth-quarter shots.

He was an enduring figure many of us loved to hate, so it was surreal to watch him become a celebrated veteran on the way out. Even more, he was an active player for so long that a generation of viewers couldn't remember a time when he wasn't a part of their lives.

Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

Many fans like myself had rooted against the Lakers' great for so many years that it was difficult to characterize this newfound admiration for his contributions to the sport we loved. Nike perfectly captured this feeling in its commercial entitled "The Conductor."

Similarly, pro wrestling fans have gleefully chanted "John Cena sucks" during his entrance and lambasted his status as WWE's preeminent Superstar for over a decade. In truth, the ability to elicit such a strong reaction is the mark of greatness.

The 17-time world champion has given us so many reasons to cheer and jeer him for 25 years, and it's sobering to realize he won't provide such an unenviable service anymore. It was a tall task to stand on top of the industry and accept all the praise and criticism that came with the position, but he handled it with such grace and humility that he gave everyone attempting to follow in his footsteps something to aspire to.

No matter how you feel about him, there will never be another John Cena. It has been a tumultuous journey, but he has earned every bit of adulation and conflicting emotions as he wraps up his illustrious career as a full-time competitor.