WWE Raw: John Cena & CM Punk Are the New Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

The top guy, with big muscles and a great smile—whose ring skills are somewhat elementary, but who has a connection with the younger fans—is the poster boy for WWE. Everything flows through him.

You know what I’m getting at here, right? I'm getting at how "John Cena is the modern day Hulk Hogan."

How many times have you heard that one? Dozens? Hundreds? More?

The fact is, the similarities between these two extend far beyond their position in the top pro wrestling company in the world. They are so similar at times that it seems as though it’s by design.

I have to say, right from the jump, that I am not a Cena "hater." I know that may disappoint many fans out there who stopped after reading the first five lines of this column and had already begun typing some hate mail in the comments section. However, it’s true.

I have nothing to gain by bashing the guy. The truth is, anyone in his spot would take it and run with it, the same as he is. How can you blame him?

It’s hard to ignore the fact that despite how much Cena’s fans support him, the comparison to Hogan has been there since the moment that Vince McMahon anointed him the next top guy.

After all, fans never compared Shawn Michaels to Hogan. What about Triple H? Chris Jericho? Eddie Guerrero?

It’s been repeated a thousand times—likely much more than that—especially here on Bleacher Report, but there is a common link between Hogan and Cena that is so obvious that no one at this point can deny it.

Hogan was no Ricky Steamboat. Neither is John.

The truth is, when you can go, the comparisons to those who can’t are not made. The Hulk Hogans and Ultimate Warriors of the world are all generally grouped together, while the Curt Hennigs and Randy Savages are as well. The only difference is the ability to go beyond four to five moves, to give fans a more well-rounded wrestling repertoire.  

That brings us to the flip side of the John Cena coin. That is, the man who is currently WWE champion, CM Punk.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

Great worker with razor-sharp mic skills, who is an outspoken maverick with a penchant for talking himself into dangerous situations.

Obvious comparison No. 2 coming up.

For me, CM Punk is the modern day Roddy Piper. He’s very real, and has the ability to connect with fans whether he’s a heel or baby face. Every time he has a microphone in his hand, he is extremely unpredictable, and his matches are always top notch. 

He is, for all intents and purposes, the AntiCena.

Therein lies the real heart of the matter. Hogan had a whole host of colorful personalities around him during his heyday with WWE. Piper was arguably the best of the rest, and any time the two had heat, it made for some very interesting moments in the company.

Piper’s reputation for being a devilish character who could look past the hype to get to the sometimes ugly reality underneath was a stark contrast to the bright and shiny Hogan who could do no wrong.

Fans began to not only love Piper, but respect him, both for his edginess and his anti authority attitude.

This is Punk—right down to that wicked smile.  

Punk is the Joker to Cena’s Superman, and don’t tell me I have the wrong villain for the wrong hero. I’m a fan boy, trust me, I get it.

Let's be honest, there is nothing likeable about Lex Luthor. The Joker, on the other hand, is the one villain that you just can’t stop watching. He breaks down all of the walls between the hero and his demons and forces him to face the truth.

This was Roddy Piper, and now it’s CM Punk.  

One obvious point, however, is the fact that Punk is arguably the biggest baby face in WWE right now. In some ways, fans could say that he is out of his element and should be a heel in order to be the one true polar opposite for Cena.

However, the fans will not have it. Punk is practically to the point Jeff Hardy has been in for most of his wrestling career. The self appointed “voice of the voiceless” is so over right now that he could push a nun in front of a bus and the fans would still blow the roof off the building whenever his music hit.

Another obvious point is that Punk is the man with the gold, while Piper never got the chance.

This is a different time than when Hogan was riding high as the main man in WWE. Not only was he surrounded by colorful personalities, he was also surrounded by good workers who helped to make him look better than he was. They sold for him, they put him over and, nine times out of ten, no one could beat Hogan.

In today’s WWE, while Cena is seen as the top money man, there is room for others to share in the spotlight. Randy Orton is a prime example. Until just recently, he and John were the one-two punch of the company.

Punk has now slid into that spot, and is proving himself week in and week out as a prime time WWE superstar.

The great thing about the dichotomy between John and Punk is that it’s not over. Not by a longshot. They are separated right now, but these two personalities simply cannot exist in the same atmosphere without eventually facing off once again.