Not too long ago, the main gripe that John Cena had with The Rock in the much-hyped build up to their WrestleMania XXVIII showdown (and eventual inferior rematch) was that The Brahma Bull was so busy piling on outside endeavors that he couldn’t find time to show up to a WWE show in the flesh in seven years (outside of his 2008 Hall of Fame appearance, at least). A man as busy as The Rock clearly had his priorities in order and prior to his 2011 return and taking on a part-timer schedule, acting was at the top of it.
Recently, Cena has been receiving a taste of what The Rock has become accustomed to. In the last couple of years, he’s popped up in several movies, hosted award shows, become a Today Show regular, and even had the privilege of hosting Saturday Night Live. Cena was always close to bursting through the pro wrestling bubble and becoming the next big crossover wrestling star, having been the face of WWE for over a decade. We are now witnessing that bursting occur before our eyes; Cena, with help from an infamous meme, is officially a recognizable celebrity away from the ropes, and as such, when Dean Ambrose claimed that Cena has officially became a “lazy part-timer”, it was impossible to deny half of that claim. And that half was obviously not “lazy”.
First of all, Chris Jericho may have some competition in the contest of most dependable award show host who calls wrestling their day job. Given its target audience, humor on the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards isn’t exactly the highest of quality. But Cena was a perfect fit given that he’s been the most kid-friendly wrestler of the last decade not named Bayley and generally has the right amount of energy and comedic charm needed for the role. Maybe if we’re lucky, his dance-off with Nick Cannon leads to a Wild N Out duel down the line.
Playing an animated elephant who has a thing for nut-based food stuffs might be his most outrageous role as a public figure, but his career as a voice actor for large animals did not end there. Cena somehow always ends up casted alongside female comedians; Ferdinand is his latest film in this vein after appearing with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Sisters and stealing the show in Amy Schumer‘s Trainwreck, starring alongside SNL standout Kate McKinnon as a bull who might not be cut out for life as a fighter. Appearances in more mature fare like The Wall, Daddy’s Home 2, and Psych: The Movie extend Cena’s acting resume.
That said, John Cena is still committed to the pro wrestling life, even if it means he won’t be able to show up for television every single week. The winter and spring months saw him engage in two genuinely entertaining rivalries; his feud with AJ Styles carried over from 2016 to 2017 and made up the elements for an early Match of the Year nominee and record-tying encounter at the Royal Rumble. He and Styles went in different directions for WrestleMania, Cena setting his sights on The Miz and his wife Maryse, who antagonized both Cena and his flame Nikki Bella. Miz and Maryse may have bought the funny to the festivities, but Cena and Nikki would stand tall after the WrestleMania dust settled with a post-match engagement nabbing a lion’s share of the headlines from the event that didn’t have to do with Undertaker’s curtain call.
Next up for Cena was his role in either helping or hindering the future of the business. In the case of the latter, two midcarders fell victim to Cena’s seeming invincibility. Rusev‘s bad luck against Cena continued when the two faced off in a Flag Match propped up by the type of recycled patriotism storytelling that just seems out-of-date in modern wrestling storylines. Baron Corbin had it just as bad when his Money in the Bank opportunity was squandered several days before facing Cena, leaving Cena with a smile on his face, even if one audience member next to him wasn’t amused.
One man was able to get the best of Cena, however, and as expected, it’s the man that WWE has put so much time into making a big deal. The war of words between Cena and Roman Reigns when Cena took on a free agent role divided some, but this was a match that was bound to either fail or surprise given the talent at play and the denial some fans have in regard to that talent. Not only did their match turn out just fine – maybe not Match of the Year, but an overall solid outing – but in defeat, Cena recieved a shocking standing ovation post-match. It was as if even though he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea as a wrestler, the respect for the man, how hard he works, and what he’s contributed was still there.
Cena will probably be as busy as ever in 2018, with future projects including more filming for FOX’s American Grit, an announced animated web-show by BoJack Horseman co-creator Mike Roberts and co-starring 2 Broke Girls actress Kat Dennings, and maybe even a superhero role of two if any links to the DC Universe end up even remotely true. Don’t expect him to hang up the jorts and sneakers entirely, however. He hasn’t closed the door yet and might still have enough gas in the tank for his part-time schedule to work. This year, he officially steps into the part-timer role, but he’s winning not matter what arena he steps into.
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