Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks 150 User-Nominated Wrestlers Part II

(+) Yeah! (+)

I have brought in Charlie Haas for a solo run in multiple diaries because Shelton always decides to be a jerk at the last minute
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What? I thought Shelton was a team player irl.
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I'm pretty sure Shelton is that now-- I think he might've been a bit of an ego at some point previously (though I don't really have a source on this I just have vague memories of reading something like that at some point) and it was probably exaggerated by modders.
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also why Eddie Edwards shows up in a buncha my diaries
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Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards
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"Say hi, Eddie."

"Hi, Eddie!"
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Heh
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#60 - Brock Lesnar Nominated by: ZeroSignal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf9Up5_KInU" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsOcoE9Vocg" data-time="

I like Brock Lesnar. I like him now, I liked him in 2003, I like Lesnar in general. Do I think he movespams? Yes. Do I think he's the definition of a part-timer? Yes. But both of those things are exactly what gives me that MMA legitimacy to a Lesnar match. When you put Brock in the ring with an AJ, you get these hard-hitting old school matches that remind me of some of my favorite feuds in WCW. Lesnar is a consummate businessman, and the stories of him outside the ring only enhance the solitary, gruff persona that he's groomed so well in recent years. It hearkens back to eras of yore, reminding me of the tough guys that originally fascinated me in this business.

There was a point in this recent, long title reign where I understood people's complaints. Despite Lesnar being a part of some really enjoyable matches in this current run, he slowed the storytelling pace to a lethargic crawl thanks to his occasional appearance schedule. But at Wrestlemania, I really turned a corner on Lesnar. His match with Roman, in hindsight, enraptured me. The man broke convention with the traditional Mania main event, and instead of a coronation, we witnessed a murder. Roman can't hang with Lesnar. Hell, nobody can hang with Lesnar. And I'm okay with that. Sometimes, in MMA, a champ is just to for above the rest of the pack. They're money fighters with a cold, business-like acumen. Fighters like Lesnar cash their checks and leave until the next big money fight, and until someone is positioned as a draw with whom they can make money, they kick back and wait. That's Lesnar, and I have absolutely no problem with him.

As a younger wrestler, Lesnar had an air of legitimacy to him, but he also was one of the most impressive rookies I've ever seen in the ring. Had he chosen to stay in WWE longer, the landscape would have been greatly altered. So many of his feuds felt important and necessary. I tuned into Smackdown to follow the Lesnar experience back then. In some respects, I do the same now.
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#59 - Roderick Strong Nominated by: paulg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQGs7vOvD94" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W55EA0yIcRk" data-time="

Roderick Strong is a phenomenal wrestler. I could talk about that aspect of the Roddy experience, but instead I want to just talk about how one video package (see above) changed my entire outlook on Roddy. I can't not cheer for him after learning about his life story. Sure, he's now joined the New World Order, cutting cool heel promos designed to bury opponents of Shawn Michaels, but I'll always root for the guy. Blending reality with the fantasy of wrestling, Roddy became the most natural underdog babyface I've ever seen behind Daniel Bryan. There's just no way you can't look at that and feel a little welling up of emotion in that cold lump of coal where your heart should be. Because of that history, because of that perseverance in the face of adversity, because of that smile he gives to his newborn as he commits to winning a title just for them, that's what propels Roddy so far for me.
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#58 - Undertaker Nominated by: Anagram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyguI1x41-E" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mn2Ck5uIJw" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG__BPaRijA" data-time="

The Undertaker is one of the most enduring icons of a sport, a man who has stalwartly defined an entire company, a paragon example of the stoic resiliency that embodies an entire genre of hero for Americans. His face has been linked to some of the greatest matches in WWE history. His voice is linked to some of WWE's most memorable feuds.

I also find him really boring to watch in the ring.

I know I'm going to be an outlier opinion, but the fact he ranks this high should be a testament to just how influential he is as a character in WWE. I really don't like Taker that much. He's just not my cup of tea. He's not clever or funny or compelling or heartwarming. He drones slowly on about whatever feud he's been saddled with and, outside of some really enjoyable work with Brock a couple years ago, he's been on rinse and repeat since about 2005. However, in my mind, I see him as this almost mythical figure.

I always wished that WWE would propel the franchise of Taker forward with more characters. For a long time, it seemed like expanding the character's history was the right direction to go. But at some point, Taker stopped being about horizontal growth but rather a vertical legacy. A straight line to the end of his career. The Streak became more important than the man, and the character ceased to be. For so long, Paul Bearer, Mankind, and Kane were part of an ever-growing stable of characters that gave some depth and meaning to Taker's attitudes. If only WWE had signed Abyss. If only they had the foresight to make the character of Bray Wyatt into Taker's child. If only Finn Balor's Demon persona could be linked to Taker. If only Sting and Taker had been given opportunity to clash. So many characters over the years would have worked perfectly in conjunction with the supernatural flavor of Taker, one that compelled audiences to see him as this demigod in the ring.

Instead, the feuds became more and more mundane, more based in plodding matches as Taker has grown older and older.

It's just not what I want out of wrestling.
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I haven't really liked Taker since the late 90s. American badass kinda ruined him for me, and despite returning to Deadman Taker, he was always a pale imitation of his original glory. New characters being added to Taker's lore, which I agree helped him out, ceased around this time too. Probably not a coincidence.

That being said there are things he's done since that I've liked. His matches with Shawn Michaels were of course great (can't say the same for any of his mania matches since however-- not Punk and certainly not Triple H) but like yeah, can't say I've been fond of the character for a long long time, and his matches are boring more often than not for a long time because he's a guy that really needs a story going into a match and "the streak" alone is not a story that's interesting.

So I see where you're coming from and probably wouldn't rate him too differently myself.
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I'm not surprised that you share a similar view as me on Taker. I might differ than you on American Badass a little bit because the character was just so obscenely silly that I couldn't help but like him a little. I think of moments like Taker riding his bike back up the ramp during the 01 Rumble and purposely revving it loudly to fuck with the match or the fantastic Jeff Hardy feud. It's too bad that it wasn't an organic change in the character (nor was the return). It's definitely where the character goes off the rails in terms of storytelling which I would argue was a great constantly progressing story from 1990 onwards.
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Oh and yeah agree with Brock's write-up too on the whole, but probably would have him a bit higher.

I've defended Brock's reign more often than not-- I mean I do think it could be better, but Brock not being there isn't the problem in and of itself it's the company not acknowledging it. Imagine if instead of giving the same empty COVETED INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE IS RELEVANT promo every week Miz actually just outright said "Brock is never here, so I'm really the top guy on Raw since I have the only title you can win on Raw. Come at me bro." There's a lot of potential to make the top guy not being there an interesting thing that adds to the show rather than detracts
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And yeah Jeff Hardy vs Taker was good. Hell I liked Taker vs Maven and Taker vs Matt Hardy too. American Badass Taker had some good feuds with young upstarts-- mostly when he changed to the "YOU DUN IT NOW" theme and was straight heel and about RESPEKT but I do think it damaged the mystique of the character permanently and was overall a poor decision.
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Yeah, great point about Miz. I'm also someone that thinks wrestlers should wrestle fewer matches on TV so as to feature a larger roster; we're past the age of traditional faces and heels, honestly. There are people who want every character to sit on the Iron Throne at the end of Game of Thrones. Feuds can last three months without a PPV match every match (so fuck off, Big Cass). I have no problem with three month breaks between Lesnar matches. Month 1 - Determine #1 contender. Month 2 - set up reason #1 contender dislikes Brock. Month 3 - blow-off. It's a perfectly fine system. It works well enough in MMA, and the character of Brock is an MMA character.

Or go the other way and have Brock's absence matter more in how the roster functions in general. Have someone win a #1 contendership, then have another worker on a win streak complain that they can't even get into the title picture since the guy with #1 contendership is going to be waiting 2 months. Then those guys can face off for the time being. Little things like that would only enhance the feeling that it's an larger roster and not just a series of unconnected segments building to a list of unrelated matches.
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Yeah. I mean really, for me, it comes down to... when Lesnar fights, I tend to want to see it. Not even necessarily because he has great matches-- though he has had his share of good ones. There is a certain unique appeal to having a guy you don't see every damn week, but is still treated like a big deal.

Ergo Lesnar himself isn't really the problem. But I do agree when people say there is something missing in the product with a MIA champion. But that's just a void in the storytelling left that isn't filled. Fill it with anything and it doesn't actually matter if the champ is there or not.

And yeah I think guys showing up on EVERY SHOW should be used a lot more sparingly than it is to begin with. A guy like say, Strowman, would have a much much longer shelf life if he was just... not used when they had nothing outrageous or meaningful for him to do.
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Lopen posted...

A guy like say, Strowman, would have a much much longer shelf life if he was just... not used when they had nothing outrageous or meaningful for him to do.

This is DEFINITELY the problem with Strowman right now. They've really exposed just how uninteresting the character is when they try to give him "regular" motivations in WWE.
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I liked the Lesnar/Taker match but thats justa testament to the strength of brocks character.

He hasnt really been awesome since Big Evil.
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#57 - AJ Lee Nominated by: Mega Mana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cHv9jBoOZo" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zONiOF_viN4" data-time="

Okay, so AJ Lee is a @Pokewars style pick. I admit it. When I was a little younger, she was a character with an attractive personality among other assets. She was also the only woman in the division I cared about (aside from Natalya, and thank god that no one nominated the woman who would make you all scratch your heads more than any other ranking on this list).

I fully recognize that people hate AJ Lee. They hate her FemBomb follow-up to CM Punk. They hate that she was not the greatest actress (but in comparison to others in that division she was freaking Orson Welles). I thought she was a pretty decent wrestler stuck in a divas division, and she would have benefitted from Charlotte, Becky, Sasha and Bayley coming along.

But, admittedly, she had a cute nose and she was the original Alexa Bliss Harley Quinn spin-off, and I appreciated that. And since it's my list, I get to rank her where I want. And in this case, that's the 4th highest ranked woman on this list.
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#56 - Kairi Sane Nominated by: Tom Bombadil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMksMatkzyA" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYAYZfbOfm8" data-time="

As you're all well aware, I don't have much experience with the independent women's wrestling scene. I say that to point out that all of my Kairi Sane experience comes from her work in NXT, AND SHE STILL RATES THIS HIGHLY.

Kairi Sane's every facial expression, every move, every mannerism, shouldn't impress me like it does. She's taken a 1993-career-as-a-gimmick and turned it into this exquisite role that seems beyond cosplay but less than a legitimate career. She has a grace in her every movement and a certain serenity to her character when she isn't fighting. Her wide-eyed enthusiasm is infectious. And when she gets in the ring, she strikes like a young child possessed with righteous fury. Her little toy soldier march to the corner of the ring gets a chuckle out of me while at the same time primes me for some hard-hitting beatdown. Her moves look sharp and painful even though she has such a small frame. She makes Alexa Bliss' five feet of fury look like 60 inches of slovenly shit. Instead, Kairi makes her five feet into a torpedo that whips around the ring before destroying opponents with the greatest elbow I've ever seen.

Kairi has quickly become one of my favorite parts of WWE, and I can't wait to see where she goes next in NXT. It's hard to quantify exactly what makes her so fundamentally fascinating to me, but she possesses this undeniable charisma that so few women in wrestling ever display. And that ranks her #4 on this list's women.
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AJ Lee's Track Record

Wins: 233
Losses: 180
Win Percentage: 56.1%

Alexa Bliss's Track Record

Wins: 157
Losses: 266
Win Percentage: 36.9%

I'd probably respect Natalya at #1 more than I respect AJ Lee at #57. Wish I'd nominated her now.

But yeah for me AJ Lee's problem has always been one of not playing to her strengths. I really think she needed someone to say "no you can't do this well so I don't care if you want to do this try something else"

Like, I thought she did a lot of submission holds pretty convincingly, and could sell well. I thought she played a generic cocky heel character in a way that came off pretty naturally.

But then you've got her fanboying out and trying to do CM Punk style strikes and they look like total garbage because she weighs 90 lbs and simply doesn't have the power to throw believable looking strikes, and because she's imitating CM Punk the technique isn't really there either. You've got her attempting to drop pipe bombs when she doesn't have the material, build, nor delivery to drop them in a way that anyone could possibly care. You've got her trying to play a crazy person because she likes Harley Quinn or something, when she's really just not very good at character acting so she's basically just a cocky heel who makes crazy eyes ala current Big Cass and it's cringe status to watch. Also didn't help that her moveset greatly clashed with that intended character as well.

And I'm pretty sure all these decisions were driven by her. These seem like character concepts she holds in high regard, rather than something that were chosen for her to do. Because why on earth would you.

I think AJ Lee who was guided better would actually be a good member of the women's division. Keep her to a flying technician type, and make her play the cocky heel because it's a role she can play believably.

AJ Lee who actually has a sense for the business is close to Alexa Bliss level. Which, I mean, not my favorite wrestler or anything and the limitations of her size, skill, and repertoire are still there, but I at least like Alexa Bliss because she's very good at playing her character and showing her character in the ring which is enough to overlook a lot. I detest AJ Lee. Definitely in the running for one of the worst women's (or really, worst period) wrestlers ever for me.
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#55 - Chavo Guerrero Nominated by: Tom Bombadil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjtcmGlfxc" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsfztADiH9M" data-time="

Oooh, this one hurt.

Chavo not only was part of my favorite WWE era ever (Smackdown Six), but he was part of one of WCW's greatest strengths (the Cruiserweight division), was the second-best heel of Lucha Underground, and helped put together the best wrestling show in history.

But he was, admittedly, the worst part of the Smackdown Six, an average part of the Cruiserweight Division, only the second-best heel of Lucha Underground, and not the most important component of creating the best wrestling show in history.

I feel compelled to support Chavo, a worker who only gets better and better with age. Chavo was at his best in Lucha Underground, sporting a poncho with "Amigo" in tow. The chemistry between Chavo and His Amigo was just undeniable. Very few pairs in wrestling history create such a well-defined innate relationship, yet here was Chavo Guerrero, demonstrating just how important a partner can be in the ring. Chavo of course was bred in the business, and he certainly exemplified his family name. He was quick, clever, manipulative and on the verge of becoming a show-stealer in WCW before that company fell apart. In WWE, he was always a bridesmaid, but he still proved to be an entertaining midcarder, one that brought texture to the line-up in various divisions. I think he's also a great booker who needs to be unleashed. He definitely has a mind for the business and a passion for it that's driven him to help put together the best wrestling show on TV, after all.
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Natalya says YAY a lot.

YAY

Yaaaaaaay
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#54 - Randy Savage Nominated by: NFUN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgykvOS5Ndw" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klGRVTTntoI" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E0oiKjLzTc" data-time="

Despite a disappointing record in the Raimiverse, Randy Savage is fondly remembered for his run in a different New York-based promotion as well as one a little further south. Randy Savage's overall popularity was somewhat curtailed by the existence of Hulk Hogan, but there was no denying the fact that Savage was the "cream of the crop" as he liked to put it. Despite lacking the high-level size Vince McMahon sought in WWE stars, Savage's off-the-charts wrestling ability and promo skills made him too desirable to pass up. Savage quickly became on of the promotion's top heels and long-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champions. Charismatic, controversial, outstanding in the ring, entartaining and funny at the mic. Randy Savage was ten years in the future in his time. If we have people like The Rock and CM Punk, we have to thank him and his incredible abilities.

So much of his career was inextricably intertwined with his wife-turned-ex Miss Elizabeth that I eventually found it hard to watch him in the later years. When WCW forced the two back together as a pair, I always felt sad and uncomfortable. There definitely was an uncomfortable tension between them on camera (although Elizabeth was the definition of terrible on TV). Still, Savage returned to his heel roots in WCW and created phenomenal heat with guys like Diamond Dallas Page in one of my all-time favorite feuds.

Savage spent most of his career as the best in the world... aside from the man who cast the largest shadow in the world, brother. Hulk Hogan and Savage had a real rivalry, one that went from friend to foe as quickly as Savage's mercurial nature would allow. The complicated relationship went from competitive to sour to necessary over the years; Savage's placement as Hogan's successor was yanked from him eventually and he never really regained that top spot, since everywhere he went, Hogan was sure to be.

Still, we have phenomenally unique promos and classic matches that for their time were utterly one-of-a-kind, and that's thanks to the Macho Man.
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Wow kinda surprising to see Macho Man that low by pretty much anyone. Also kinda surprised there wasn't any sort of real explanation for him being that low as the only particular negative thing in the write-up is the tension between Elizabeth and him being uncomfortable and being in the shadow of Hogan. I suppose it's as simple as "I like these other 53 guys better" but that's a lot of guys!
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I actually like only 51 of them better, but two of them are more important than Savage to wrestling.
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Natalya does in fact say YAY a lot.
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#53 - Ultimo Dragon Nominated by: GOGZero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0rugVdZzIQ" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M_noF_meLo" data-time="

Dragon was, for a brief period of time, one of the coolest man on the planet in my estimation as a young child. Rewatching his work years later only serves to reinforce my perception that, while he wasn't high on my radar or formative to my wrestling experience, Ultimo Dragon was still one of the greatest workers of an era.

The story of Dragon is really interesting, especially considering how he originated his style. He thought that the Japanese style of wrestling was great, but Dragon was an innovator and he wanted to make it his own. Adding more to it would be better. He could add the American style, English, Lucha Libre, and Japanese style to seemingly make one super wrestler. He was taught his Japanese style of wrestling, and while in Japan, he was trained in martial arts by the legendary Bruce Lee. He was the last student Lee ever had, coincidentally. He added the martial arts style to his wrestling performance, and it seemed that once he started doing it, the trainers in Japan did the same. However, it was nothing near what Dragon would do. In the 80s when he was coming up, Dragon would shock and amaze with his Japanese performance. But, he always felt something was missing. So, he went to Mexico where he learned the Mexican style known as Lucha Libre. He seemed to transition into it quite well, and earned the name we know him as today, Ultimo Dragon.

Dragon was the first worker to really hybridize multiple styles, and it worked to such an extent that he was able to fit in with virtually any promotion. At the same time, promotions were working together in an unusual way in Japan, and this allowed Dragon to capture the J-Crown, a conglomeration of 8 titles. On top of that, Dragon also eventually claimed the WCW Cruiserweight Title and others, eventually reaching 11 concurrent title reigns with his J-Crown. In a way that's never been duplicated to such an extent since, Ultimo Dragon looked like the biggest name in a division. It was a decisive position - there was no one bigger or better than Dragon in the junior heavyweight world. For more, I still think of Ultimo Dragon as the be-all and end-all of a division. His work was phenomenal in ring, his performances always varied and new. On top of that, he had the kayfabe record to back up his style in such a way that no one would question the legacy of Ultimo Dragon.

And for a while, that J-Crown meant something to a young Scarletspeed7. Sure, other guys in WCW had a title (or sometimes two, like Lex Luger). But no one traveled around the entire world and showed just how dominant they could be. And for that, he captured my imagination and earned a high place on my life.
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he's the best
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Ultimo Dragon was probably the reason I started watching Nitro. I think I would've eventually given them a try, but the first Nitro I watched was due to me passing by a match between him and I think it was like Mortis. And I was like "this guy is awesome!"

Then the main event scene had all these old WWF guys that I'd been wondering where they went and from that point on I was primarily a Nitro watcher over a Raw watcher (though eventually I watched both because we got a different feed for USA at some point where Raw would come on at 10pm and we had a VCR)
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I was a WCW kid because we couldn't talk my mom into allowing WWF in the house >_>
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All my experience with WCW until that point had been seeing WCW Worldwide on network television where every match was a squash

Almost all my experience with WWF, aside from a few disappointing Raws (we hadn't got cable until about mid 1997 at my house), had been PPV Tapes.

So you can see why Kid Lopen thought WWF was the far superior product. Until Ultimo Dragon, that is.
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To the toppa
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I think the fact that so much of Machos career ran through Liz was a product of him having a very consistent character across the vast majority of his career (I have a hard time holding his post-retirement years in the NWO against him too much).

This is a man whose entire character is a study in machismo. He chooses to be managed not by successful managers like Albano or Fuji, or ambitious ones like Slick and Heenan, he chose to be managed by someone who made him feel like a man, the wholesome gorgeous Elizabeth.

His trials and tribulations with her - dumping her because she thought he was too close to Hogan, taking her back, driving himself mad with anxiety when he wasnt man enough to protect her from Jake - this is probably the greatest wrestling character theres ever been.
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The story of Macho and Liz is great until they divorce. Then it clearly pains Savage to work with her and it makes me uncomfortable.
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I think what sucks most about guys like Dusty, Flair and Savage and is that so many of their prime years happened off camera.
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Definitely agree about Flair and Savage. Dusty's prime years actually aren't that interesting thanks to really poor opponents in a lot of the territories he worked. You don't want to watch his feud with Pak Song.
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I think I would at least want to see some NWA Champion vs Dusty feuds.

Theres this bull rope match between he and Billy Graham that I saw recently which I thought was awesome.
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billy graham is pretty cool in my limited non-tew experience
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scarletspeed7 posted...

#56 - Kairi Sane Nominated by: Tom Bombadil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMksMatkzyA" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYAYZfbOfm8" data-time="

As you're all well aware, I don't have much experience with the independent women's wrestling scene. I say that to point out that all of my Kairi Sane experience comes from her work in NXT, AND SHE STILL RATES THIS HIGHLY.

Kairi Sane's every facial expression, every move, every mannerism, shouldn't impress me like it does. She's taken a 1993-career-as-a-gimmick and turned it into this exquisite role that seems beyond cosplay but less than a legitimate career. She has a grace in her every movement and a certain serenity to her character when she isn't fighting. Her wide-eyed enthusiasm is infectious. And when she gets in the ring, she strikes like a young child possessed with righteous fury. Her little toy soldier march to the corner of the ring gets a chuckle out of me while at the same time primes me for some hard-hitting beatdown. Her moves look sharp and painful even though she has such a small frame. She makes Alexa Bliss' five feet of fury look like 60 inches of slovenly shit. Instead, Kairi makes her five feet into a torpedo that whips around the ring before destroying opponents with the greatest elbow I've ever seen.

Kairi has quickly become one of my favorite parts of WWE, and I can't wait to see where she goes next in NXT. It's hard to quantify exactly what makes her so fundamentally fascinating to me, but she possesses this undeniable charisma that so few women in wrestling ever display. And that ranks her #4 on this list's women.

Her elbow is so good. I was cheering during the Women's Rumble when she started going to the top rope, telling all my friends to sit up and pay attention since they didn't watch Mae Young or her NXT stuff. They were also thoroughly impressed.
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Kairi Sane's elbow is going to be killed dead by WWE Announcers acting just like you, Mana.
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My nominations for next year

Jonny Fairplay
Giant Gonzalez
Drew Carey
Bubba The Love Sponge
Robbie McAllistar
Rory McAllistar
Ryan Shamrock
Rebecca DiPietro

oh
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I see
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those sure are some noms
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They are.

Sorry I've been so light on write-ups as of late. We've been restructuring the layout of the store and it's eaten up the normal work time I use for them.
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that happens sometimes! I too do more of my b8 project stuff at work (at least on slow days) than I care to admit >_>
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#52 - John Cena Nominated by: Johnbobb

I hope you enjoyed that video, as it really highlights both the promo quality and match quality of a prime John Cena. Say what you will about John Cena being involved in the burial of many promising young stars, but the guy reached a modern Hogan level of stardom and is crossing over to the mainstream in a way Hogan never did. Cena, to me, represents the success that the WWE machine can have when it anoints the right talent. Roman Reigns, however, is exactly what Cena isn't. Roman lacks the charisma of Big Match John (despite having the potential to be just as good of an in-ring talent), and it makes a world of difference.

Compare John Cena's fans in 2008-ish to Roman's fans now. WWE is trying to cater to the same base - that base has grown up. That base is in high school and college now. They're ready for their own Attitude Era renaissance of tweeners. John Cena was a perfect outlet for reaching the young audience of the mid-Aughts; Cena himself, however, is actually much more subversive and adult than WWE gave credit for. Cena has always had a certain edge to his real personality, so when John is able to cut promos now, he presents a certain youthful mischief alongside his maturing outlook on wrestling. And his age has factored into his narrative. That propels Cena forward in a way that Roman can never hope to have.

Cena, for his part, is a phenomenal promo. In fact, he's such a good promo that it really helps bury his opponents. John is allowed to improv in a world where the other guys aren't, and the writers at WWE will NEVER outwrite Cena. Cena's acting in-ring is at the top of the class; just look at his lead-up to the Undertaker match. Especially the Six Pack Challenge against AJ before Mania. John connects with the audience because he can tap into those facial expressions.

I know a lot of people hate Cena, and there are certainly reasons to hate the guy. But for the last few years, he's worn a couple different hats and done it well. Whether it was the US Open Challenge or the Part-Time Jobber, Cena has been extremely valuable to WWE, and when he's gone from the company (like right now), he's sorely missed.
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