WRESTLER JOHN CENA

The Beginning
Cena grew up with an inside view of the professional wrestling business. His father was an announcer for Chaotic Wrestling, going by the name of John Fabulous. Needless to say, Cena began getting training very early on in his life from various wrestlers at the shows, as well as learning the tricks of the trade. Cena made his in-ring debut for Universal Pro Wrestling under Rick Bassman in 2000, quickly making a name for himself in the WWF developmental organization as the Prototype. It didn't take long for the Prototype to rise to the top, winning the UPW Heavyweight Title from Smelly in April '00. The Prototype would hold the belt for over a month before dropping the belt back to Smelly. It was just the first step for Cena, who was quickly looking for bigger and better things.
OVW: 2001
In 2001, having signed a developmental deal with the WWF, the Prototype moved over to Ohio Valley Wrestling, the main training federation for future WWF stars. He also appeared some in another WWF developmental organization, HWA. The Prototype quickly became one of the more despised heels around, partially because of his attitude. At The Last Dance in April '01, the Prototype joined with Mr. Black in the unenviable task of taking on Mark Henry & the Big Show, two of the biggest wrestlers around. Although they tried to sneak out a win, there was nothing happening against the two WWF stars. Later on in '01, the Prototype began a tag-team with an unlikely wrestler, Rico Constantino. The two men worked together in the OVW Southern Tag-Team Title Tournament in August '01, with the titles up for grabs after the former champs, the Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Shelton Benjamin & Brock Lesnar) had to vacate due to injury. The Prototype & Constantino beat Ron Waterman & Brian Keck, Rob Conway & the Damaja(Danny Basham), and the Disciples of Synn to win the tournament and gain the belts. The duo would defend the belts for a few months before falling to the recovered Minnesota Wrecking Crew in October '01.
2002
The Prototype started to really take off as a major player in OVW the next year, as he feuded with another young star, Leviathan (Dave Batista). In February '02, the Prototype managed to take down Leviathan to become the OVW Heavyweight Champion, a major accomplishment. The Prototype would defend the title for the next few months, taking on many challengers, while also regularly teaming up with Sean O'Haire. In May '02, the Prototype's reign finally ended, as he was beaten for the OVW Title by Nova (Simon Dean). Only a short time later, the Prototype ended his run in Ohio Valley, as he was called up to the big show: World Wrestling Entertainment.
WWE Smackdown: 2002
On the last Smackdown of June '02, Kurt Angle came out to celebrate his recent victory over Hulk Hogan. He called out anyone from the back that he hadn't faced before, so that he could make them tap out. John Cena walked out to answer the call. When Angle asked why Cena thought he could come out and face one of the best in the business, Cena answered "Ruthless Aggression", then attacked, starting off the match with momentum. In a surprisingly competitive match, Cena came close to a victory numerous times, but just couldn't put Angle away. In the end, Angle won out, getting the pinfall victory. After the match, Cena tried to shake Angle's hand, but Angle laughed in his face and walked off. Still, Cena's skills earned respect from the locker room, as various wrestlers, including the Undertaker, congratulated him.
On the next Smackdown, Cena was called into Vince McMahon's office, since Mr. McMahon wanted to meet him. It was revealed during McMahon's questions that Cena was from Boston, where that Smackdown was taking place, immediately making him a favorite of the crowd. Cena's entry into the office angered Chris Jericho, though, who had been having a tirade about Edge beforehand. When Jericho berated the young star, Cena slapped him in the face, then left, prompting Jericho to demand a match with him. Cena put up another great fight, but lost when Jericho used the ropes for leverage to get the pinfall. Afterwards, Jericho teased a handshake, but instead smacked Cena. Cena responded by taking out Jericho with a bodyslam, sending Jericho out of the ring.
A week later, Cena was placed in a tag-team match pitting himself & the Undertaker against Jericho & Angle. When Cena went to tell the Undertaker what an honor it was to team with him, though, the Undertaker (who was waiting to beat up the Rock) threatened to take him out as well, then told him to leave. Afterwards, though, the Undertaker got in a brawl with both Jericho & Angle, then came back to the locker room and demanded to know why Cena hadn't backed him up. Cena, of course, replied that he had been told to leave, but that he would back up the Undertaker later that night. In the tag-team match, Cena & the Undertaker managed to work well together, with Cena actually getting the pinfall victory by rolling up Jericho after he had been distracted by the Undertaker. After the match, though, Jericho brutally attacked Cena, throwing him from the ring.
Cena and Jericho faced off in a singles match again on the next Smackdown, but Cena's abilities eventually frustrated Jericho, leading to him hitting a low blow on Cena to cause the DQ. Jericho then nailed Cena with a steel chair, taking him out. This led to Cena's first WWE pay-per-view match, facing Jericho at Vengeance '02. Jericho, not wanting to fight the rookie, tried to hit Cena with a chair even before the match began, but Cena managed to avoid it, taking the upper hand. This didn't last, as Jericho's experience led him to control much of the match. Cena did get in some flurries of offense, but was in serious trouble near the end, when Jericho landed the Lionsault. Jericho refused to cover, though, wanting instead to force Cena to submit. But when he went for the Walls of Jericho, Cena rolled him up, getting the 3 count for the upset win! Afterwards, Cena celebrated, while Jericho threw another tantrum.
A few days later, Cena took on one of Jericho's Anti-American partners, Test, once again surprising the more experienced wrestler with a roll-up for the victory. After the match, Test got revenge with a big boot to Cena's face, knocking him out. Later on that night, after Edge defeated Jericho in a Cage Match, he was attacked by the rest of the Anti-Americans. Cena, then Rey Mysterio, came out to Edge's aid, making the save. The feud between the two groups quickly came to an end, though, as the entire Anti-American squad jumped to Raw a few days later. Cena, Mysterio, & Edge continued to ally together, though, going against Angle, Eddie Guerrero, & Chris Benoit (the latter two had come over from Raw). In a six-man match between the wrestlers in August '02, Cena's team won out, with Mysterio surprisingly pinning Angle after a 619/Hurricanrana combination.
Unfortuntately for Cena, this was the highlight for the next few months, as he faded back into the midcard set, with no real feud in front of him. Cena had successive matches against Reverend D'Von Dudley, but mainly just played a part of Dudley's feud with his former pupil, Batista. In September '02, Cena was given a Non-Title Match against the Undisputed Champion, Brock Lesnar, but couldn't do much with it, as Lesnar won out with the F5. Cena didn't do any better on his return to OVW, where he lost to the OVW Heavyweight Champion, Nova, at Fall Brawl '02. In October '02, Cena began teaming with Billy Kidman in the WWE Smackdown Tag-Team Title Tournament. Unfortunately, it was a short run, as Cena & Kidman were beaten by Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit in the first round. This broke up the tag-team, as the two men faced off the next week. Cena got the cheap win by using his feet on the ropes. A week later, Cena and Kidman faced off again, this time with Kidman using the ropes to get the win. Cena attacked Kidman after the match, sending him into the ring steps and beginning his journey as a heel wrestler. Cena & Dawn Marie would face off with Kidman & Torrie Wilson at Rebellion '02, with Kidman's team getting the win after a Shooting Star Press.
It was on the '02 Halloween edition of Smackdown that John Cena finally began to develop his persona outside of the ring. He appeared dressed up as Vanilla Ice, cutting a few raps about how good he was. Cena continued to rap on the next Smackdown, insulting Rikishi before his match with the big man. Rikishi got some revenge, though, catching Cena with the Stinkface and later pinning him. A week later, Cena evened the feud, winning a tag-team match with Matt Hardy over Rikishi & Tajiri. Cena later got some ammunition to help him against Rikishi, bringing in a partner, B-Squared (Bull Buchanan). Cena & B-2 would feud with Rikishi for most of the rest of the year, usually with Rikishi getting the upper hand, despite the numbers.
2003
Going into the new year, Cena & B-2 seemed to be on a losing streak. On one Smackdown, after falling to Los Guerreros, Cena and B-2 began shoving each other. B-2 looked to have the advantage, but he was ambushed from behind by Redd Dogg, making his first appearance. Cena & Redd Dogg then took out B-2, slamming his shoulder into the ringpost. Cena would appear a few days later in the Royal Rumble '03 match, rapping his way down to the ring as entrant #18. He lasted for less than 10 minutes, though, with no eliminations, until he was taken over the top rope by the Undertaker. Cena continued to partner himself with Redd Dogg for a few weeks, as B-2, rather than feuding, basically faded out from WWE.
In February '03, Cena had a match with Brock Lesnar, in which, after a back-and-forth struggle, Lesnar won with the F-5. This wasn't enough for Lesnar, however, who wanted to send a message to the current Smackdown champ, Kurt Angle. He grabbed Cena again and used the F-5 to send him into the ringpost, a painful-looking maneuver. This put Cena in a cast, placing him on the shelf for a time. This didn't keep Cena off tv, though, as he continually appeared in promos, threatening revenge on Lesnar. He also put out a challenge for an Open Rap at Wrestlemania XIX, but didn't get the opportunity to perform at the show.
Cena returned to action in April '03, and was quickly placed in the four-man WWE #1 Contenders Tournament to decide who would be facing Lesnar for the Smackdown World Title. Thanks in part to a lot of interference from the Full-Blooded Italians, Cena got the surprising upset over the Undertaker to move into the finals against Chris Benoit. In a great technical match that, for once, featured no outside interference, Cena continued his string of upsets, rolling up Benoit for the victory and finally getting a shot at revenge against Lesnar. The next week, Cena won again, this time beating Rhyno, then sat in for commentary during the Lesnar/A-Train match-up. After Lesnar got the F-5 on A-Train, though, Cena dropped the headphones and entered the ring, attacking Lesnar and causing the disqualification (as well as bloodying the champ).
At Backlash '03, Cena entered into the main event with a chance to both get revenge on Lesnar and gain his first WWE World Championship. The match started off with Lesnar in firm control, with Cena scrambling to catch up. Cena eventually made a comeback, reopening Lesnar's wound and causing blood to flow. The match went back-and-forth for a time, until Cena's willingness to cheat backfired on him, as the referee caught him going for his chain (usually worn around his neck). The ref took the illegal object away, as a protesting Cena stepped right into the F5, losing the match to the champion.
Cena angrily protested the loss on the next Smackdown, but was interrupted by Brian "Spanky" Kendrick, who did a rap of his own. This earned Spanky a Fireman's Carry Slam, a move that Cena would call the FU, an obvious play off of Brock Lesnar's F5. The next week, as Cena was going for his chain during a match with Rhyno, Spanky intervened, helping to distract Cena and allow Rhyno to roll him up for a win. Cena and Spanky's feud were soon joined with others, as Cena & members of the FBI (Johnny Stamboli & Chuck Palumbo) teamed to face Spanky, Chris Benoit, & Rhyno at Judgment Day '03. Cena's team mainly focused on the youngest wrestler, Spanky, trying to keep him away from his team. Near the end, a brawl between all 6 wrestlers broke out, with Cena being placed in Benoit's Crippler Crossface. Although Cena tapped, he wasn't the legal man, as the FBI were able to take out Spanky and get the pin to win the match.
Cena defeated Spanky on the next Smackdown, basically ending their feud. Cena next concentrated on the WWE United States Heavyweight Title Tournament, but was surprisingly beat in the first round by Billy Gunn, leaving a sour taste in Cena's mouth. This left Cena looking for respect, which he thought he could get by going after one of the legends in the business: the Undertaker. Cena and the Dead Man feuded for the next month, with Cena touting the match as the 'main event'. He also cut a series of promos about the Undertaker, including going to a cemetary for one of his raps. He also had a hilarious bit with the General Manager, Stephanie McMahon, in which is rapped about Stephanie's upcoming fight with Sable and how he'd pay $20 for Stephanie to rip Sable's top off, then spanked Stephanie on the behind.
At Vengeance '03, Cena got his shot against the Undertaker. It wasn't pretty in the beginning, as the Undertaker basically dominated the younger wrestler, even getting a massive Chokeslam that could have ended it, if the Undertaker hadn't pulled Cena off the mat, wanting to punish him some more. But Cena got an opportunity and came back, getting in a few moves on the Dead Man. But nothing seemed to keep the Undertaker down, not even a chain shot to the head. In the end, Cena got the Undertaker in the corner and bragged above him, while raining down punches. But the Undertaker grabbed him and lifted him high, getting the Last Ride and putting Cena away. The feud continued for a few more weeks, with Cena getting a pinfall on the Undertaker during a tag-team match (Cena & A-Train vs. the Undertaker & Orlando Jordan).
Cena next fought in a short feud with the new United States Champion, Eddie Guerrero. A "Street Fight" between the two took place in September '03, with the two wrestlers fighting in a circle of cars. Both took some hard bumps on both the cars and the concrete, and involved many different weapons, including a lawn mower. The end came, though, when Eddie's nephew, Chavo Guerrero Jr, made his return, hitting Cena with a hubcap. Eddie then jumped off an SUV with a Frog Splash to end the match. Cena found a new target soon enough, locking onto Kurt Angle. Cena said that he'd always been in Angle's shadow, and couldn't take it anymore. He ambushed Angle backstage at one point, then ran from the arena, being chased by Angle in a limo. Later on, during a tag match between Cena & Lesnar vs. Angle & the Undertaker, Cena got the win by ko'ing Angle with the steel chain.
The duo had a "Rap-Off" the next week, with Cena rapping while Angle just said some phrases in rhyme, followed by a brawl. A week later, Angle came out dressed as Cena and gave a rap, making fun of Cena. He also had a midget-Angle come out and force "Cena" to tap out to the Ankle Lock. When the real Cena came out and angrily got in Angle's face, the midget Angle gave him a low blow from behind, which allowed Angle to get the Angle Slam and send Cena from the ring. At No Mercy '03, the two wrestlers showed their aggression early, shoving each other and flipping each other off. The match was stellar, with both getting close counts throughout. Cena nearly won multiple times, both from the FU and from the use of the chain. In the end, though, Cena was caught in the Ankle Lock, and, after much struggling, was forced to tap out.
Over the next few weeks, Cena teamed up reluctantly with the A-Train in tag-team matches against Angle & Chris Benoit. After A-Train cost them one of the matches by kicking Cena, the rapper got into it with A-Train after the match, catching the big man with the FU. It was around this time that the new GM, Paul Heyman, announced that there would be an Elimination Match at the next pay-per-view, with Angle and Brock Lesnar both choosing teammates to join them. While Angle quickly chose Benoit, Hardcore Holly, and the APA, Lesnar selected three massive men in the Big Show, Nathan Jones, & Matt Morgan. Lesnar also hinted to Cena that he would be the 5th man on his team. That night, Lesnar took out Faarooq of the APA, badly injuring his knee.
A week later, after Cena defeated Rey Mysterio, Lesnar and his team came out to personally invite Cena onto their team. But Cena turned down the opportunity, calling Lesnar's group Team Sasquatch. This led to the A-Train attacking Cena from behind, allowing the entire team to beat him down. A-Train then joined Lesnar's team. Later on, Angle & Benoit were placed in a 2-on-4 Handicap Match, with Lesnar's team beating the two men down. Cena came down with the attempted save, hitting several with chair shots until the Big Show stopped him. It was announced on the next show that Cena would be taking Faarooq's place on Angle's team, so that he could have his chance for revenge against Lesnar, A-Train, and the rest.
At The Survivor Series '03, Angle's team and Lesnar's team went at it very quickly. Just as the match started, the first elimination occurred, as Hardcore Holly attacked Brock Lesnar, shoving a referee out of the way and being DQ'ed. Bradshaw evened things up by eliminating A-Train with the Clothesline From Hell, but he was then taken down by the Big Show's Chokeslam. After a long series of wrestling, Benoit managed to tag in Angle, who was able to eliminate Matt Morgan with the Angle Slam, then forced Nathan Jones to tap to the Ankle Lock. Lesnar took advantage of Angle's distraction, though, and caught him with the F-5, eliminating the team captain. However, Benoit got his team back the advantage, blocking an F-5 and locking Lesnar in the Crossface! Lesnar was forced to tap out, giving Benoit the win over the current champion. The Big Show then came in and tried to take out Benoit, but Benoit was able to make the tag to Cena, who hit the Big Show with a steel chain, then hit the FU for the victory, making Cena & Benoit the sole 'survivors'.
On the next Smackdown, while Vince McMahon was out bragging about his victory over the Undertaker at the PPV, Cena came out and cut a rap, insulting the Chairman. It was later announced that Cena would face the Big Show in a "Hardcore" Match, with McMahon wanting the Big Show to take Cena out forever. It was a brutal match, featuring various weapons and shots. At one point, Cena tried for the FU, but collapsed, with the Big Show on top. Later on, Cena came back, using the ringsteps as a violent weapon to knock the Big Show out, then made the cover. A referee then ran down (the previous one had been ko'ed) and made the count, giving Cena the big victory. A week later, a 20-man Battle Royal was held to decide the #1 Contender to Brock Lesnar's World Title. Both Cena and Chris Benoit had to win qualifying matches to get in, then fight through the other wrestlers. In the end, though, it came down to Cena and Benoit, who both went over the ropes at the same time. It was ruled by GM Paul Heyman that the two men had to face in a deciding match the next week, with the winner to face Lesnar.
In the #1 Contenders Match, Cena and Benoit both gave it their all, as they both wanted the title shot later on in the night. Cena seemed to have gained it, as he caught Benoit with the FU and got the 3 count. But video footage showed that Benoit's foot was on the ropes, and the match was restarted. Cena was later distracted by the Big Show, which allowed Benoit to get the Crippler Crossface and force Cena to tap out, costing Cena the title shot. Cena feuded with the United States Champion for the rest of the year, including having a Battle Rap with him that ended with Cena kicking him low and leaving. The two wrestlers faced off at the Christmas In Iraq show, in a Non-Title Match. Cena won out by doing an incredible feat: getting the FU on the 500-pounder.