A Look Back At The Documentary: John Cena ‘Champion Of The Ring’

With John Cena’s farewell tour nearing, it feels vital to bring into focus the full picture of his impact on sports entertainment and pop culture. The director-writer of John Cena: Champion of the Ring, Adam Witney, used a profile-themed style for this featured documentary, encapsulating the entire career of one of wrestling’s most influential superstars.

A runtime of nearly 60 minutes, the opening shot perfectly encapsulated the journey of Cena by metaphorically introducing the proverbial question wrestling has had to contend with since its inception: is it real? Cena begins to address the question, and his answer helps to shed light on inquiries made into his own authenticity. Is John Cena merely a gimmick or has there always been a genuine connection between the human being and the portrayal of his beloved character? We decern from this documentary that, like pro wrestling itself, the very nature of Cena’s Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect mantra is rooted in his upbringing and past athletic ventures.

Cena’s Journey To The Top

Born in West Newbury, MA, on an unusually warm day in April 1977, John was a huge wrestling fan, and the film discusses his Hulk Hogan fandom. It was apropos of his own trajectory as sports entertainment’s biggest face as well as his ‘Hollywood’ ambitions.

But the film made a point of correlating Cena’s first single’s title win against Big Show at WrestleMania 2004 with Hulk’s own ‘Mania coronation’ against the most famous big man of all time, Andre the Giant. That was a passing of the torch for Andre to Hulk, but Cena’s winning the U.S. title was not only symbolic of what he would come to represent, it was also the commencement of a 12-month run that launched the run culminating in this run in 2025. The doc used long-time voices in the IWC, Simon Miller and Adam Pacitti, to provide perspective and introduce factoids—giving the doc a genuine ‘wrestling presence,’ something that is missing in other media with a pro wrestling focal point. However, the narrator was a bit distracting, sometimes too intense for film with a centric wrestling theme.

Establishing a timeframe, the film touched on Cena’s time in OVO and his ability to stand out in a crowded field of up-and-coming wrestlers in their infancy. Names like Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and Batista came up with Cena in the same ‘graduating’ wrestling class. That said, it was the dialogue on his pre-WWF/WWE days in wrestling, studying the craft at UPW (Ultimate Pro Wrestling) and tinkering with creative gimmicks like “The Prototype”—a character that was half man/half machine.

In this character, Cena would routinely do the robot and utilize the mannerism of a science fiction cyborg. The criticism that is thrown at young wrestlers is ‘being robotic’ on the mic and in the ring. For Cena to utilize this kind of character at that stage in his career shows an early understanding of the business he loved as a child. In fact, Cena would frequently deliver ‘reverse promos,’ something Miller described as Cena being able to deliver a ‘normal human promo’ and then speaking as though his words were being rewound in real-time.

It was a creative and telling gimmick at an early phase in his career, but the film eventually touched on his actual debut in WWE and in a less-than-marketable getup. The most dramatic moments of that June 27, 2002 edition of SmackDown were shown as Kurt Angle offered an ‘open challenge’ that would eventually be accepted by red trunks and spiky-haired Cena, far removed from the character from which he would evolve.

Overcoming Some Major Hurdles

From his debut to his first world title win a few years later at the 2005 “Show of Shows,” his career is well-chronicled from a timeline of achievements, but what was surprising was how willing Witney was to discuss the more difficult aspects of Cena’s career.

For example, the “Super Cena” era was well-accounted for, but the film allowed voices like Miller’s to provide context and clarity. During the era that first prompted the boos from the crowd, WWE decided to put Cena over against many of the beloved characters of years’ passed, such as Chris Jericho. The crowd that started to turn on Cena was an ‘older’ crowd of dedicated fans that spanned several generations, and they, unfairly or not, took their frustrations over the product out on Cena.

However, Cena never wavered, and the film’s climax was used to showcase the vast virtue of a character that was able to remain a role model for kids and an example of drive and fortitude for all men struggling with modern-day societal standards of what it means to be manly. On top of that, in an era where the ‘U.S.A. gimmick’ was seen as unauthentic, Cena was able to tap into a proud patriotic being of the wrestling fandom by showcasing the true heroes of that time—the proud men and women fighting an unjust war to protect our ways and values. Providing a constant reminder of the sacrifices from others only highlighted the crux of his gimmick’s values. Unlike the past eras of patriotic faces hellbent on having you eat vitamins and say prayers, this film helped to show that Cena did not ‘use American lore’ to enhance his status in wrestling, but instead, he used his status as a superstar to bring attention to those that were deserving of it.

Like any good story, the film brought the character full circle. Following Cena’s biggest rivalry from a commercial aspect, The Rock, the film touched on the final run in the continuity of Cena (before his actual final run beginning on the ‘Netflix era’ of RAW).

Putting Over New Talent

The first title Cena won in WWE was the United States championship, and it was fitting when Cena exited the main event stage and willingly stepped into the mid-card scene in an effort to enhance both up-and-coming talent and a once proud title with a legendary legacy that had fallen on some desperate times. Cena’s final run was used to get over today’s brightest stars, such as Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and, famously, a program with Seth Rollins that left Cena with a broken nose permanently etched into the folklore of WWE TV. After years at the top of the card with the likes of AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk, Cena was investing his stardom into guys he saw potential in, even when WWE did not. The film showcased this fact by showing matches with Cena and Cody Rhodes, known then as Stardust.

The film gets over the idea that Cena is not Cena because he was given something by WWE brass, but instead, he was seen as the most valuable commodity because of his ability to play the necessary role. When the doc revisits the 2006 “One Night Stand” inside the hallowed grounds of the ECW arena, it does so by first giving the narrative of that night: the company man versus the people’s hero, the ‘five moves of doom’ facing off against “The Whole F’n Show.”

That night is remembered as a triumph for RVD, and it was, but few recall Cena’s role in it all as he was willingly served up to this hostile crowd. Instead of whining about it or denying RVD his moment, Cena was giving as an opponent and played into the discontent from the crowd as a ‘reverse tug-of-war’ for John’s shirt escalated between him and the fans.

Cena’s Legacy

Whether you’re talking about the most generous pop culture figure in Make-A-Wish history or the record-breaking achievements Cena has attained in the ring, it all surrounds an entertainer that ‘lives the gimmick’ by encompassing all of the lessons he learned in the gym and the ring. Cena is every bit the warm spirit to fans, but he is also an archetype for men and women with a dream. He touts hard work and focus because these tools have helped him reach the heights that only the most determined can reach.

Whatever is in store for Cena’s final run can only serve to broaden his legacy because, as this doc illustrates, the magnitude of his career is so accomplished that nothing foreseeable, at this point, could derail it. And when it is all said and done, it will be hard to argue that any wrestler is more accomplished or deserving than John Cena to break Ric Flair’s coveted record for most title wins.

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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