In fact, it was a challenge that allowed Cena to make his WWE debut in June 2002.
Kurt Angle had been on a recent
roll on the
SmackDown division and wanted some
competition. He issued an open challenge to anyone in the back. At the time,
Cena
was a relatively unknown wrestler just waiting for the break. He heard Angle’s
challenge and realized that
opportunity was knocking, so he decided to answer Angle
didn’t look impressed when he saw Cena answer his challenge,
but he had a different
impression of the youngster after the match was over. The Wrestling Machine did
prevail
in the match, but Cena took him to the limit, earning the respect of the entire
locker room. But just a few days
later on SmackDown, Cena ran into newcomer
Carlito. It was
Carlito’s debut match, but the newcomer somehow managed to pull off the huge
upset win, becoming U.S.
Champion in his first ever match. Cena would have to wait
for his rematch, though, as he suffered a serious kidney injury
in a bar fight
later that same night. It was later learned that Carlito’s associate, Jesus, was the
assailant.
But nonetheless, Cena was out of action for more than a month.
After Cena came back and avenged his attack, he put in an amazing effort at the 2005
Royal Rumble.
It came down to two of the rising stars in WWE – SmackDown’s Cena
and RAW’s Batista. They went right at each other’s throats and actually eliminated
each other simultaneously. Mr. McMahon came to the ring and sent the match into
overtime. Batista was able to pull off the win, but Cena had made the
statement
that he was ready to take the next step.
Cena continued to impress when he defeated Kurt Angle at No Way Out to become
the No. 1 Contender for
JBL’s WWE Championship. JBL held the gold longer than
anyone in the last 10 years, but the Dr. of Thuganomics was able
to overcome the
bruisingbrawler. In less than three years, Cena had reached the top of the mountain.
From there, Cena’s popularity continued to soar. His legions of fans grew so much that
he decided
to give them their own name – the Chain Gang. It didn’t matter where Cena
went, the Chain Gang Soldiers would
follow and lend their support. So when The
Champ showed up on RAW during the Draft Lottery in 2005, it was no wonder that
the
fans went crazy.
The Champ went on to turn back challenger after challenger including such Superstars
as Chris Jericho,
Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. Week after week, the odds were
stacked against Cena, but week after week, Cena overcame those odds. Cena
was even
able to outlast five other Superstars in the Elimination Chamber at
New Year’s Revolution. But Cena’s
night was not over yet.
Mr. McMahon informed bloodied and battered Cena that Edge was cashing in his
Money in
the Bank opportunity for the WWE Championship. An exhausted Cena did all
he could, but he was no match for the fresh Edge.
But The Champ proved his resiliency
in the coming weeks. He came back strong at the Royal Rumble and defeated Edge
to
regain the gold.
But things didn't get any easier for Cena after regaining the WWE Championship. The
Champ had to
defend the gold against Triple H at WrestleMania 22. Winning
Championships is what The Game is all about, and he was hell bent on winning his
eleventh
championship on the grandest stage of them all. But Cena had other plans.
The Champ was able to endure the vicious Pedigree
and even made the King of Kings
tap out to the STFU to retain the gold.
As if beatting Triple H wasn't a tough enough task, at Backlash, Cena had to not only
defeat
Triple H but also Edge in a Triple Threat Match. It was one of the most hellacious
Triple Threat Matches in WWE history,
but when the bell rang, he emerged victorious with
a pinfall over Triple H. Triple H may have had the last laugh when
he leveled
The Champ with a sledgehammer. But the fact still remains - The Champ is still here.
Cena is at the top of his game right now, but one thing has remained constant
throughout his entire career.
The Champ gives it everything he has and leaves it all
in the ring every night he steps through the ropes. For him, it
really is all about real
recognizing real, and he will never give his Chain Gang Soldiers anything less.
