Review for WWE The John Cena Experience

John Cena is a bit like Marmite, you either love him or hate him. Many people dislike him for being constantly in every PPV, main event and seemingly every aspect of the WWE Universe. Those who think this way really need to watch this DVD. I was never a fan of John Cena, his Word Life/Rapper persona got old after a while, his first runs as champion was so overdone that everything felt forced down our throats. After a while, I got the feeling that I would never see a WWE PPV without him in the World Title Match and I became very very very bored. When I received this set I shuddered at the thought of having to sit through nearly eight hours of a John Cena documentary and two disks worth of matches. I was so wrong.
The John Cena Experience is possibly one of the best documentaries that WWE have produced. Following Cena over a number of months we get to see evrything that he does, from TV show appearances, trips to visit the Armed Forces, Interviews, Action Figure scans, his work on the film Legendary and his work for charity and the Make A Wish Foundation. It was this part that got me. Seeing Cena with these children who could have had any wish in the world (fly a plane, ride an f1 car, be a fireman for a day) and chose to meet John Cena. It struck me that John Cena is not meant for me, much like Hulk Hogan in the 80s and 90s, John Cena is there to be an idol for the children. During one segment, he takes two children on a shopping trip around a store and you can see just how much it means to them to be a part of all this. I'm sure that other people do this, but you can see the sheer amount of time that he has dedicated to doing these things for them and watching it is heartwarming.
Throughout Cena comes across as a genuinely nice guy, someone who (unlike someone like The Rock) will continue to support the WWE and be a part of it in some way. His acting in TV Shows and Films is not exactly Oscar-winning, but you can see there is a natural charisma there that makes him shine on the screen and then when you see him in the ring you can't help but get swept up in his infectious reaction. Face facts there is not one person in the business today who can garner a reaction like John Cena. As much as we like people like CM Punk, Jeff Hardy or Chris Jericho, they have never gotten the response (whether it be positive or negative) that John Cena can get. You would have to look at footage of Hogan or Austin to see the same.
Accompanying the set are two disks, crammed with matches. If you don't like John Cena, you have to respect how much he's improved over the past six years. Watching the first match against Booker T from 2004 and the final match from 2009 it is almost like night and day. Over the years, he has faced almost every main eventer from Kurt Angle to Randy Orton. The only people who are missing is Chris Jericho and The Undertaker which is a shame (Batista is also missing, but I can forgive that!). Highlights include:
#1 Contenders Match for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21John Cena vs. Kurt AngleJohn Cena against the best technical wrestler that there has ever been. And yet Cena holds his own. Sure against Angle, Cena looks like a jobber who is wrestling his first match, but even in this match you can see just how much skill and potential was in him. A wonderful match to watch.
Triple Threat for WWE ChampionshipJohn Cena vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn MichaelsWith HBK and Angle you already have a great match, throw Cena into the mix and you have a nice unknown dynamic.
World Tag Team ChampionshipJohn Cena and Shawn Michaels vs. Rated RKOI forgot how good Rated RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) were as a team. I mean they truly were the best heels the WWE have ever created. HBK and Cena work well as a team and I love tag team wrestling and so this was a nice break from the one on one matches throughout.
John Cena in the Royal Rumble 2008I love the Rumble. I have to say... No one and I mean NO ONE predicted this would happen. I'm not sure whether I agreed with him winning, but as a shock, this is definitely up there.
John Cena vs. The MizAnyone who wants to see where Miz got his first taste of the spotlight, it was here. The fact that Cena was willing to work with MIz and make himself and his opponent look good is something that only the greats can do. When people talk about a possible Miz/Cena match now you can look back at this match and see that it could work and is one of the best matches on the disk.
Now, I do have to point out that there are a lot of matches that I scratch my head at. A random match from Raw against Swagger is (like the match against the Miz) good to show that he is willing to work with new stars, but hardly worth watching. A Falls Count Anywhere Match against Great Khali is awful and his match against Bobby Lashley forgetable. However there is enough on these two disks to prove just how good Cena can be in the ring. It is odd that they don't include a few rarities, his debut match (which is featured on the Smackdown Anniversary DVD), some vignettes or a highlight reel of his rapping days. Though if you are a fan of Cena, you will already have his previous sets which include this and many of the matches that have been missed.
The John Cena Experience is actually a pretty good concept for a DVD and one that WWE should consider for all of its Superstars. It would be nice to see Randy Orton or Rey Mysterio etc outside of the ring and in preparation for a big PPV. Just like this DVD it might actually make you respect them a little more and dispel any myths and rumours that you may think about them. For me, this was a great set and one that will make me appreciate what John Cena the man does in and outside the ring a lot more.