The "Ask the Specialists" Roundtable is the latest spin-off from the "Ask the Torch" feature. CSI led to CSI: New York and CSI: Miami, which is where you'll find the Specialists tackling a daily topic submitted by PWTorch readers to askpwtorch@gmail.com.

Ask the Specialists Roundtable #51

- Question from Joe Ward of Raleigh, N.C.: Will John Cena ever be considered "One of the Greats?" It seems to me that John has a done an admirable job, but he lacks an equally great rival - for example - Ric Flair had Dusty/Steamboat/Sting, Hogan had Piper/Savage/Warrior, Hart had Michaels, and Austin and Rock had each other. Could a great title-swapping program with Brock Lesnar cement his Legacy?

- "Showstopper" Shawn Valentino responds: Thank you for your question, Joe. I am not a fan of the John Cena character, but I do not think you can even question the fact that he is one of the all-time greats. He has been the centerpiece of WWE for nearly a decade, the longest run of any top star since Hulk Hogan. He has had a long series of great matches against a wide variety of opponents. He had a great rivalry with Edge and some solid feuds with Rock, Punk, and Orton. He has drawn huge money both at the box office as well as in merchandise.

Cena has been the face of the company and deserves that honor because of his hard work and friendly presence on mainstream television. Unfortunately, he portrays himself in such a dorky manner that it is hard to take him seriously. Hopefully, the final stretch of Cena's career sees him in cooler form because that would help him be remembered as one of wrestling's legendary figures.

- "Instant Reaction" Ben Tucker (@BTuckerTorch) responds: John Cena will already be remembered as one of the "greats," but perhaps more for his backstage attitude and works than anything. While Cena's legacy would be better remembered had he worked with an equal rival, I'd say that it's too little, too late. The Champ's career appears to be starting to dwindle, and any feud he has now won't be able to define his legacy more than what he's already known for.

- "Hits & Misses" Jon Mezzera responds: There are many fans (and many wrestling insiders) who already see John Cena as "One of the Greats." I think sometimes fans live in a bubble. I am often annoyed by Cena's silly humor and some of the lazy things he does in the ring. However, I don't think it is fair to say that he can't wrestle. He's had way too many good to great matches for someone who can't wrestle (and I know that having great opponents to work with like C.M. Punk helps, but it is not fair to ignore Cena's contributions). He has been the top star in WWE for a very long period of time. His star power mixed with his longevity would be enough to consider him one of the greats, in my opinion.

As far as rivals go, I have heard tennis analysts say that Pete Sampras was a great player, but the lack of a great rival hurts his legacy. So, there may be something to that. But, Cena had a great rivalry with Punk. He has had a long on again off again rivalry with Randy Orton. I don't see a title swapping program with Lesnar cementing his legacy. as Cena's legacy will never be as high as Hogan or Austin as he didn't draw as well as they did in their peak runs. Cena's legacy won't be based on his in ring talent as he doesn't come close to having the talent of Flair or Michaels. But, at this point his legacy is pretty well set as being the top WWE star for a decade. Who else can say that? The only thing that can really help his legacy at this point would be a passing of the torch to a new wrestler to be the man in WWE going forward.

- "Common Fan" Jimmy Eaton (@TheCommonFan) responds: Thanks for the question, Joe. I actually would disagree and say that Cena has had some very good rivals including Orton, Punk, and Edge. Lesnar certainly wouldn't hurt, but I think he's definitely done enough to be considered one of the greats. Think about him what you will (this goes for me even, because I'm not a huge fan of the character after so many years), but he worked his tail off and sells tickets. He's had some memorable feuds and his 124.6 or whatever crazy title count won't hurt, either.

- "Mr. TV" Justin James (@Justin_M_James) responds: I agree, it does seem like Cena hasn’t had a defining feud, unless you count a million matches against Randy Orton. Those matches were more of the “we don’t have anyone else so we’ll throw these two together” variety rather than the “these guys hate each other and will be trying to kill each other if placed in the same nursing home” kind of deal. In fact, it seems like Cena is a pro at brushing off a rival as nothing special a day after a PPV if that suits WWE.

But, does this hold Cena back from being considered “one of the greats?" I doubt it. While every feud you mentioned is a big deal and gets a lot of attention, those guys will be remembered even by folks who missed those feuds entirely, because their work was of such a high quality.


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[ FYI: The specialists consist of a mix of current PWTorch contributors providing their opinion on today's wrestling scene and modern wrestling history questions, including Shawn Valentino, Michael Moore, Ben Tucker, Jon Mezzera, Justin James, Brian Leahy, Jimmy Eaton, Nathan Kyght, Tony Donofrio, and Mike Roe. ]

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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