The Bigger Star Now:John Cena or HHH or Undertaker?
It seems for sure John Cena by the time he retires will join the league of Austin/Hogan/Rock,so who is currently the bigger star-Cena or Undertaker or HHH?
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I doubt it to be way bigger.HHH sells more mechandise than Taker.His stables are way more popular and successful than Taker's.Taker has an image that is heavily protected and a great gimmick.
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What Pyro said is my take on this. Triple H is miles behind these two, while Cena is in that special club where you're the face of the biggest wrestling company in the world.
A few years ago, I still would've said Taker, but these days it's at the point where Cena's actually more of a household name, and Taker's more the guy all the kids who watched back in the day still remember (along with Hogan and Savage and the Million Dollar Man). So, Cena. I don't think Trips even rates as far as name recognition (much as I personally appreciate him).
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Cena is the biggest star right now...hands down. Undertaker, and Triple H to a lower degree, are legends - they are just still active (kinda).
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I think it is debatable HHH / Cena. Taker has never been quite as big, he is very respected among wrestling fans though. I don't think Cena is as big of a mainstream icon as WWE fans think, I'd bet more people still know HHH. Cena is huge among a select group of fans, in a time where wrestling draws far less viewers than during HHH's time. If HHH came back with a vengeance, in great shape, and did something memorable, I think he could regain enough momentum to pull back ahead of Cena, at least for one run. But it's not gonna happen, and it really shouldn't, as HHH has the best interests of the company's future to worry about now, rather than trying to be the biggest star.
I'm not so sure about Cena ever being on Hogan/Austin/Rock Level either. Just because he gets huge pushes and is the centerpiece of the company, doesn't mean he has achieved their status. Wrestling would have to get really hot again, and relevant in mainstream culture for that to happen, and who knows if he will even be the main guy to trigger that, if it happens. It hasn't so far. People like to say he has made all this money compared to those guys, but WWE has undergone a MASSIVE inernational expansion since Cena's been around that has skewed all the numbers. He;s not really in their league. Just like the increased number of PPVs and merch deals, etc skewed Austin and Rock's numbers up in relation to Hogan. As far as star status, 80's Hogan is by far #1, and I don't know if anyone will ever come close, with the amount of options for TV and entertainment available today.
I'm not so sure about Cena ever being on Hogan/Austin/Rock Level either. Just because he gets huge pushes and is the centerpiece of the company, doesn't mean he has achieved their status. Wrestling would have to get really hot again, and relevant in mainstream culture for that to happen, and who knows if he will even be the main guy to trigger that, if it happens. It hasn't so far. People like to say he has made all this money compared to those guys, but WWE has undergone a MASSIVE inernational expansion since Cena's been around that has skewed all the numbers. He;s not really in their league. Just like the increased number of PPVs and merch deals, etc skewed Austin and Rock's numbers up in relation to Hogan. As far as star status, 80's Hogan is by far #1, and I don't know if anyone will ever come close, with the amount of options for TV and entertainment available today.
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Bit of an exaggeration on the second statement, but I second this opinion.
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Cena is the biggest star no doubt about it followed by Taker. Though HHH is a far more important cog in the WWE machine than the other two guys but you already I knew that.
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I disagree with OP though, Cena isn't near the likes of Hogan, Austin, Rock.
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Definately Undertaker.
From the current roster, no one comes close to him.
From the current roster, no one comes close to him.
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Cena at the moment, but I believe if a freak accident happens where all three of them get injured and have to retire, like next month, in 30 years time looking back Taker would be more remebered, mostly because he's been around forever, and consistently mega over.
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Anyone who doesn't say John Cena obviously hasn't been paying attention for the past 5 years.
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The fact this question is even asked shows just exactly how underrated John Cena is as a mainstream star and how big of a star he is in the wrestling industry because he surpassed The Undertaker and Triple H a good couple of years ago in regards to his star power and now he stands head and shoulder above everyone else. Even in the last few weeks Michael Cole has refered to John Cena on screen as the face and biggest star in WWE which is something i haven't seen happen on screen since Hulk Hogan had Gorilla Monsoon do the same with him.
There was never any doubting that John Cena would go on to be HUGE because it is a very rare thing for a heel to be cheered like a face so that Vince McMahon has to turn him face and off the top of my head i can only think of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock as other wrestler's that has happened with. In 2003 some of the reactions John Cena was getting were inbelievable and by the time 2004 came along i don't think there was anyone who was more popular with the crowd so at 26 years old was destined to be the face of the company in due time.
When you look back to late 2004 it was clear that Vince McMahon was going to push Batista as the new face of the company because he was starting to get really over as well and when Batista and John Cena were the last two people left in The Royal Rumble in 2005 it was clear that these two were about to dominate 2005. There was a lot more emphasis put on Batista though that John Cena and the feud between Batista and Triple H was pushed as the biggest feud around whereas John Cena and JBL could have been just another feud but throughout it all John Cena stayed more popular than Batista and was clearly more marketable which is why he was moved to Raw and pushed as the top guy.
In every generation there are usually two standout star's like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in their era or Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart in their era but John Cena much like Hulk Hogan is such a HUGE star in wrestling and in mainstream that he is leagues ahead of his nearest rival for star of their era in Randy Orton. Maybe had Brock Lesnar stayed that we would have seen Cena/Lesnar as the defining feud of their generation which if anything would have only made John Cena an even bigger star because Brock Lesnar could have been to John Cena what The Rock or Bret Hart were to Stone Cold Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels.
To actually be the undisputed top guy in WWE for coming up to six years is an unbelievable achievement and something that only Hulk Hogan has ever achieved and is the same amount of time as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock's whole WWE career's which says something in my opinion. Now John Cena's detractor's will say that he is nowhere near the level of Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock or Hulk Hogan but at 33 years old he has another decade at the top if he wants it and because of his love and passion for the wrestling business who would bet against him still being on top in 2020.
The advantage that Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan and The Rock all had over John Cena is the fact that they were on top when wrestling went through a HUGE boom period and was popular all over the world to the point where even casual wrestling fan's would tune in every week whereas John Cena is stuck in an era which can't even satisfy diehard fan's let alone casuals yet John Cena remains a true mainstream star with worldwide appeal. If John Cena was in an era where wrestling was HUGE again then he wouldn't even have people question how big he is but i think once he is gone we will then see people realise just how big he was.
There was never any doubting that John Cena would go on to be HUGE because it is a very rare thing for a heel to be cheered like a face so that Vince McMahon has to turn him face and off the top of my head i can only think of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock as other wrestler's that has happened with. In 2003 some of the reactions John Cena was getting were inbelievable and by the time 2004 came along i don't think there was anyone who was more popular with the crowd so at 26 years old was destined to be the face of the company in due time.
When you look back to late 2004 it was clear that Vince McMahon was going to push Batista as the new face of the company because he was starting to get really over as well and when Batista and John Cena were the last two people left in The Royal Rumble in 2005 it was clear that these two were about to dominate 2005. There was a lot more emphasis put on Batista though that John Cena and the feud between Batista and Triple H was pushed as the biggest feud around whereas John Cena and JBL could have been just another feud but throughout it all John Cena stayed more popular than Batista and was clearly more marketable which is why he was moved to Raw and pushed as the top guy.
In every generation there are usually two standout star's like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in their era or Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart in their era but John Cena much like Hulk Hogan is such a HUGE star in wrestling and in mainstream that he is leagues ahead of his nearest rival for star of their era in Randy Orton. Maybe had Brock Lesnar stayed that we would have seen Cena/Lesnar as the defining feud of their generation which if anything would have only made John Cena an even bigger star because Brock Lesnar could have been to John Cena what The Rock or Bret Hart were to Stone Cold Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels.
To actually be the undisputed top guy in WWE for coming up to six years is an unbelievable achievement and something that only Hulk Hogan has ever achieved and is the same amount of time as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock's whole WWE career's which says something in my opinion. Now John Cena's detractor's will say that he is nowhere near the level of Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock or Hulk Hogan but at 33 years old he has another decade at the top if he wants it and because of his love and passion for the wrestling business who would bet against him still being on top in 2020.
The advantage that Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan and The Rock all had over John Cena is the fact that they were on top when wrestling went through a HUGE boom period and was popular all over the world to the point where even casual wrestling fan's would tune in every week whereas John Cena is stuck in an era which can't even satisfy diehard fan's let alone casuals yet John Cena remains a true mainstream star with worldwide appeal. If John Cena was in an era where wrestling was HUGE again then he wouldn't even have people question how big he is but i think once he is gone we will then see people realise just how big he was.
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