Jessica Cadavre
Trap-Jaw
I like to dissect girls. Did you know I'm utterly insane?
Posts: 427
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Post by Jessica Cadavre on Oct 22, 2014 23:52:58 GMT -5
I was talking to a 19 year old boy at my work about how I watch wrestling, and he said he tuned in once and only recognized John Cena.
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Urethra Franklin
King Koopa
When Toronto sports teams lose, Alison Brie is sad
Posts: 11,088
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Post by Urethra Franklin on Oct 22, 2014 23:56:23 GMT -5
My girlfriend hates wrestling. She hates that I watch wrestling.
She knows who John Cena is.
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Post by thelonewolf527 on Oct 23, 2014 0:00:32 GMT -5
John Cena is the only guy on the roster right now besides The Miz (sort of) who can consider himself mainstream famous. Does everyone know who John Cena is? No. Do a lot of people know who John Cena is? Yes
I agree with whoever said the Cena hate thing is ridiculous because it's true. People don't want to give the guy credit for ANYTHING, let alone something like this that's not even in his control at all.
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Post by abjordans on Oct 23, 2014 0:11:54 GMT -5
John Cena is legit famous. To say he isn't. This place has gotten a bit delusional and over the top with the Cena hate. Everyone knows who John Cena is. I know there is no one who EVERYONE knows, but he is more than fringe famous. Look how many Twitter followers he has compared to people that are quite famous. He is in their ballpark.
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deancubed
Don Corleone
Playing League of Legends
Posts: 1,350
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Post by deancubed on Oct 23, 2014 1:06:24 GMT -5
Every child under the age of 15 knows him about as well as they know Super Mario or Spongebob. He's on Disney TV shows, cameos in Nickelodeon movies, he's a presenter at Kids Choice Awards, his cartoon face is literally on breakfast cereal.
Everyone in NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/NASCAR knows him, he has many friends and acquaintances in athletic circles, he has driven NASCAR with the best of them, he has been on Muscle and Fitness magazine, other bodybuilding magazines, etc.
Everyone in the rap community knows him, referencing wrestling has been a regular part of rap music since they both hit mainstream in the late 80s. He regularly is seen with Wale, Snoop Dogg, J Cole, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa just did 2 songs with him, etc. Being able to say he had a decent sized hit record with Freddie Foxx/Bumpy Knuckles gets him a lot of respect.
Everyone on daytime TV and talk shows knows him. He has been on SNL, Fallon, Kimmel, Ellen, everybody. He makes good impressions with those people, and is a great face for WWE when he appears on those shows. He may not be Justin Timberlake in terms of appearances, but if he was promoting something like say the breast cancer thing, he would get retweets from these people.
And isn't that really what fame is these days? Who retweets you?
Anyway the TL/DR is: No he's clearly not famous at all.
EDIT: He is LEAGUES above Triple H. LEAGUES. The only people who know who Triple H is are casual fans that remember him as the guy that fought against the wrestlers they actually know of like Mankind and Rock.
EDIT 2: Searching for "John Cena" on Youtube gets 699,000 hits. "Triple H" gets 556,000 results, "The Miz" gets 174,000. CM Punk gets 672,000. "The rock" gets 796,000. "George Clooney" gets 276,000. "Adam Sandler" gets 374,000. Not sure what all that means, but clearly there are more videos on YouTube about wrestlers than there are about actors.
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Urethra Franklin
King Koopa
When Toronto sports teams lose, Alison Brie is sad
Posts: 11,088
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Post by Urethra Franklin on Oct 23, 2014 1:08:27 GMT -5
Another thing:
Cena is going to star in Trainwreck, the Amy Schumer movie directed by Judd Apatow. That will certainly raise his profile.
Interestingly, if the movie is at all autobiographical, I wonder if Cena's character is a stand-in for Dolph Ziggler, who Schumer dated in real life.
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Post by Mayonnaise on Oct 23, 2014 1:15:43 GMT -5
Every child under the age of 15 knows him about as well as they know Super Mario or Spongebob. He's on Disney TV shows, cameos in Nickelodeon movies, he's a presenter at Kids Choice Awards, his cartoon face is literally on breakfast cereal. Everyone in NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/NASCAR knows him, he has many friends and acquaintances in athletic circles, he has driven NASCAR with the best of them, he has been on Muscle and Fitness magazine, other bodybuilding magazines, etc. Everyone in the rap community knows him, referencing wrestling has been a regular part of rap music since they both hit mainstream in the late 80s. He regularly is seen with Wale, Snoop Dogg, J Cole, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa just did 2 songs with him, etc. Being able to say he had a decent sized hit record with Freddie Foxx/Bumpy Knuckles gets him a lot of respect. Everyone on daytime TV and talk shows knows him. He has been on SNL, Fallon, Kimmel, Ellen, everybody. He makes good impressions with those people, and is a great face for WWE when he appears on those shows. He may not be Justin Timberlake in terms of appearances, but if he was promoting something like say the breast cancer thing, he would get retweets from these people. And isn't that really what fame is these days? Who retweets you? Anyway the TL/DR is: No he's clearly not famous at all. See I don't know if he's famous or just known. All of what you said it true but how many people who see him in the kid's shows, at the sporting events or whatever else he does know that he's a wrestler? I get the feeling that a lot of people see Cena and go 'There is the guy from the cereal box" or "Yeah, that guy was on the View yesterday talking about fitness" or things like that. I am not trying to say it is bad thing, just how many know who he is vs. people who know of him. Now with all the movies he is taking now, that could easily change.
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Post by bluemeii on Oct 23, 2014 1:18:38 GMT -5
Every child under the age of 15 knows him about as well as they know Super Mario or Spongebob. He's on Disney TV shows, cameos in Nickelodeon movies, he's a presenter at Kids Choice Awards, his cartoon face is literally on breakfast cereal. Everyone in NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/NASCAR knows him, he has many friends and acquaintances in athletic circles, he has driven NASCAR with the best of them, he has been on Muscle and Fitness magazine, other bodybuilding magazines, etc. Everyone in the rap community knows him, referencing wrestling has been a regular part of rap music since they both hit mainstream in the late 80s. He regularly is seen with Wale, Snoop Dogg, J Cole, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa just did 2 songs with him, etc. Being able to say he had a decent sized hit record with Freddie Foxx/Bumpy Knuckles gets him a lot of respect. Everyone on daytime TV and talk shows knows him. He has been on SNL, Fallon, Kimmel, Ellen, everybody. He makes good impressions with those people, and is a great face for WWE when he appears on those shows. He may not be Justin Timberlake in terms of appearances, but if he was promoting something like say the breast cancer thing, he would get retweets from these people. And isn't that really what fame is these days? Who retweets you? Anyway the TL/DR is: No he's clearly not famous at all. See I don't know if he's famous or just known. All of what you said it true but how many people who see him in the kid's shows, at the sporting events or whatever else he does know that he's a wrestler? I get the feeling that a lot of people see Cena and go 'There is the guy from the cereal box" or "Yeah, that guy was on the View yesterday talking about fitness" or things like that. I am not trying to say it is bad thing, just how many know who he is vs. people who know of him. Now with all the movies he is taking now, that could easily change. Ric isn't the very definition of the word famous just "known about by many people"? I think he pretty much qualifies for that.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 1:19:00 GMT -5
I think wrestling and wrestling fans tend to overstate how much penetration wrestling has on the mainstream psyche. I think there are a lot of guys who have been huge in the wrestling industry like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Edge etc, who make close to absolutely no waves outside the wrestling world at all. Cena may be a smidgen more famous but he's hardly a house hold name and you've got to be aware of the product to know who he is. He's not someone you can just say the name of to someone who has never watched wrestling and they'll go "Oh, I know him".
Wrestling fans, myself included, often mistake a friend citing someone's name as popularity. "OMG you said Bret's name, that's so cool, I knew he was famous!!" but all that means is that the person you're speaking to has taken a glancing interest in the thing your interested in. I could probably name a couple of the characters in shows my friends watch and reference all the time, doesnt necessarily mean they're 'famous' to me or that I'd necessarily recognise them in person.
IMO Cena is that level of famous. People who have a vague idea or have friends who are fans could grope for the name but show a picture of him and I think most people will be able to place his face having seen him about but probably struggle to give his name.
"Oh yeah him...the wrestler..."
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Post by cool guy on Oct 23, 2014 1:24:18 GMT -5
Between his appearances on the Talking Dead/Nerdist, his connection to the punk scene, and his local fame in Chicago I'd say CM Punk could compete as far as mainstream recognition goes.
That said, yeah, Cena does have some level of fame. I hear about him a decent amount from non-fans, hell earlier today one of my friends who I'm absolutely sure doesn't watch wrestling referenced him in a joke.
Also, someone brought up The Miz, but hasn't The Real World sort of faded from our cultural memory? I doubt a lot of today's kids even know what it was.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 1:26:03 GMT -5
Between his appearances on the Talking Dead/Nerdist, his connection to the punk scene, and his local fame in Chicago I'd say CM Punk could compete as far as mainstream recognition goes. That said, yeah, Cena does have some level of fame. I hear about him a decent amount from non-fans, hell earlier today one of my friends who I'm absolutely sure doesn't watch wrestling referenced him in a joke. Also, someone brought up The Miz, but hasn't The Real World sort of faded from our cultural memory? I doubt a lot of today's kids even know what it was. Isn't a connection to the punk scene by definition the opposite of mainstream?
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Post by Mayonnaise on Oct 23, 2014 1:27:05 GMT -5
See I don't know if he's famous or just known. All of what you said it true but how many people who see him in the kid's shows, at the sporting events or whatever else he does know that he's a wrestler? I get the feeling that a lot of people see Cena and go 'There is the guy from the cereal box" or "Yeah, that guy was on the View yesterday talking about fitness" or things like that. I am not trying to say it is bad thing, just how many know who he is vs. people who know of him. Now with all the movies he is taking now, that could easily change. Ric isn't the very definition of the word famous just "known about by many people"? I think he pretty much qualifies for that. That is the simplest one, yeah. There is also to be celebrated and have a favorable reputation which means you would have to be mor than just know for being on a cereal box or being that guy from the kids' shows.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2014 1:29:40 GMT -5
See I don't know if he's famous or just known. All of what you said it true but how many people who see him in the kid's shows, at the sporting events or whatever else he does know that he's a wrestler? I get the feeling that a lot of people see Cena and go 'There is the guy from the cereal box" or "Yeah, that guy was on the View yesterday talking about fitness" or things like that. I am not trying to say it is bad thing, just how many know who he is vs. people who know of him. Now with all the movies he is taking now, that could easily change. Ric isn't the very definition of the word famous just "known about by many people"? I think he pretty much qualifies for that. There's a difference between people knowing you and people knowing of you. That's not a knock against Cena, I would put him at the same level as other people who are best known as a main character on a cable show. But cable star fame isn't close to the level of network tv star, movie star, music star or sports star.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 1:34:06 GMT -5
Ric isn't the very definition of the word famous just "known about by many people"? I think he pretty much qualifies for that. There's a difference between people knowing you and people knowing of you. That's not a knock against Cena, I would put him at the same level as other people who are best known as a main character on a cable show. But cable star fame isn't close to the level of network tv star, movie star, music star or sports star. Yeah that's an important distinction. A lot of guys fall into that category from wrestling. People will know of them but not really know them. Like their name might set off a bell somewhere in the back of their head but it's like if someone said the name of their local TV weather presenter and George Clooney. The first would be "yeah I've heard of him" the second would be "of course, I know who he is."
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Post by bluemeii on Oct 23, 2014 1:36:06 GMT -5
There's a difference between people knowing you and people knowing of you. That's not a knock against Cena, I would put him at the same level as other people who are best known as a main character on a cable show. But cable star fame isn't close to the level of network tv star, movie star, music star or sports star. Yeah that's an important distinction. A lot of guys fall into that category from wrestling. People will know of them but not really know them. Like their name might set off a bell somewhere in the back of their head but it's like if someone said the name of their local TV weather presenter and George Clooney. The first would be "yeah I've heard of him" the second would be "of course, I know who he is." So the question isn't "is John Cena famous" it's "is John Cena a household name?" To me those are different things. You could say famed NFL screw up QB Billy Joe Hobert is famous. Certainly wouldn't call him a household name.
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Post by cool guy on Oct 23, 2014 1:38:26 GMT -5
Between his appearances on the Talking Dead/Nerdist, his connection to the punk scene, and his local fame in Chicago I'd say CM Punk could compete as far as mainstream recognition goes. That said, yeah, Cena does have some level of fame. I hear about him a decent amount from non-fans, hell earlier today one of my friends who I'm absolutely sure doesn't watch wrestling referenced him in a joke. Also, someone brought up The Miz, but hasn't The Real World sort of faded from our cultural memory? I doubt a lot of today's kids even know what it was. Isn't a connection to the punk scene by definition the opposite of mainstream? I see where you're coming from, but I'd argue that in today's fractured society fame comes from being known to multiple different groups until it builds to a sort of general cultural recognition. Like how people are saying Cena's well known because, outside of wrestling fans, he also inhabits the circles of NASCAR, rap, bodybuilding, and kid's shows. CM Punk's connection's to the music world and internet culture contribute to something similar.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 1:42:53 GMT -5
Yeah that's an important distinction. A lot of guys fall into that category from wrestling. People will know of them but not really know them. Like their name might set off a bell somewhere in the back of their head but it's like if someone said the name of their local TV weather presenter and George Clooney. The first would be "yeah I've heard of him" the second would be "of course, I know who he is." So the question isn't "is John Cena famous" it's "is John Cena a household name?" To me those are different things. You could say famed NFL screw up QB Billy Joe Hobert is famous. Certainly wouldn't call him a household name. Well there are different levels of fame there's the "Yeah that's the guy from that show..." famous and there's "That's [INSERT NAME HERE] " famous. One is a household name as you say. But I think when people say famous they tend to mean the second whereas the first is someone who is just "known". I think Cena is mainly category 'A' unless you're a wrestling fan or possibly of a certain age.
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Post by sdoyle7798 on Oct 23, 2014 1:42:52 GMT -5
I think Undertaker's fame is mainly within wrestling, he's not been in movies or TV shows, not done a lot of talk shows, but to wrestling fans he's arguably the greatest ever.
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Post by bluemeii on Oct 23, 2014 1:52:25 GMT -5
So the question isn't "is John Cena famous" it's "is John Cena a household name?" To me those are different things. You could say famed NFL screw up QB Billy Joe Hobert is famous. Certainly wouldn't call him a household name. Well there are different levels of fame there's the "Yeah that's the guy from that show..." famous and there's "That's [INSERT NAME HERE] " famous. One is a household name as you say. But I think when people say famous they tend to mean the second whereas the first is someone who is just "known". I think Cena is mainly category 'A' unless you're a wrestling fan or possibly of a certain age. K cool. Sorry I think famous as known. Yeah you could say there's different levels and all and you are correct. I was just going by the original question and to me ...yeah he's famous in the simple fact that he meets the definition. He's probably the 3rd most well known wrestler/ex wrestler in the world today. Where that puts him on what level of famous he is. IDK easiest way is to check his Q rating (but they hide that info now) so unless your in the top or bottom 10 of a major category the average person never finds out. Fun to debate the exact level, hell I hate the character but the only 2 ahead of him are Rock and Hogan and in my opinion 4th place isn't even close. Me I'd say Cena is pretty well known across most demographics at this point. Hard to be the face of a prominent entertainment company, no matter what the business, for 10 years plus now and not be somewhat known.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
Posts: 4,417
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 2:03:48 GMT -5
Unless you are a big-screen star a lot can come down to look/voice/name etc.
Think A Team and the number of people who have never seen it nor anything he's ever been in who could see a picture of Mr T and say "That's Mr T" and know instantly what he sounds like and what sort of things he'll say. Whereas show them George Peppard or Dirk Benedict, also of A-Team fame, their name or faces might ring a bell but that's it for most people.
Hogan always has been a walking cartoon with the bright yellow, the hair, bandanna and the moustache. He IS Hulk Hogan like that's a look and a brand that exists separate to Terry Bollea. The name itself draws attention. With guys like John Cena who looks fairly...normal, I think he misses out on that. Unless you're HUGE then you need a hook, a look or a gimmick that'll get you noticed. Having a name like John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart or even to some extent Steve Austin and looking like a normal guy isn't going to do that.
You've a list of names: Shawn Michaels Hulk Hogan John Cena Bret Hart The Rock Dirk Benedict Mr T Ric Flair
...the three names that stand out stand out for obvious reasons and it's probably no coincidence they're probably the three most 'household' people in the list.
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