Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Oct 23, 2014 5:02:31 GMT -5
No. He's not. Go find a real non-fan, not someone who stopped watching or only their kids watch, I mean, no interest. Give them a fake name, but list everything Cena has done. They'll believe you. No one knows who Cena is.
The list of household names probably contains Hogan, Rock and Andre, depending on your location you can probably add Flair.
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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 27,609
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Post by 4real on Oct 23, 2014 6:01:57 GMT -5
I doubt my mum or dad knows who he is and that's pretty much my barometer on these things. I'm sure most people my age or younger know who Cena is though.
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Post by Gremlin on Oct 23, 2014 6:09:22 GMT -5
The Cena hate here is crazy. People try to dismiss anything he does as not being good enough. I know, right? Dude is the most requested person for Make A Wish. I think it's safe to say that his name is out there. |
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Post by EvenBaldobombHasAJob on Oct 23, 2014 6:26:52 GMT -5
not Hogan- or Rock-level, but yeah he's absolutely a known name. I think it's telling about the current product that nobody else really is.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Oct 23, 2014 6:30:49 GMT -5
Sure. It's not to any HUGE degree like say the Rock or Hogan, but he's definitely got some mainstream appeal just given his appearances in other forms of media. As was mentioned, kids probably drive a lot of that, but their parents are gonna be aware of him as well and so on.
He's easily more famous than Bret or HBK to non-wrestling fans.
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Post by Baby, it’s Jes outside on Oct 23, 2014 6:34:21 GMT -5
The Cena hate here is crazy. People try to dismiss anything he does as not being good enough. I know, right? Dude is the most requested person for Make A Wish. I think it's safe to say that his name is out there. Wrestling fame does not equal fame, sorry to say. As for the Make-a-Wish thing, I wonder if Cena is really their first choice? MaW Rep: Sorry, kid, Lebron can't make it. How about someone else? Do you like wrest.. I mean sports entertainment? How would you like to meet The Champ? Kid: YEAH! The Rock is wicked awesome! He's the Peoples Champ! I smell what The Rock is cookin! MaW Rep: No, I meant John Cena. He's much cooler and he does all these great things for charity! Won't that be fun? Kid: (dreams now shattered) yeah. I guess he's okay... MaW Rep: ANOTHER Wish granted! Now let's all take a pic with Mr Cena! Smiles everyone! Hey why isn't that terminally ill kid smiling? |
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Post by Tiger Millionaire on Oct 23, 2014 7:46:26 GMT -5
I know, right? Dude is the most requested person for Make A Wish. I think it's safe to say that his name is out there. Wrestling fame does not equal fame, sorry to say. As for the Make-a-Wish thing, I wonder if Cena is really their first choice? MaW Rep: Sorry, kid, Lebron can't make it. How about someone else? Do you like wrest.. I mean sports entertainment? How would you like to meet The Champ? Kid: YEAH! The Rock is wicked awesome! He's the Peoples Champ! I smell what The Rock is cookin! MaW Rep: No, I meant John Cena. He's much cooler and he does all these great things for charity! Won't that be fun? Kid: (dreams now shattered) yeah. I guess he's okay... MaW Rep: ANOTHER Wish granted! Now let's all take a pic with Mr Cena! Smiles everyone! Hey why isn't that terminally ill kid smiling? That's stupid, even by Cena hate standards. |
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Post by Hit Girl on Oct 23, 2014 8:29:09 GMT -5
No
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Post by abjordans on Oct 23, 2014 9:41:31 GMT -5
Being the main guy in WWE makes you famous. WWE is that big. Cena cannot comfortably go out in public, I gurantee that. He has 6.5 million Twitter followers. You have to come up with a really weird guideline for what constitutes fame to say he is not famous.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Oct 23, 2014 10:27:55 GMT -5
I've actually heard more people who aren't fans reference Punk over Cena. Those poor, poor people.  As for the OP's question, duh. Hogan, Rock and Austin's mainstream successes were anomalies partially helped by the entertainment landscape at the time (or rather, a lack of entertainment options). You could chalk it up to his charisma or WWE's marketing (I think it's both of those and more), but Cena's been about as successful as any main event draw could possibly be in a 2014 context. I really can't imagine Hulkamania- while it'd still do well regardless- taking hold nowadays the way it did in the era of YouTube, Netflix and smart devices. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2014 10:36:03 GMT -5
No way.
Cena is a certifiable legend in the business already, but he came up in a time just as wrestling was falling out of favor with a lot of people and he's peaked at a time when the business is basically known more for the company than its stars. Unlike during the Attitude Era or RockNWrestling when the stars WERE the company.
In like....8-15 years I'd say he'll be more known as the largest part of his fanbase grows up and remembers their "golden age" of wrestling, but generally amongst people I've talked to they have zero clue who he is.
Its always Hogan, Rock, Austin...maybe Undertaker too.
Some older fans will drop names like Sgt Slaugther and the Iron Sheik.
Its not blind Cena hate, just a product of wrestling not being as popular or novel as it once was when it first made it onto TV.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2014 10:39:46 GMT -5
To children? Yes.
To teenagers? A ton will know of the name from friends who are into wrestling.
To young adults? Sort of, 18 - 35 year old men are the audience the WWE draws but many will be into other products instead. This is where niche fame falls. You're liable to find more people who'd know of Punk here than Cena, but you'll find more people who care about a million things over the WWE over the last decade.
To people over 35? If they're parents of kids into wrestling then sure, otherwise, see "young adults."
He's certainly not high level famous like other combat sports folk (Rock, Hogan, Mayweather, GSP, Lesnar to some people etc), but he's D-list-movie level famous much like many current wrestlers. No shame in that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2014 10:55:35 GMT -5
My friends know John Cena, CM Punk (after all they are fellow Walking Dead enthusiasts), Triple H, Kane, Undertaker, The Rock, and Brock Lesnar.
Whenever they ask me about wrestling it's "what's John Cena doing?" in a sort of sarcastic, jokey way. And I proceed to go into a dissertation on why John Cena is ruining everything.
Welll, that's back when I had friends, anyway.
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BRV
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wants him some Taco Flavored Kisses.
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Post by BRV on Oct 23, 2014 16:21:57 GMT -5
For a wrestler he is, but for a celebrity he is not.
He's somewhat known to people outside of wrestling circles, but "somewhat known" is more than I can say for the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, or anyone else who has been previously mentioned but is in actuality irrelevant to non-wrestling fans. Let's not try to kid ourselves, nobody who isn't a wrestling fan knows who the f*** CM Punk or Triple H is.
Cena, meanwhile, is almost unavoidable in retail stores, as he has his face is plastered on everything at children's or pre-teen aisles at toy stores or places like Wal-Mart or Target. He's also got the cache of a notable supporting role in "Total Divas" as "that weird, awkward, muscly giant", and he's about to having starring roles in two legitimate Hollywood movies.
In terms of wrestlers who are known outside of wrestling circles, it pretty much goes Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and Bret Hart (in Canada). That's the list. Outside of those six, you're getting into the fringes of the wrestling/pop culture circles.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Oct 23, 2014 20:27:39 GMT -5
For a wrestler he is, but for a celebrity he is not. He's somewhat known to people outside of wrestling circles, but "somewhat known" is more than I can say for the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, or anyone else who has been previously mentioned but is in actuality irrelevant to non-wrestling fans. Let's not try to kid ourselves, nobody who isn't a wrestling fan knows who the f*** CM Punk or Triple H is. Cena, meanwhile, is almost unavoidable in retail stores, as he has his face is plastered on everything at children's or pre-teen aisles at toy stores or places like Wal-Mart or Target. He's also got the cache of a notable supporting role in "Total Divas" as "that weird, awkward, muscly giant", and he's about to having starring roles in two legitimate Hollywood movies. In terms of wrestlers who are known outside of wrestling circles, it pretty much goes Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and Bret Hart (in Canada). That's the list. Outside of those six, you're getting into the fringes of the wrestling/pop culture circles. I'd add Macho Man; and MAYBE some other Eighties guys like Jake the Snake or Junkyard Dog in that people will be vaguely aware of their names. Savage was known though |
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StuntGranny®
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Not Actually a Granny
Posts: 16,099
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Post by StuntGranny® on Oct 23, 2014 20:31:07 GMT -5
When I met my fiancee (Who doesn't like wrestling/doesn't watch it), she thought he was exclusively a shitty direct-to-DVD action star.
She was half right.
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Dave the Dave
Fry's dog Seymour
Knows too much
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Post by Dave the Dave on Oct 23, 2014 20:48:37 GMT -5
He's in the new Apatow movie in a big role. So he will be
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BRV
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wants him some Taco Flavored Kisses.
Posts: 16,867
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Post by BRV on Oct 23, 2014 21:03:31 GMT -5
For a wrestler he is, but for a celebrity he is not. He's somewhat known to people outside of wrestling circles, but "somewhat known" is more than I can say for the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, or anyone else who has been previously mentioned but is in actuality irrelevant to non-wrestling fans. Let's not try to kid ourselves, nobody who isn't a wrestling fan knows who the f*** CM Punk or Triple H is. Cena, meanwhile, is almost unavoidable in retail stores, as he has his face is plastered on everything at children's or pre-teen aisles at toy stores or places like Wal-Mart or Target. He's also got the cache of a notable supporting role in "Total Divas" as "that weird, awkward, muscly giant", and he's about to having starring roles in two legitimate Hollywood movies. In terms of wrestlers who are known outside of wrestling circles, it pretty much goes Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and Bret Hart (in Canada). That's the list. Outside of those six, you're getting into the fringes of the wrestling/pop culture circles. I'd add Macho Man; and MAYBE some other Eighties guys like Jake the Snake or Junkyard Dog in that people will be vaguely aware of their names. Savage was known though I'll give you the Macho Man, primarily because of his role in "Spider Man" or his Slim Jim commercials, but Jake Roberts and Junkyard Dog aren't well known. If you walked up to a complete stranger on the street who had nothing more than a cursory knowledge of pro wrestling and said, "Name every wrestler you can off the top of your head," I'd be floored if that person named Jake Roberts or Junkyard Dog. Hell, JYD is fairly anonymous to WWE fans. |
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Boo! on Oct 23, 2014 21:11:42 GMT -5
I think maybe we overstate the imapact of "He was in something once", unless it's something that really makes a cultural impact (as some did) think of all the thousands and thousands of minor celebs who could be said "were in something once" that doesn't make them household.
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Crappler El 0 M
Dalek
Never Forgets an Octagon
I'm a good R-Truth.
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Post by Crappler El 0 M on Oct 23, 2014 21:14:14 GMT -5
Well, Cena's potential big mainstream movie role might be in the upcoming Judd Apatow/Amy Schumer movie. If this is a big comedy hit, then it could only help Cena's fame outside of wrestling.
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