What's my best year?

[ShortOrderCook]

Apologies for starting another topic, but i think we need some more discussion on the board. If there's enough interest in this i'll make it a series of discussions, which we don't have many of lately and i've got a few in mind that could be an interesting topic of discussion.

 

May as well start out with a perhaps controversial one, the main man himself John Cena.

 

 

 

He's been around ages now, there's no doubt he's come on leaps and bounds from his first few years on WWE TV but, really he's been delivering consistently on the big match front for forever now. He's had so many big moments and he's been on top for so much longer than many of those that came before him. I'll probably post mine later because really i'd struggle with this. What year do you think contains John Cenas best work? As i say i'm not sure myself, i think there's many that could be worthy candidates frankly, especially in recent years.

 

What do you say, what's been Johns best year of work and why?

[The Cum Doctor]

I'd have to go for 2006.

 

I was tempted to say 2007 mainly thanks to the brilliant work he did with both The Great Khali and Bobby Lashley. Fuck knows it's not easy to get something watchable out of those two.

 

2006 edges it for me for many reasons though. The Edge fued was brilliant, and probably the standout of that year for WWE. Terrific matches with Umaga, Rob Van Dam and Triple H through the year too. Even throw some of those guys together for brilliant three way matches as well.

 

Aye, I'd go with 2006.

[d-d-d-dAz]

I really, really want to post an insightful reply to this, with a clear answer.

 

I can't.

 

Seriously, for nigh on a decade he's been the most consistent performer in the company. In terms of what a WWE superstar is there to do (flog tickets, merchandise and entertain as many people as possible for as long as possible) he has been without peer for over a decade, too.

 

There have been times when his shtick doesn't appeal to me, and there have been guys come and go who are better in terms of in-ring product, but in terms of the 'whole package' and the intangible ability to just have people care about you he is absolute class. He rises to the big occasions, too.

 

He's eaten a lot of shit from fans, particularly from the former Attitude-era core demographic (say 18 -25), but I'd say often unfairly. Even when his stuff gets really, really lame he remains convincing and invested in his character. He's still himself. And in terms of the audience the company is after, he is as suitable to that as Austin was to the Attitude era.

 

In terms of Cena era's, I think his stuff with JBL, Edge and CM Punk have been my favourite. I think those combinations have brought the best out of each other.

 

But, if you look at it, it's ridiculous the sheer range of people he's had great matches with.

 

An absolute fucking wizard who, I hope, doesn't have his legacy tainted by his constant push-pull conflict with the section of the audience that haven't enjoyed, or haven't suited, the post-attitude era in wrestling.

 

If nothing else is true, then this is; save for a miracle, it's going to be really shit when he's gone.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

2006 for me as well. He had the best feud of his career with Edge, had that WrestleMania match with Triple H and had great and heated matches with RVD and Sabu of all people. Ended the year with that really good bit of ham with K-Fed as well. Half the year was when he was still on the way up to an extent (for me losing the belt did him a world of good in 2006) and the second half of the year as the established superstar as we know him know. This seemed to be the year where he had a proper point to prove.

 

This was a year where he was super motivated. He's has a load of lame moments and quite shite segments or matches if truth be told throughout each year. 2006 he was on form throughout the year. His opponents were top notch and his interviews and angles were excellent. You can't say that about the many of his other career years.

[Maverick]

In a world where The Miz has main evented Wrestlemania we should all thank god for John Cena.

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

For me, I'd have to say 2006. I was very tempted initially to say 2005; that's when he won his first WWE title, he wasn't yet stale as a character, there was that great build to Wrestlemania where Cena couldn't touch JBL and he played that angle brilliantly. Following that, he had the tremendous I Quit match at Judgment Day. I couldn't think of that much other great stuff in that year though, so 2006 would have win for sheer quantity of quality.

 

Even though 2006 was the year when the fans started getting more audible in turning on him, he still had three of his best career performances in that time from the top of my head: Wrestlemania against Triple H, One Night Stand against Rob Van Dam and Unforgiven against Edge. The Edge feud that spanned much of the year was consistently high calibre, and Cena has to be credited for how well he helped kickstart the revived ECW brand, regardless of how it ultimately turned out. The aforementioned RVD match was stellar, and he had a couple of surprisingly entertaining encounters with Sabu.

 

Sprinkle in some very good, but not career defining bouts like Cena vs. HHH vs. Edge- Backlash and Cena vs. Edge-Summerslam and I think we have a winner.

[Leary of Doom]

For me, I'd actually go back to 2003.

 

That was the year he really honed his character after changing to his gimmick in late 2002. Started off with teaming with B2, and then had a short run with Brock, which helped in the build up to Brocks match with Angle, and then continued onto him being the number 1 contender and a really good Backlash match

 

He then had major feuds with Taker, Eddie and Angle, where his work was so entertaining, the fans eventually for behind him leading to his face turn, and the start of the programme which would lead to him winning his first title

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

2003 was a good year for him too, but I don't know about the Backlash match- I seem to remember that being a super slow and methodical match compared to both men's usual more high impact stuff. Neither man really seemed at the stage where they could carry a main event match at the time. Might have to give it a rewatch though as 13 year old me probably had a different perspective on things.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

2003/4. This is the only period I ever found him entertaining. I've never been able to stand him since for reasons I've previously outlined. I never have and never will buy into him as a headliner. (Personally that is before someone starts quoting TV ratings or t-shirt sales). As the humorous mid-card rapper who takes amusing shots at his opponents I enjoyed him.

[Duke]

I wasn't sure about 2006, but then I remembered the ONS match with RVD. That was excellent, and showed just how well Cena *gets* wrestling

[fraserbee]

I have to say 2006 for the same reasons that have been mentioned above.

 

Cena is a very difficult person to choose a best year for though because, even if you don't like him, every year had been a pretty good year for him. Every single year since he debuted he has been involved in at least a handful of really excellent matches. Not many wrestlers I can say that about.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I dont think this is as hard as some are making out to be honest. 2007 had that injury which kept him out for a while, 2008 was a pretty good year from what I remember, 2009 had that shite with Orton and a pretty weak role in that years WrestleMania as well as that piss poor DX vs Cena feud which wasnt really a feud (2009 might have been his worst year). 2010 had half the year of that Nexus angle where the booking of him was complete crap, the first few months of 2011 they let the Rock do everything but piss in his mouth and he had to make do with shite like the Miz as well. For all this defeats and lack of title runs, this past year has been a super strong year for him on the mic and in the ring. You might have had the AJ thing, but even that had the Ziggler matches if you were willing to suffer through her banging on about nothing. So for me its out of 2006 and 2012. Obviously there were great matches and great moments in most of the years he's been around, but his true exceptional years were 2006 and 2012. Its the two years where I've felt where he did something worth watching throughout the whole year.

 

2012 had the Rock feud, the stuff with Lesnar, the Punk rivalry, the few weeks where he more or less managed Ryback and the Ziggler matches. 2012 was pretty awesome for him.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

I can't forgive the terrible storylines he was involved with in 2012 - Kane/Eve/Ryder, Johnny Ace, Vickie/AJ - ugh, a couple of good matches with Dolph can't rectify that. The Rock feud was disappointing, and with a couple of exceptions(including one of his best in years on The Rock) his promos were shit all year. The Brock feud was the highlight, capped off with a great match. Overall I'd say 2006 as well although he had a few career matches in 2007.

[King Pitcos]

I'll go with 06 for the reasons others have given. I'd be tempted to go 07 for the Umaga and Lashley matches, but the Orton feud started then too, so I'm not having it.

[Fatty Facesitter]

I'm having '07. 06 was great but by 2007 he was such on a magnificent role and I don't think he's had quite the same consistency since. Nearly each and every single PPV match he had in '07 was worth a watch.

 

The Umaga LSM at the Rumble was all kinds of awesome. Actually their match a little earlier in the month at New Years Revolution wasn't too horrible and it set Umaga up to look like a legitimate title threat for the big Rumble showdown. At No Way Out he teamed up with HBK against Batista and Undertaker in a pretty good bout in it's own right.

 

The Wrestlemania match with Shawn is, for me, still one of his very best if not THE best match of his career. Better than the HHH match the year previous, which makes me even more glad he faced Shawn because initially we had Cena/HHH 2 pencilled in. Both men just put in so much effort and commitment into making it as grand as possible, and although the outcome was never really in doubt the whole story behind the buildup and the actual finished product was brilliant. Then they did it AGAIN a few weeks later in England in what was arguably an even better match that lasted an hour, before an entertaining four-way at Backlash also involving Orton and Edge.

 

Judgement Day vs Khali wasn't amazing but he still got more out of him than most. The return at One Night Stand though was even better and it's still Khali's best match to date. For someone who's often been called limited, Cena showed he could get the best out an inferior worker and carry them in his own right now. That's another main reason I think he had a more solid '07 than '06.

 

Then you've got the Bash match with Lashley, a cracking fave vs face bout, and regardless of the feud going on way, way, WAY too long and having too many matches, the Summerslam match with Orton was probably the best of their whole series. The Unforgiven bout was the only blemish on his PPV record that year and then he picked up the injury.