Like: His Entrance

You can betray the fans who looked up to you. You can punt the hell out of Cody Rhodes’ coin purse. You can even cuckold Zach Ryder. But you will NOT turn your back on cameraman Stu and get away with it.

The devil is in the details for Cena’s heel entrance; its evolution (including ignoring Stu, whom he used to salute) has ever so slightly changed his former entrance, but made it all the more impactful.

Instead of a typical highlight reel, the Attitude Adjuster’s titantron is black with his name bolded in big white letters. The arena lights turn off, and the spotlight is completely on the GOAT as the crowd is hidden by the darkness. It signals that Cena matters and the fans don’t.

On the Raw after WrestleMania 41, the newly crowned, record-breaking champion forced ring announcer Mark Nash to read from a script to introduce him. It mentions Cena as the “never seen 17” champ—a slick nod to the titles he’s won and “You can’t see me” moniker.

Of course, the pop that the new heel receives while all of this happens is generational. The boos are so deafening that they drown out his theme song, and “John Cena sucks” chants become the de facto lyrics.

A good entrance props up the baddest of men, and in that category, heel Cena shines.