Like: Mic Work

Like Ric Flair, Steve Austin, and The Rock before him, mic work elevated John Cena to super-duper star status.

As the Doctor of Thuganomics, Cena rapped his enemies into submission and won over the WWE Universe. He belittled and exposed The Final Boss for writing promos on his wrist. He called out Roman Reigns for forgetting his lines and not inspiring the WWE’s confidence to anoint him face of the company.

No matter who verbally swung at his head—including fans—John had an ingenious response, all while taking the high road and serving as a role model for kids.

Now, Cena is masterfully unleashing 20+ years of pent up heel energy. He seamlessly mixes fiction and reality, expressing frustrations (that maybe he always had?) with the WWE Universe for treating him like shit when he gave them his life.

He breaks the fourth wall by insisting that he’s not a face or a heel, but a human being. He weaponizes the criticisms fans launched at him, declaring that he’d bury Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania like he’s done to countless other opponents.

You could argue his promos are redundant and at times overacted, which might be true. However, his post-Elimination Chamber masterclass and Reverse Pipe Bomb were instantly classic—two of his best promos to date. You can’t ask for much more than that.