Wrestling fan or not, you know who John Cena is.
The year 2006 was memorable for the World Wrestling Federation. Arsenal’s matches fans were given were like Santa Claus laying out gifts for those on the nice list. I was three years old around the time, so I did not remember many matches. As I got older, I had a good memory about Rated-R Superstar having a feud with well-known wrestler John Cena for the WWE championship after the superstar had finished his genuine beef with one of the Hardy brothers over a female, Lita, that was honestly the cause of the heat back in 2005. However, the most critical moment lodged in my brain was the resurrection of ECW. Of course, ECW was always around back in the day, but I sadly grew up witnessing the water-down version of the company providing great matches.
ECW was necessary for this specific year of entertainment because Cena was the champion going back and forth with Edge. RVD’s involvement also made the history behind the storyline intriguing, as it gave ECW a chance to rise from the dead, gain a star for its brand, and bring in the best moments.
ECW One Night Stand in 2006 was my and still is my favorite paper view just because of that Cena and RVD match when watching it over again. The match was great, but the background behind what happened was perfect.
You had RVD hyped up as he was back in 2002, yet a push around that year was halted due to his rejection of taking advice from Triple H when improving promo skills. Nevertheless, you look at all three wrestlers involved.
Edge was hated, a superstar who knew how to crawl under the skin of fans who dreaded seeing him. RVD was laid-back and knew how to put on shows when necessary.
Of course, if you look at the high rise of Cena, it was perfect. He was loved, a beloved hero in the eyes of the fans, yet watching that match and witnessing the fans sit in their seats with silence written on their faces while Cena was walking down the arena, savage work right there.
Nobody liked him. The fans could not stand him. At that moment, Cena was in Rob’s domain. Every time RVD was touched, the growth of boos running down the arena was wild. “F– You Cena” and “If Cena wins, we riot,” said fan signs. All I heard was watching the match because fans did not like him. However, I would give Cena props for playing with the situation. Still, fans were livid with Cena taunting the fans back and attacking the referee, Giving RVD a beating overall. Only when Edge spears Cena into a table, giving RVD the win for the WWE championship. Edge was, of course, the villain. He was the heel, yet the fans cheered him when he speared Cena.
The news was excellent – RVD was the champion. Double champion at that. A double champion that had dropped both titles due to a drug arrest. Fine, that sucks. Edge had won the WWE championship against Dam. Big Show had won the ECW championship against RVD.
Edge is the champion.
Cena is the challenger. Rob Van Dam is out of the title picture, and sadly, the last time he won a title for the company.
Both Edge and Cena were feuding until unforgiven in 2006. WWE’s pay-per-view match had both stars main eventing the event. Watching the game and seeing Cena win fabulously, you see Cena’s blank expressions as he holds on to the championship. Usually, when you visit a wrestler winning a tournament or any athlete having their big moment, they would be ecstatic. John was not. Because he wanted to lose. Cena was to fail to Edge and become a bad guy, heading to the Smackdown brand.
Those plans were going to happen, yet scrapped at the last minute. This is why Cena values the fans angrily at the Show’s end. Watching One Night Stand gave us fans a taste of John Cena as a legitimate bad guy. Something different than the “Thuganomics” gimmick.
I understand why the plans were scrapped. We all grew up seeing John Cena as a good guy. Each wrestler has the gift of playing both roles, being a babyface and a heel. Edge was an example of being good at being a babyface, heel, and many more. RVD was great at being a babyface because it was easier for the star to mesh into his persona. John Cena was born to be a face, but he wanted something different, and it was ultimately scrapped at the last minute.
However, I applaud Cena for wanting to drop the belt to Edge because, as a fan of this, the unbearable statements about John Cena “burying” stars bothered me when you think about it: down the line in his career, his last taste of victories was in 2018. Nevertheless, the focus on Cena being the “heel” never happened, which I am glad it did not occur because fans will always see John Cena as the hero the fans praise so much.
