Who would win in a wrestling match: John Cena or Hulk Hogan?

Cena

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by R.M. Fraser

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Who would win a wrestling match between John Cena and Hulk Hogan? It's obvious that with the way the writers of WWE are taking John Cena right now, he would be the winner. It would be a handing off of the torch, so to speak, and here are the reasons why.

Back in the 80's, Hulk Hogan was the classic "good guy" and only franchise wrestler that Vince McMahon had on his roster. Sure, he had guys like Nikolai Volkoff and the Junkyard Dog, "Superfly" Snuka, Rowdy Roddy Piper and so on, but they just did not have the personality that Hogan had. Hogan's personality had somehow pulled in virtually every single kid who was a wrestling fan. Every child wanted to wear the red and yellow, say their prayers, take their vitamins, flex their guns, and say "watcha gonna do, brother". There wasn't a youthful eye that didn't love to see Hogan "Hulk up" when the chips were down. Hogan was always played out as the underdog in many cases, each opponent becoming more violent and diabolical than the previous. That's what had us all hooked. I was one of those kids.

There were also two other superstars in WWE that were almost capable of being franchise guys; "Macho Man" Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. Yet the writers knew that despite how popular they were with the fans, they just weren't going to be able to do it for as long as Hogan could. That's what made Hogan so great - he wasn't just a passing fad in the wrestling business.

Now let's compare these notes with John Cena. John Cena has become that classic "good guy" who always comes out on top. He may be more controversial with the fan base than Hulk Hogan, but that is because WWE hasn't quite fully figured out how to recreate their next franchise man. Had age and injury problems not been a factor for Stone Cold Steve Austin, he may have been that guy. The Rock was another great candidate, but had other life goals in mind. Ric Flair just didn't have that punch when he first joined WWE, and now is too old to do it. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were also good, but other issues once again got in the way.

So let's look at today's wrestlers and where they fit in. Kurt Angle - issues, and left for the "pee-wee league" brand down the road, but watch out for them, they continually get better. Batista just doesn't have much personality. Guys like Edge, Randy Orton, and Mr. Kennedy are great villains, but not the franchise type. Bobby Lashley shows great promise, but that doesn't make him ready today. That leaves three men in mind for this franchise status - Triple H, The Undertaker, and John Cena.

Triple H wasn't much when he first arrived to WWE, but with the help of Shawn Michaels and DX, he has really put himself in a place where he can almost do no wrong with the fans. His story lines are excellent and show a dynamic personality. Is it the Hulk Hogan of old? Not quite. I'm not sure that Triple H has roped in the younger fans like Hogan did, but he is very popular with the older crowd.

The Undertaker just keeps on going. It's amazing. He has never struck me as the franchise guy until recently. He was always the greatest number two you could find, taking out the big monsters and what not. The only problem was the character itself represents a genre of fans that are too small to be considered a franchise type of fan base - until now. Now he has been around for so long that even as the "heel" he is cheered on louder than the "good guys". The only obstacle now is age and injuries. The Undertaker takes too much time off to be the franchise guy now.

Now we are left with John Cena. Here is someone who came in looking very awkward in character to many fans as he was a street thug, rapper kind of guy, and unless you're Eminem you aren't going to be popular as a rapper either - unless you're a kid. Hip-hop has grown so much in popularity, especially with the younger generation. Well, that's a perfect marriage because we have seen that John Cena can now command that fan base very well. He is also making a huge fan base with those who love the underdog. Since Triple H's injury, it's been easy to see that WWE has seen the potential John Cena has to become the "Hulk Hogan" of his generation.

Look at the roster of opponents John Cena has had. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania, Edge, new monsters like Umaga and the Great Khali, who look so dominating compared to Cena. Bobby Lashley - there's a rivalry for years to come, and don't be surprised if Lashley eventually takes over. Randy Orton is back in there with his villain role, with acts of violence towards other wrestlers so vile, how will Cena ever survive? It's everything we ever found in Hulk Hogan inside another wrestler. Triple H may carry that torch too after coming back from this injury, and there may be room for both now that there are three main "brands" if you will in Raw, Smackdown, and ECW.

So if Cena can do all this for WWE today, then he is the clear winner in a match against Hulk Hogan himself. Hogan is too old, despite the never ending spirit of Hulkamania. So that means someone needs to carry on that spirit into a new generation, and moving that spirit forward is first and foremost in the mind of WWE writers. With that said, there's no way John Cena would lose. They would have an epic battle, Cena would be victorious, they would shake hands and hug, symbolizing the passing on of the torch. After that, the only competition for that torch becomes Triple H and Bobby Lashley.

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