“100% F*cking Rotten”: John Cena Confessed To Hating His Own Gimmick In Eye-Opening Revelation

John Cena found great success as the WWE’s ultimate babyface and became immensely popular. His portrayal of a clean-cut well-built hero who pulled off amazing feats of strength and fought the odds even led to the nickname ‘Super Cena’. Before Cena’s reputation as WWE’s resident superman, he also had an entertaining run as the Doctor of Thuganomics, a rapper who would insult his opponents in rhyme. But even way before that the Hollywood star had another gimmick that he portrayed early in his wrestling career.

After his bodybuilding stint, he decided to give pro wrestling a go. During this time he came up with a character for himself called ‘The Prototype’. He joined a wrestling promotion in California and got to display his talents as ‘The Prototype’.

According to Cena, the character was half human and half robot and he had to act that way in the ring. Last year in an appearance for BuzzFeed, the Hollywood star shared his thoughts on the character.

John Cena wasn’t a big fan of ‘The Prototype’ character

John Cena went through quite a wild ride before he became a global icon with the WWE. He started out as a bodybuilder and participated in competitive bodybuilding. The 16-time world champion also had a tough career as a bouncer before he turned his fortunes around. Cena began wrestling in front of small crowds for Ultimate Pro Wrestling in California in 1999. To stand out from the rest of the wrestlers, he introduced The Prototype gimmick.

The gimmick included Cena playing a half-human, half-robot character owing to his ripped physique. Moreover, he even sported a blonde mohawk at one point. In 2021, during an appearance for BuzzFeed video, Cena revealed that he didn’t start out his pro wrestling career with the idea of one day being a WWE superstar. He further said that the toughest thing for anyone in entertainment is to find a way to connect to the audience. The actor said it requires creating a personality and hope that people invest in that character.

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Cena then brought up his Prototype gimmick and shared his disdain for the character. The Champ said, “You have to create a personality for yourself and invest in that personality and hope people get it. And my character was The Prototype. Half man, half machine and a 100% f*cking rotten. It was so bad.” Despite his dislike for the character, Cena admitted that it caught the eye of a scout which eventually led to a move to WWE.

Cena brought The Prototype character to WWE’s developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). And gradually he worked his way up the main roster. After making an impactful debut on SmackDown, Cena dropped the Prototype gimmick later. This paved way for Cena to become the Doctor of Thuganomics and he didn’t look back.

Even though Cena hated his ‘Prototype’ character, it did help him land a big opportunity with WWE.  Cena would eventually grab his chance with both hands. Today he stands as a WWE icon and has now transitioned into a successful Hollywood actor further increasing his fandom.

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