WATCH: When the Undertaker Met a Young John Cena for the Very First Time in WWE

John Cena made his TV debut on an episode of SmackDown! on June 27, 2002, where he took everyone by surprise with his ‘ruthless aggression.’ He almost had his defining moment, nearly pinning the Olympian in his debut match.

But what happened after the match made the fans cheer for the young debutant even more. Following his dominant performance, the American Badass, The Undertaker, came out and congratulated the young kid for his grit inside the ring.

John Cena had an interesting initial run

With his debut, Cena officially kick-started the Ruthless Aggression era in the WWE. No one knew that a young kid who just casually walked up to the ring in weird, bright red trunks would go on to make such an impact in the world of sports entertainment.

After the match, Billy Kidman, Faarooq, Rikishi, and The Undertaker congratulated him, where the champion said – “Nice job, kid” and gave the young kid a firm handshake. This took Cena by surprise, seeing this coming from the top guy in the business.

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Soon after this match, Cena became a fan favorite, feuding with the likes of Chris Jericho and The Chavo brothers where he gave decent performances.

Once, on a tour bus with other WWE Superstars, Cena was freestyling (rapping) and amusing his fellow wrestlers when Stephanie McMahon took notice, and hence, The Doctor of Thuganomics was born.

The following week on SmackDown!, Cena debuted this rapper gimmick, who would cut promos while rhyming and dissing his in-ring competition, backing up with his phenomenal athletic abilities in the ring.

This gimmick did wonders for the 16x World Champion, as it made him a legitimate threat and a force to reckon with.

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John Cena’s current status

Cena turned to Twitter where he replied to the tweet which celebrated his 18 long years in the company. He said- “Thank you for all the well wishes on the anniversary of a day I’ll never forget. @WWE is and always will be home for me. Thank you for allowing me to pursue my passion for so many years, none of it is possible without you.”

Cena has not wrestled full-time for almost half a decade now. His last match was against Bray ‘The Fiend’ Wyatt at WrestleMania 36. It was a cinematic match between the two with glimpses of both the wrestlers’ past matches portrayed. Eventually, Wyatt pinned Cena, putting an end to their long rivalry.

The freestyle rapper has not appeared for the promotion since then and is exploring other ventures outside the WWE. John Cena has said multiple times that the WWE is his home and he won’t be long gone, but fans are waiting for the former champion to grace them with his outstanding mic skills and his ‘never give up’ attitude.

The former world champion is in talks of making his return at SummerSlam this year against the current Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, but his timeline for return is still in question.

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