“You Can’t See Me”: From a Simple Dare to a Global Meme, the Story Behind John Cena’s Iconic Gesture

John Cena is among the most recognizable wrestlers working in the WWE. After working in the company for over two decades, there are many things Cena does that are now iconic. One of them is a simple hand gesture, which started as a taunt and now gained a meme status. This would be the ‘You can’t see me’ hand gesture.

So, what is the backstory behind one of WWE’s most popular taunts and the internet’s most loved memes? Keep reading to find out.

From a simple dare to a global phenomenon

It comes as no surprise that wrestlers put in a lot of effort to get over with the fans. From what they wear to the moves they execute in the ring, everything comes into play to be remembered. However, the same cannot be said for one iconic WWE gesture.

Yes, according to Cena, the idea behind the gesture was not even his. In his book Hustle, Loyalty & Respect: The World of John Cena, Cena explained the origins of the gesture. “The ‘You Can’t See Me’ thing was a joke from my little brother,” Cena explained.

“This stupid song came on, we started dancing around, and my brother Sean did this dance from a video where he moves his head around his hands,” Cena continued. This was the original concept for the now iconic gesture.

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Cena went on to explain that his brother Sean would then dare Cena to perform the move in the WWE. The leader of the Cenation was new in the WWE, and the hierarchy gave him a chance to experiment with his character. This led to the iconic gesture making a debut at the short-lived WWE weekly show Velocity. Soon, it became a staple taunt before getting a life of its own.

The ‘You can’t see me’ meme explained

The aim of the taunt, ‘You can’t see me,’ is that Cena is better than his opponent. He is so good that the opponent can’t see Cena in the ring. While this was a normal in-ring taunt, the internet gave it a life of its own by taking it literally. The meme emphasizes that Cena is invisible.

However, Cena has taken the meme in stride and has taken part in this viral joke. When the iPhone X introduced face recognition, Cena joked about it not working with him. In a 2021 interview, Cena said, “I, somehow, through almost two decades of involvement with the WWE, have genuinely developed a superpower – I’m invisible bro.” This showed how light-heartedly Cena took the meme.

What do you think about the origins of the iconic gesture? Tell us down below.

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