John Cena

Whether you loved it, or you hated it, it definitely had you talking. It certainly wasn't the first time you have seen it - in fact, it probably wasn't the first time you have seen a version of it (for example, Pedro Morales winning the WWWF title for the first time against Ivan Koloff in 1971 . But the ending of the match between CM Punk and John Cena can be classified as one thing - necessary. After a terrific back-and-forth affair that had the crowd invested, especially with both men kicking out of the other's finishing move and not submitting to their signature submissions, John Cena delivered a German Suplex that left both mens' shoulders on the mat, and referee Chad Patton counting to three.

After the Royal Rumble concluded I received a direct message on Twitter from a good friend who used to work in the wrestling industry. To me, he summed up the 2013 Royal Rumble best with this quote: "A fun show that is 100% predictable is still a fun show. " As soon as John Cena eliminated Ryback to win the Royal Rumble match, it seemed as though the main event of WrestleMania ("Twice in a Lifetime") was already set, even though the WWE title had yet to be defended. Hardcore fans and "armchair bookers" everywhere were collectively clanking on their keyboards, lamenting this “predictable” outcome and complaining about the lack of surprise.

Be a star. Those three words radiate from the television every week during WWE programming, generally in reference to the company's anti-bullying campaign. The problem is that while WWE promotes all these positive messages, its top heroes aren't exactly living the lifestyle they're pushing. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus has been known to bully his opponents, WWE Champion CM Punk isn't always the most respectful man on the microphone and, tonight, WWE's poster child John Cena -- with the ability to pick his opponent for the evening -- chose an announcer.

WWE has a long track record of revising its own history. Former enemies all of a sudden are best friends, a certain former world champion has been erased completely from history, and the list continues. But Monday night on Raw, general manager John Laurinaitis took it upon himself to not only rewrite WWE history, but also that of All Japan Pro Wrestling, where Laurinaitis competed as Johnny Ace from 1990 to 2000. Laurinaitis claimed to be the greatest star in the history of Japan, comparing his impact on the industry to the careers of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock rolled into one. In all honesty, I think Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa is even a bigger star in Japan than Laurinaitis was during his heyday.John Laurinaitis rewrites wrestling history to build feud with John Cena on WWE's Monday Night Raw Believing his own hype, Laurinaitis said it's those skills that will enable him to beat John Cena at Over the Limit later this month.

Fan criticism has apparently become the kryptonite to WWE's "Super Cena. " For the past several years, fans have been critical of the creative team's treatment of John Cena. Some fans have misdirected their gripes toward Cena himself, but he wasn't the one making booking decisions. No matter who the decision makers were, the facts were clear: Cena was not losing often, and when he did, it was rarely in clean fashion. But since WrestleMania, something has changed. WWE now seems to be taking Cena's character the opposite direction, pushing him into the corner and not giving him any breaks.

I would like nothing more than for Brock Lesnar to score a convincing and emphatic win over John Cena at Extreme Rules. Ridiculous match name aside (really, what's the difference between an Extreme Rules match, a no-DQ, no-countout match, a Chicago Street Fight, a No-Holds Barred Match and a match where “anything goes” other than the name?), Lesnar scoring a clean win at the upcoming pay-per-view has multiple benefits. For one, it solidifies Lesnar as a killer, the anti-superstar that fights and wins.

When a match between John Cena and The Rock was announced the day after WrestleMania last year, many people wondered how WWE would keep the momentum and interest for the inevitable collision strong from a whole year. Most of the build-up seems logical -- or at least sensible. The Rock disappeared for months on end, going back to Hollywood and amassing a stockpile of ammunition for Cena to use against him. When he returned, he teamed with Cena in a Survivor Series main event, with the focus of the match not even being on their opponents -- The Miz and R-Truth -- but on the threat of animosity between the two. That "classic" match features an unforgettable ending, as the two easily disposed of their opponents before even teasing dissension between the two. After that, the Rock disappeared again, making only sporadic appearances, mostly via satellite.

On paper, Sunday night's WrestleMania looked as if it could be one of the strongest installments in the event's 28-year history. In execution, it was anything but. I personally avoided Twitter and Facebook, so that the thoughts I would be sharing here would be as purely mine as much as possible. The show lacked the feel of WrestleMania; the first hour felt rushed and most of the matches seemed to be missing something. The show wasn't bad by any means, so I don't want people to misread what I am saying, but I expected more.

On Monday night’s Raw, John Cena moved one step closer to being rehired. That’s good news, because I’ve really missed him since he’s been gone. Oh, that’s right. He never left, did he? I’ve enjoyed the ongoing feud between Cena and The Nexus for the most part, but I’m not a big fan of how the free-or-fired stipulation is playing out. Everyone with the slightest bit of sense knew that Cena wasn’t going to stay fired, but the fact that he didn’t sell the firing for even a single episode of Raw and could very well be reinstated as soon as next week’s show is kind of lame.

World Wrestling Entertainment star John Cena stars in his second movie, the action-adventure 12 Rounds, which opens Friday. We caught up with the professional wrestler recently to discuss his acting career. Was acting in a movie easier for you the second time around, after having done The Marine? It was certainly easier, but I don't think it had everything to do with the experience from The Marine. We really just had a very, very good crew. Mark Gordon's production company - he produced Speed, Saving Private Ryan - really stepped in there with Fox to make sure this thing kind of knocked itself out of the park.