Obituary

  No matter whether you booed or cheered him you had to respect the type of man that he was and that was a man of the people. John Felix Anthony Cena, a former WWE wrestler, died on Tuesday in his sleep from complications of a concussion at his home in West Newbury, Massachusetts. He was 36.

            Cena made his wrestling debut in 2000 under the name The Prototype. A year later Cena was signed to a developmental contact with World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as WWE. His television debut match against Kurt Angle in June of 2002 shot him to stardom. His early WWE career saw him take on a rapping gimmick but later was dropped for a more kid friendly character that went by the motto hustle, loyalty, and respect. Cena won 20 championships in his WWE career with 11 being the WWE Championship facing many great stars and legends such as Triple H, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Brock Lesner. He had numerous top main event matches at WWE’s biggest pay per view, WrestleMania. Two of those matches being between him and top WWE star from the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Dwayne Johnson that quite a few fans considered dream matches.

            Tosha Howard, an avid fan of professional wrestling, said, “The effect Cena had on the wrestling world was where he played toward the youth of the audience. So many kids looked up to him.”

Cena was a man who always did his best to give his audiences the best show possible and was always showed love for the fans. Cena was well known not only for his wrestling but also his work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation & Susan G. Koman organization. Through out his career Cena granted over 300 wishes to terminally ill children. Cena was one of the most requested celebrities for the organization. More recently Cena and the WWE raised $1 million dollars for the Susan G. Koman organization after a month long campaign to help raise awareness for women’s breast cancer.

            “It’s devastating to hear one of the biggest supporters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has passed away,” says Howard.

            Cena was also a well-known actor in movies such as The Marine and Legendary as well as the TV show Psych. He also had a rap album release and was the celebrity endorsement for Fruity Pebbles.

The wrestling community no doubt will always remember Cena. His “never give up” attitude will be an encouragement for many years to come.