WWE: The John Cena Experience DVD Review

John Cena, from the moment he burst onto the scene and had that blistering match with Kurt Angle on Smackdown from June 2002 (meaning the man is nearing a decade with the company – just think about that for a second), has been hard to ignore. From the “trunks of a million colours” era, through the heel rapper, face rapper and non-rapping rapper gimmicks, he’s done it all in WWE.

As well as being a wrestler, a movie star and someone who has released a successful album, John Cena also does an amazing amount of work for WWE and charity by the way of personal appearances and media interviews, working a schedule that would destroy a lesser person… and doing it with a smile on his face.

Some would say he’s too nice for his own good, but when he’s top of the heap in his chosen profession, maybe, for once, the nice guy didn’t finish last.

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 119mins (main feature)

Discs: 3

Chapters

John Cena on Troops
Tribute to the Troops
John Cena on TV appearances
Psyched Up
John Cena on Sports
This is ESPN
John Cena on Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl Parade
Fiesta Bowl Invitational
Fiesta Bowl Pre-Game
Fiesta Bowl Game
John Cena on Movies
Legendary Performance
John Cena on Mattel
Mattel Scanning
John Cena on being a WWE Spokesman
It’s Going to be a Late Night
John Cena on Music
Hustle Loyalty Respect
John Cena on WrestleMania
WrestleMania Arrival
WrestleMania Golf Tournament
The Mania Before Mania
Make A Wish Pizza Party
WrestleMania Rehearsal
WrestleMania
John Cena on Cars
Barrett Jackson
John Cena on Gillette
Start Your Engines
John Cena on Responsibility
Cup With a Cause
Raw and Uncut

Disc 2

Match # 5 in the Best of 5 Series for the United States Championship: John Cena v Booker T – No Mercy (3rd October, 2004)
# 1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21: John Cena v Kurt Angle – No Way Out (20th February, 2005)
Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena v Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels – Taboo Tuesday (1st November, 2005)
WWE Championship Match: Edge v John Cena – Royal Rumble (29th January, 2006)
John Cena v Edge – Tribute to the Troops (25th December, 2006)
World Tag Team Championship Match: John Cena & Shawn Michaels v Rated RKO – RAW (26th February, 2007)
Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena v Great Khali – One Night Stand (3rd June, 2007)

Disc 3

WWE Championship Match: John Cena v Bobby Lashley – Great American Bash (22nd July, 2007)
WWE Championship Match: John Cena v Randy Orton – SummerSlam (26th August, 2007)
John Cena Returns! – Royal Rumble (27th January, 2008)
WWE Championship Match: John Cena v Triple H – (Night of Champions 29th June, 2008)
John Cena v Shawn Michaels – RAW (26th January, 2009)
John Cena v Jack Swagger – RAW (13th April, 2009)
John Cena v The Big Show – Judgment Day (17th May, 2009)
Night of Champions Tournament – Semi-Finals Match: John Cena v The Miz – RAW (29th June, 2009)
Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena v Shawn Michaels v Triple H – Survivor Series (22nd November, 2009)

Once you get past the irony of a John Cena DVD being rated 15 in the PG-era, meaning it excludes the majority of the people who would want to own the set, you’re thrust into the world of John Cena and, like the title says, it’s time to experience what it’s like to be the former WWE Champion.

Some reviews I’ve read on this release have been negative because the main feature isn’t the standard talking-heads look at the subject’s career. Now, I’ll admit, I would have preferred to have had a documentary along the lines of the recent Ricky Steamboat and Chris Jericho releases, but The John Cena Experience does exactly what is says on the tin, so to complain about that seems a little picky.

That being said, the over-indulgent tone of the feature does grate at times, although seeing Cena leave a taping of RAW in Baltimore and head to the airport so they can fly out for Tribute to the Troops and then board a plane at 1am while eating a slice of pizza is a nice look behind the curtain. It’s also a good eye-opener to see the tedium of flying to the troops, with Cena and Michael Cole passing the time playing cards with the each other. On the other side of the spectrum, the scene where the WWE talent visit injured soldiers in hospital is both sweet and humbling.

After the TttT segment, the DVD begins it’s slide into awfulness, mainly because there’s no real substance to the documentary and there’s no real logic or chronology to the events on show. It’s an interesting idea for a profile DVD, but they haven’t pulled it off well. Whether that’s down to the subject matter or the format itself is a matter for debate.

On the second and third discs you’ll get sixteen matches for your trouble. There’s nothing from his first two years in the company and nothing after 2009 either, which means his great match with Batista from Wrestlemania XXVI is missing as is, rather surprisingly, his debut against Kurt Angle. Also bafflingly omitted are his legendary encounters with Umaga, his rivalry with Brock, bouts with Undertaker and his stellar “I Quit” Match against JBL. His stunning victory over Triple H from WrestleMania is also overlooked, but there’s a couple of other bouts with The Game in them, so that’s not as much of a disappointment.

The first nine matches being in the 4:3 ratio rather than widescreen means there are ugly vertical borders which are quite distracting, but not enough to ruin the bouts.

Extras

None.

Overview

A curiosity in execution, there are gems among the chapters (the Tribute to the Troops stuff is great, Christian and Hornswoggle, in suits, walking together at the Hall of Fame is a little weird and seeing Cena sign 3,000 pictures for WrestleMania weekend shows the dedication he has to the cause), but a lot of it is self-indulgent and the lack of anyone other than Cena in the talking-head department hurts the main feature.

In a strange twist, it’s actually the in-ring work that’s the strong point for this collection. It’s not often you’d expect Cena matches to be the selling point, but the majority of the matches on show are well worth a repeat viewing. Hearing the old Word Life theme did actually inspire feelings of nostalgia.

The three-ways against HBK/Angle and HBK/HHH (which has a stunning opening exchange) are fantastic, while having a varied array of commentators (Cole, Ross, Lawler, Tazz and Joey Styles helps mix things up.

It’s also worth noting the changing physique of Cena as the matches progress and, in the first match, the FU looks brilliant, like he’s really trying to drive Booker through the mat. In fact, all of his offence seems better in the earlier matches, with the Protobomb, Cena’s trademark flying shoulderblock and his clotheslines all looking stiff and solid. Perhaps the man himself should watch this and turn the clock back.

Oh, and his entrance at the 2006 Royal Rumble earns a point all on its own.

Points: 7/10

Buy It:

UK: DVD / Blu-ray

USA: DVD / Blu-ray

Canada: DVD / Blu-ray

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

WWE: The John Cena Experience DVD Review

Chapters

Disc 2

Disc 3

Extras

Overview

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you