SI

Traina Thoughts: John Cena Stole the Show at WrestleMania 35

John Cena returned to his old-school Dr. of Thuganomics character at WrestleMania.

Jimmy Traina

WWE

1. With all due respect to Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston, who all won titles at WrestleMania 35, the highlight of the WWE's Super Bowl was John Cena's return as the Dr. of Thuganomics.

Cena started his WWE career in 2002 with a rap gimmick and alter ego known as the Dr. Thuganomics. We haven't seen that version of Cena for more than 10 years. Recently he's transfomed into an elder statesman-type character, who does not work a full schedule and is known for granting more than 600 Make-a-Wish requests just as much as he's known for being a wrestler. 

However, WrestleMania always relies on special, surprising moments and we got one Sunday night when Cena went old school—in a retro Babe Ruth Yankees jersey—to confront Elias and throw down a bunch of rhymes, which popped the crowd hard.

Twitter also loved seeing Cena, who lately has been known for his long hair and ups and downs with Nicki Bella, go back to his roots.

Content is unavailable

Cena showed why he's one of the most likable superstars in the WWE after his segment, when he talked about how "ridiculous" he looked in his Dr. of Thuganomics outfit during a backstage interview.

One a side note, I saw a lot of people on Twitter rip Cena because he's from Massachussetts, yet wore a Yankees jersey. When Cena was on the SI Media Podcast a few months ago, he talked about not being a huge sports fan or having loyalty to the Boston sports teams, so leave John Cena alone.

2. ESPN's NBA studio show has finally gotten some attention, but it's not for something good. Paul Pierce tried to lay out the case that he was a better basketball player than Dwyane Wade. His colleague Jalen Rose checked him at every turn, which did make for good TV. 

Content is unavailable

The ridiculous comments did not sit well with Wade's wife Gabrielle Union.

3. I don't think I'm legally allowed to accuse anyone of being over served without proof, so I won't do that here. I'll just post this Instagram video of Kevin Love, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye without comment.

4. The anti-bat flip crowd might actually combust if they see how Reds second baseman Derek Dietrich just stood at home plate and watched his long home run against the Pirates yesterday.

5. I don't know how anyone cannot feel anything but sympathy for what Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is going through.

6. The latest SI Media Podcast features an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, who talks about being a "rising star" in sports media, what she tries to accomplish when interviewing an athlete, using social media as a career tool, Oprah, moving from Georgia to New York City and much more.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: The college basketball season wraps up Monday night. This will always be the most memorable play I've ever seen, in part because of the great call by the legendary Verne Lundquist.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here. And make sure to listen to and subscribe to the SI Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina.

IN CLOSING: Texas Tech +1.5 over Virginia tonight.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/Extra Mustard