Review for The John Cena Experience (1 Disk Version)

John Cena is a bit like Marmite, you either love him or hate him. Many people dislike him for being constantly in every PPV, main event and seemingly every aspect of the WWE Universe. Those who think this way really need to watch this DVD. I was never a fan of John Cena, his Word Life/Rapper persona got old after a while, his first runs as champion was so overdone that everything felt forced down our throats. After a while, I got the feeling that I would never see a WWE PPV without him in the World Title Match and I became very very very bored. When I received this set I shuddered at the thought of having to sit through it.
I was so wrong.

The John Cena Experience is possibly one of the best documentaries that WWE have produced. Following Cena over a number of months we get to see evrything that he does, from TV show appearances, trips to visit the Armed Forces, Interviews, Action Figure scans, his work on the film Legendary and his work for charity and the Make A Wish Foundation. It was this part that got me.

Seeing Cena with these children who could have had any wish in the world (fly a plane, ride an f1 car, be a fireman for a day) and chose to meet John Cena. It struck me that John Cena is not meant for me, much like Hulk Hogan in the 80s and 90s, John Cena is there to be an idol for the children. During one segment, he takes two children on a shopping trip around a store and you can see just how much it means to them to be a part of all this. I'm sure that other people do this, but you can see the sheer amount of time that he has dedicated to doing these things for them and watching it is heartwarming.

Throughout, Cena comes across as a genuinely nice guy, someone who (unlike someone like The Rock) will continue to support the WWE and be a part of it in some way. His acting in TV Shows and Films is not exactly Oscar-winning, but you can see there is a natural charisma there that makes him shine on the screen. 

When you see him in the ring you can't help but get swept up in his infectious reaction. Face facts there is not one person in the business today who can garner a reaction like John Cena. As much as we like people like CM Punk, Jeff Hardy or Chris Jericho, they have never gotten the response (whether it be positive or negative) that John Cena can get. You would have to look at footage of Hogan or Austin to see the same.

This version does not come with the two disks of extra matches and in a way that is fine as apart from some great highlights against the likes of CM Punk and Shawn Michaels I always felt they were a bit hit and miss. This is simply the documentary and I still enjoyed watching it this second time round.

The John Cena Experience is actually a pretty good concept for a DVD and one that WWE should consider for all of its Superstars. It would be nice to see Randy Orton or Rey Mysterio etc outside of the ring and in preparation for a big PPV. Just like this DVD it might actually make you respect them a little more and dispel any myths and rumours that you may think about them. For me, this was a great set and one that will make me appreciate what John Cena the man does in and outside the ring a lot more.