After two decades in professional wrestling, John Cena will hang up his jorts this weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event inside the Capital One Arena In Washington, D.C. He’s going up against one of WWE’s biggest stars, Gunther, the same man that retired Goldberg over the summer.
Long before Cena became a bonafide wrestling legend, in the early days, he was known for his love of hip-hop and culture. Not only has his career stood the test of time, but so have his fits. He’s always had an eye for fashion and influencing pop culture —though these days he’s sporting suits that probably (definitely) cost more than my rent.
Whether it’s his iconic jerseys paired with those divisive spinner belts or colorful wrestling merchandise, his fits deserve a spot of their own in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Ahead of Cena’s last match, take a look back at some of his best fits as inspiration for your own last-minute tribute or if you just need to refresh your wardrobe.
Home team represent
Cena rolled up to SmackDown in 2003 in this Larry Bird Celtics jersey, throwing out an open challenge to the WWE locker room. Orlando Jordan answered the call, but Cena defeated him. Following a post-match attack, The Undertaker appeared and laid the foundation for Cena vs. Undertaker at the Vengeance pay-per-view. Name someone cooler than Y2K Cena, I dare you.
The Time is nWo
John Cena’s pretty much done everything there is to do as a professional wrestler. Or so we thought. At WrestleMania 36 he had a Firefly Funhouse match against Bray Wyatt. His entrance answered an age-old question: what if John Cena wrestled during the height of the nWo? He swapped his usual colorful corporate advertisements for an edgy all-black ensemble accompanied by the nWo spray-painted belt. Looking back, it was basically a heel turn before the infamous heel turn.
The champ is here
Over the years, John Cena has had several “The Champ Is Here” designs, somewhat of a signature. In my opinion, the most iconic is the spinner belt design with the retro paint font. There’s just something so nostalgic about it! I miss when wrestling merch was fun — and man, were Cena’s designs a lot of fun.
Plus, while jorts were most certainly popular in the early 2000s, they fell off in the 2010s. But with this resurgence of Gen Z feeling super nostalgic, they’re making a comeback. So I guess you could say Cena was always ahead of the curve.
Mr. Hustle, loyalty and respect
Cena’s “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” designs are always super popular, but there’s something about this cage-esque design that I really love. It’s most recognizable from his 2008 Royal Rumble return, the same year he won. He evolved from the Doctor of Thuganomics to a defining mantra that he lives by.
Repping the chain gang
The Chain Gang gimmick was another character in Cena’s early career. To me, it’s the perfect blend of that edgy hip-hop influenced style without coming off cheesy like Doctor of Thuganomics sometimes did. He dropped the rhymes for dog tags and his giant padlock chain. (Long before the Cenation there was the Chain Gang!) He still retained his attitude and swag, as evident in the picture above.
I may need to scour eBay and the like for this one.
word life
I mean… this is just quintessential Cena. The arm bands, the padlock, his “Word Life” catchphrase… it’s peak Y2K in the best of ways. What I love about this design in particular is that it really blends the old (a spin on the 1980s to early ’90s WWF logo) with the new: a bright young talent that would soon become one of the greatest wrestlers to step in the ring.
Shades of blue
I know there are a lot of jerseys displayed, but in total fairness he had a wickedly cool collection. I favor a baseball jersey over football, basketball or hockey so this whole fit speaks to me. It also reminds me of the look CM Punk recreated in his feud with Cena this year.
John Cena aura farming
Cena iced out in a Shaq Orlando Magic jersey with the spinner belt? Forgive me but the aura this photo holds is unmatched. I love when people actually had personal style and didn’t care to follow whatever the biggest trends are at the time. Because look what Cena was able to create here! One of the hardest fits of all time.
Stay tuned to VICE for news on WWE and live updates on SNME this weekend.
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