For nearly a year, fans of the WWE’s John Cena and The Rock have been at each others’ throats on sports news sites, social media pages and chat rooms, battling for the supremacy of their respective heroes.  It has been fun to read and participate in the great debates that have occurred as a result of the upcoming main event at WrestleMania 28. With just 8 days until the big showdown, it’s time to get serious about this feud. 

I have listened to what the WWE Universe has been saying on the web week after week about which man they will support at the Show of Shows; John Cena or The Rock. In the midst of all the stone hurling and finger pointing, I will now put to rest some questions or concerns that you may have about either of them  by breaking down the three hot topics that have generated the most heat between the Cena crowd and the Rock crowd. Whether or not this allows you to view these superstars differently as a result will be left up to you. 

Fasten your seat belts Bleachers, because here we go!

1. Who Is More Dedicated to the WWE Fans?

This has been John Cena’s selling point since day one. As a result of being a full-time employee of the WWE, featured on almost every live event match card, and never leaving the WWE for an extended period of time for non-injury related reasons, Cena claims that he is the epitome of loyalty, while Dwayne Johnson is a sellout. 

The reality of that claim is this—John Cena is one of the hardest working people who has ever been employed by Vince McMahon, and the WWE is his life. Whether we cheer for him or boo him out of the building, his top priority is to put on a show for the fans.  However, John Cena should tread lightly when accusing The Rock of selling out to Hollywood; Cena also tried his luck in cinema after the success of the ‘Rocky’ franchise. Cena didn’t remain in Hollywood, but who’s to say he wouldn’t have if ‘The Marine’ and ’12 rounds’ were as successful as ‘The Scorpion King’ and ‘Journey 2’? 

The Rock is a full-time actor now and has movies booked through 2014, so he shows half a point less of a commitment to wrestling than John Cena. However, despite the fact that Dwayne Johnson has a successful career in Hollywood and has made a lot more money as an actor than he did as a wrestler, he still comes back to the ring to mix it up. Who cares if he only comes back once every 50 years?  He still keeps a spot open in his calendar for wrestling, and that shows more about his character and his love for the fans than anything that John Cena says on live television. 

Buy into what you want, but the fact is that in the real world, both John Cena and The Rock love the WWE and its fans very much, and I believe that no matter what they claim their differences are, both men have and will continue to give their hearts and souls to the WWE. 

WWE DEDICATION GRADE:

CENA: 9.5/10      ROCK: 9.0/10   

2. Who Cuts a Better Promo?

Here’s the thing—there have been so many claims thrown around on so many different sites by wrestling fans and writers, that the answer to this question is all relative.  Does any of this sound familiar?

“John Cena is a phony.”

“The Rock has lost his touch on the mic.”

“Cena is winning the verbal war with his short and to-the-point raps.”

“All The Rock wants to do is start Twitter trends and chants.”

“John Cena is live, and The Rock is usually via satellite.”

“Cena cares about the WWE, The Rock cares about himself.”

“The Rock is putting Cena in his place.”

“The Rock needs wrist-notes to deliver a promo.”

“Fruity pebbles, Lady parts, & Hot garbage are the components of Cena.”

Regardless of who you choose to listen to, both John Cena and the Rock know how to use the microphone to their advantage.

When Cena holds the microphone, he delivers with an “in your face” style that is very hard to compete with. When The Rock speaks, pre-recorded or not, people listen. Unlike Cena, The Rock has always used catch phrases or funny stories to insult wrestlers while simultaneously drawing a smile from the crowd. On the other hand, John Cena raps his way through a list of insults, which is also entertaining.

Neither style is any more mature or immature than the other, and both styles usually get the job done when it comes to making a fool out of an opponent.  When it comes down to the grade, however, few superstars have ever consistently matched The Rock when it comes to promo delivery, and as good as he might be, John Cena ain’t one of ‘em.

PROMO SKILL GRADE:

CENA: 9.0/10            ROCK: 9.5/10

3. Whose Fan Base Is Larger?

As we get closer to April 1, this argument is becoming increasingly more common online. It might have something to do with the fact that the WWE feels the need to tell us who has more Facebook friends or Twitter followers on every episode of RAW and Smackdown.  In my opinion, this statistic is about as relevant to the feud as “whose dad can beat up whose dad?” (My money would be on Rocky Johnson, just sayin’). 

I know Cena fans love to hate Rock fans, and Rock fans love to hate Cena fans, so I guess anything that can be argued over will be when it comes to the fans of these two heavyweights.  As for a grade, well, if somebody wants to contact every single wrestling fan in the world and take a worldwide Cena vs. Rock poll and send me those results, you’ll get an accurate representation of the two fan bases.  Until that happens, here are the exact numbers:

CENA: several MILLION            ROCK: several MILLION

Bottom Line: Both Are Better at Some Things Than Others, so Just Face the Music

Maybe my opinionated grades will shine some light on either or both sides of this feud, maybe not.  Depending upon how you view success when it comes to this match, though, I don’t think either superstar will let down their fans with all eyes on them at WrestleMania 28.

There are many more debatable aspects of this feud that I have not listed, but for the sake of time and finger fatigue, I will leave the remainder of this discussion up to you, Bleachers.  I’ll see you in Section F01 of Sun Life Stadium in Miami on April 1^st!

Tyler Lutz is an active contributor to Bleacher Report for all things WWE.  You can follow him on Twitter at:  @TheRealLutz