The Impossible Standard: How John Cena’s Decade Defined Babyface Success—and Where Cody Rhodes Falls Short

Several noted WWE stars have played babyfaces in the promotion, but not many have been able to match the notoriety John Cena achieved in the role. Even the top current babyface of the promotion, Cody Rhodes, falls way short in matching the popularity of Cena during his era.

Cena entered the WWE in 2002 and rose rapidly through the ranks to become one of the promotion’s most notable stars by 2005. His victory over Jbl at WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 2005, made him the WWE Champion for the first time and marked the beginning of the John Cena era, which ruled the WWE for almost a decade (roughly from 2005 to 2015).

So let’s…