Thank you, John Cena — here’s hoping your WWE ride gets the end it deserves

Dear John Cena, 

Thank you for 23 years of entertainment. Thank you for 23 years of knowing whenever you showed up on our screen, we should listen up and never take our eyes off you because you did your homework to make sure every segment was meaningful, raw, real — you never knew when the fourth wall might be broken.

Thank you for 23 years of taking the lessons you chose to learn and setting a standard for what it meant to be the face of the company in this business that still lives on today. Cody Rhodes talks about working the “John Cena schedule.” Those things you passed along have given a new generation their hero. 

Thank you for being this generation’s hero on screen and off it. You have always compared your WWE character to Superman and that it’s not an easy burden to carry when perfection is expected. No one is perfect, but you’ve carried that burden with a smile and as well as anyone ever has in this business. Being the eternal winner might be the hardest role to play.