Guest Polish_Rifle Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 credit wwe.com __ The future looks to the past by Phil Speer June 13, 2003 It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever see John Cena wearing the same throwback jersey more than once. The West Newbury, Mass., native’s collection of retro uniforms includes 150 jerseys and counting. He says he owns almost every throwback that’s currently available. Cena says buying the jerseys, which can easily run $100 each or more, is simply a wise investment. “This is my thing -- WWE,” he said. “I don’t own one suit. I don’t own one tie. I only wear one pair of dress shoes, and that’s my bowling shoes. “With where we’re going now, it would be a bad idea to be cheap with my gimmick (character).” Cena added that when his persona was a plain-vanilla babyface, he purchased 120 pairs of regular wrestling tights, and 57 pairs of no-frills wrestling boots. “Was that a waste of money? No,” he said. “Hip-hop” John Cena was born last year, at the same time that throwback jerseys were exploding in popularity. “I would go to malls,” he said, “not to buy anything, just to see what kids were wearing. ... That stuff was all over.” He started acquiring them. Sometimes he’ll “hit the mother lode” and buy several in the same day, like last month when he was invited to the Sacramento Monarchs’ WNBA home opener at Arco Arena, the same arena where the NBA’s Kings play. Cena visited the Kings’ team store and ended up purchasing eight jerseys. On the other hand, he may go an entire month without buying one. Some WWE officials of the non-hip-hop generation were initially tepid about the idea of Cena wearing professional sports teams’ logos on WWE telecasts. “It got to the point where they thought I was doing it to promote the team,” he said. “I was doing it to solidify the gimmick.” Cena encouraged those officials to simply click on MTV or BET for few minutes, which apparently did the trick. To Cena, the throwback jerseys are a fantastic way to generate a reaction from the fans, even if they’re not into the hip-hop lifestyle. “A lot of people in the back don’t care about hip-hop, but they’ll see me in a Moses Malone (jersey),” Cena said, referring to the NBA Hall of Famer. If he were to wear a Lakers jersey in Boston, for example, “Every Boston fan will get down my throat because I’m a traitor and a sellout.” On the other hand, if Cena were ever to evolve into a fan favorite, deciding what to wear to any arena would be a breeze. He says he looks forward to the day when he can put on a Dominique Wilkins jersey in Atlanta or, even better, a Larry Bird uniform in Beantown. “There’s a bunch of stuff at home that I can’t wait to wear,” he said. The overwhelming popularity of throwback jerseys has given Cena an idea: retro WWE merchandise. “This company is a historic, unbelievable company,” he said. “We put 93,000 people in the Pontiac Silverdome (for WrestleMania III).” Cena also points out that the Kid Rock “Lonely Road of Faith” video that is played for fans at WWE events -- which features legendary Superstars from the past -- is extremely popular with crowds. WWE fans, like sports fans in general, seem to really cling to their history, Cena said, adding, “Why not let them take it home with them?” _____ What a great idea! I could go for some old school Killer Bees t-shirts.
Guest Austin3164life Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Pretty interesting read, but he's barely on t.v. enough to be noticed anymore. He must've shelled out a LOT of cash for all of those jerseys.
Guest AndrewTS Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Cena added that when his persona was a plain-vanilla babyface, he purchased 120 pairs of regular wrestling tights, and 57 pairs of no-frills wrestling boots. “Was that a waste of money? No,” he said. Suuuure, they weren't, Johnny. Even WWE.com of all places seems to realize that persona sucked.
B. Brian Brunzell Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Old-school WWF tees would OWN. I'd get on the Bolsheviks bandwagon.
Guest Choken One Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 John Cena is RAPIDLY becoming not only WWE's next superstar but their Marketing advisor, Creative consultant as well... This is nothing for CENA to be spending money, remember he grew up in a rich lifestyle so he has money to throw around... I'm just waiting for him to bust out the Pete Rose Jerzee in boston...
Guest the pinjockey Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Do they have Bucky Dent retro jerseys? He would never be allowed back to Boston if he pulled that card.
Guest Polish_Rifle Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Old School Koko B-Ware red t-shirt! Think of all the possibilities!
Guest Choken One Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Yep...Spanky should be the guy wearing WWE throwbacks... He fits in with the market they would be selling it to...
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