For 10 years, John Cena has dominated the WWE landscape. His trademark words of "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect" has earned him respect from some people, while many folks are just plain tired of this getting stuffed down their throats.
Cheerleader Melissa on the other hand, has been the most popular females in Indy Wrestling, mostly Shimmer, TNA, and RESISTANCE-Pro. Her talents in the ring are second to none.
So...Who do you think wins this fantasy match-up?
Lets look at the Tale of the Tape;
Move-sets: John Cena's finishing sequence is this; 2 Shoulder blocks, a spinning side powerbomb, the dreaded 5 Knuckle Shuffle, and finally an Attitude Adjustment (Formerly the FU) or, when countered, an STF. He doesn't know how to mix up his moves. Melissa however does. She uses her Air Raid Crash, Kudo Driver, Curb Stomp, Kondo Clutch, and many different suplexes and submissions, not necessarily in that order. His mat skills are terrible compared to Melissa's but if he mixed up his moves or added additional moves, he might be on her level.
Charisma: When women and kids chant "Let's Go Cena!" the guys counter with the famous chant, "Cena Sucks!" But make no mistake, John brings his honesty and passion for this business. For years, Melissa was often loved or hated. But her dedication to Wrestling was completely unmistakeable. If they faced off, it would be a battle of charismatic enigmas.
Popularity: The big issue with fans is who they like and who they dislike.
“I don’t blame a portion of the audience for being complacent with me, but I’m not going to change who I am,” Cena said in an interview, referencing the fact that 50% of the fans don’t cheer for him. The reason being is that he tries too hard. He ignores the boos, but he acknowledged it, saying he doesn’t want to change his act.
It’s not his fault. It’s that he tries so hard. You can’t please everybody in this business.
For the fans, Melissa is wildly popular with her Cheerleader gimmick and in San Antonio in River City Wrestling, she is wildly popular with her Alissa Flash character.
Her Raisha Saeed character, is a different story.
“That was an idea that was already created in one of the (TNA) writers’ minds,” Melissa said recently.
“They were looking for the right person to fill the role, but the funny thing was that I was actually approached by WWE before the Muhammad Hassan era with almost the exact same Raisha Saeed character. Back then, there were two other people involved so it was supposed to be a tag team with a manager and a female. It was looking really good, but then at the last second they decided to go in a different direction with the Arab-American route instead of the straight Arab route. And when they went in that direction, it cut the possibility of having the female role to that, although I did get to dress up in that character and do a couple of test runs with it.
“…Fast forward a couple of years later and TNA came up with that character by themselves. People want to believe that a monster character like Awesome Kong doesn’t have a voice so someone else should speak for her but also be mysterious. Word got back to their creative team that I had done something similar to that character and it just happened to fit.”
As for the origin of her Alissa Flash character;
“It’s pretty much an extension of Cheerleader Melissa. I don’t think there’s that much difference between the two characters. However, if you remember, I had a match with Daizee Haze on Impact as Cheerleader Melissa and I think TNA creative were a little confused by that. When you hear about Cheerleader Melissa, perhaps you expect to see like a super happy Dallas Cowboys looking cheerleader and instead you get this strong looking brunette coming out and going crazy on people. I just don’t think that translated well with TNA. They liked my style and my aggressiveness, but they were just like ‘That cheerleader thing doesn’t work with your wrestling style.’ So that’s how they eventually came up with the Alissa Flash character for me.”
No matter what the character, and no matter what the alignment, Melissa knows how to work the crowd.
Cena is a struggle at times, but the rush is still there.
Athletic Backgrounds: Both John and Melissa have solid backgrounds in different sports. Cena was a D-III All-American Center at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. While in Palmdale High School in Palmdale, CA, Melissa was a part of the athletics and amateur wrestling team, where she was one of only four girls. Both worked hard in the classroom as well.
“My senior year of high school was a lot of fun and my teachers were very supportive,” Melissa said. “I was trying to get a wrestling career going and keep up with my school work. If I had to travel to a booking and miss school teachers would e-mail me work and I could e-mail assignments in. They were great to me.”
“I was never in the papers, I was never a standout,” Cena commented.
As far as athletics go, their education was far important.
Family connections: John Cena and Cheerleader Melissa grew up with different family connections. For Cena, his father was a manager for local wrestling promotions in his hometown of West Newbury, MA. When he was a kid, he watched the sport with his dad and his grandfather. Melissa, on the other hand, is a Second-Generation wrestler, her Father Doug Anderson and her Uncle Billy were a tag team in the 1970s and early 80s. Melissa was inspired by their work and she had became a wrestler as well.
Ruthless Aggression: The best part in wrestling, is their ruthless aggression and how they use it. Cena can explode in the heat of battle, utilizing his five moves of doom to finish the match. Melissa can explode as well; fistfights, cat-fights, or any street fights; there’s no way a girl who’s 5-8 and 138 lbs can be that tough.
Cena on the other hand, 6-1 and 240 lbs, is as tough as they come. His career was based on that. The toughest guy in the room, and he can build that aggression at any moment.
In short, they explode at any moment.
Athletic Ability: Cena’s superhuman strength is immeasurable, he can lift up to 500 lbs. Just ask the Big Show. His speed is quick like a cat, and his power is completely unmatched. Melissa’s Wonder Woman-Like abilities work out well, as she can lift those who are at the 245 lb limit, and her speed and agility are amazingly fast. Speed vs. Power will be on display for that match.
The abilities of both these guys are second-to-none.
But never underestimate a woman, in this case Cheerleader Melissa. Her abilities are sick. Sure she can’t lift the bigger guys, but make no mistake. She’s as tough as the come.
Championship Material: When you think of championships, look no further than John and Melissa. Cena is a 12-time World Champion has the US and Tag Team titles to his credit. Melissa's accomplishment came in October of 2011, when she won the Shimmer Title for the first time in her six years in the promotion, only to lose to it by Saraya Knight in March. In April of 2013, she has captured the SHIMMER Title for a second time. A 11-Time champion, Melissa has held multiple title in other promotions, as in ChickFight, Pro Wrestling Revolution and River City Wrestling.
Conclusion: When or If we see a Cena-Melissa match, it will be electric. In this fantasy warfare match, Cena fights valiantly, but he is simply no match for the "Future Legend" as she nails him with the Kudo Driver and Air Raid Crash for the victory. When that moment comes, fans will realize what a great match this would be.
For John Cena, he has to make a big statement against “The Future Legend” or it will end up the other way around.
