5 Reasons Why The Undertaker Is The Greatest Wrestler Of The 2000's (& 5 Reasons Why It’s John Cena)

Debating about sports is almost as fun as watching the sports themselves. The world will forever debate Michael vs. Lebron or 2016 Warriors vs. 1996 Bulls. In the world of professional wrestling, so many champions and superstars have dominated during their careers that it is difficult to pick the "Greatest of All Time".

When debating about the 2000s, there is no definite winner. Tons of superstars had moments of glory, but there were two of them that shined a bit brighter in the wrestling industry. The Undertaker and John Cena are unquestionably WWE Hall of Famers that have headlined more main events than most of the superstars combined. Even though their greatness should not be debated, cases can be debated for which of the two legends were the greatest in the 2000s.

10 JOHN CENA: His Marketability

One of the few positives about going back to school after the summer in the 2000's was showing off a brand new backpack while walking through the halls. In every WWE themed backpack, John Cena was the center of attention.

His commitment to giving 100% every single second made John Cena a superhero for a new generation of WWE fans. Cena often changed shirt designs and branded countless color schemes that made a boom for the WWE merchandising revenue. He never stopped winning in the ring, which meant that WWE never stopped winning outside of the ring.

9 THE UNDERTAKER: He Embodied Sports Entertainment

By now, it is crystal clear who has the greatest entrance of all time. It is also quite obvious who the most unique character of all time is. The Undertaker earns a 10/10 in all the categories that make a sports entertainer the greatest.

Nobody in the history of the sport can draw all eyes to himself as The Undertaker can. It is mindblowing how he can evoke emotion by being emotionless. 'Taker embodied an iconic role in a decade of wrestling that needed an already established legend to lead the industry forward. The standard for sports entertainment is now unimaginably high, and that is all because of The Undertaker.

8 JOHN CENA: His Performance On The Microphone

John Cena was better at talking the talk and walking the walk than anyone in the 2000's. Truth be told, he might have spent more time talking with a microphone than actually wrestling and fans loved every second of it. The promotion factor is necessary to make a superstar become a legend, and Cena knew this all too well.

The personality of WWE's Ruthless Aggression era was led by John Cena. What took him from a young talent to the next superstar was the freestyle rap he brought to the show. Once he started to roast heels and his foes, John Cena got his championship opportunities.

7 THE UNDERTAKER: His Mystery

The world knows The Undertaker and not Mark Calaway, the actual wrestler. On the contrary, the world knows all about John Cena. There is greatness that lies in what the WWE Universe does not know about The Deadman. Because he communicates with audiences as himself, Cena gets mixed opinions from fans. When talking about The Undertaker, though, fans recognize his greatness without any hesitation because his character hides everything.

The Undertaker doesn't give fans a reason to hesitate, unlike John Cena. In fact, it was only up until the recent release of the five-part documentary series The Last Ride that fans finally saw the man behind The Undertaker.

6 JOHN CENA: He Had More Championships

One part of Cena's greatness is his championship résumé. The man has won 13 world championships throughout his career, 5 of them during the 2000's where he didn't even wrestle for a full ten years.

John Cena was bred to have a championship career. A very disciplined fighter, his eyes were always on the prize. Cena picked his battles because he wanted to take their championship belt or he was protecting his own championship. It's hard to be greater than a proven champion like Cena, especially in the 2000's.

5 THE UNDERTAKER: His Stint In SmackDown

As great as SmackDown was in the 2000's, it just wasn't RAW. The switch from Thursday nights to Friday nights in 2005 made things better but seeing the red ropes and getting reminded of the beloved RAW is War times on a Monday night helped the dreaded case of the Mondays.

An impressive testament to The Undertaker is how competitive he got SmackDown to be with John Cena's RAW in the 2000's. It is tough to imagine how lopsided the attraction would be between the brands in the 2000's if The Undertaker was on RAW. If The Undertaker was on RAW, it would be a superteam between him and Cena, and SmackDown as a brand would've probably caved.

4 JOHN CENA: His Rise To Stardom

Arguably, the 2000's was when John Cena started and got to his prime. The world got to watch one of the all-time greats grow up in this decade. John Cena is a special part not just of WWE in the 2000's, but in 2000's pop culture in general.

The moment when a rookie John Cena came out and tested the olympian Kurt Angle will forever be remembered. The brand new face to all of the WWE Universe would go on to become a 13-time world champion. It goes without saying that the 2000's is when the world fell in love with John Cena.

3 THE UNDERTAKER: Witnessing Him Age

This decade is when The Undertaker started to age visibly. By the end of the 2000's, he was known as The Last Outlaw, as he was the only remaining active veteran from the old days. In this decade, the world began to appreciate the legendary moments from The Undertaker.

No matter how much everyone hated it, 'Taker nearing his end was a reality throughout this time. The 2000's was when an immortal superstar started to be thought of as mortal, and that's what made his greatness all the more apparent. In the 2000's, the appreciation for The Undertaker's greatness was one of a kind.

2 JOHN CENA: The Spinner Belt

A significant portion of fans would argue the spinner WWE Championship belt was the coolest belt of all time. It was essentially the token of the 2000's, and it's thanks to John Cena that this rebellious belt even exists in the first place.

When he first won the title, John Cena threw a wrench in the conventions of professional wrestling and stylized the WWE Championship in a spinning and glamorous fashion. He changed a title belt in a changing decade because he was an industry-changing superstar. John Cena will always be synonymous with the gaudiest championship of all time.

1 THE UNDERTAKER: The Streak

When it comes to WWE, there are two words that everyone knows the meaning behind: The Streak. The Streak was in its heyday during the 2000's. John Cena was at the forefront of WrestleMania advertisements during the decade but anything Cena could do, The Undertaker did better.

The Undertaker held the greatest streak of all time when he went undefeated at every WrestleMania, a feat that survived the entirety of the 2000's. Whether it was a championship match or not, the most anticipated fight of the night always had The Undertaker. The argument for who the greatest wrestler in the 2000's can be laid to rest if you talk about The Streak.

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