WWE News: John Cena Parodies Hulk Hogan For New NBC Sketch Comedy Show
John Cena and Hulk Hogan are two of, if not the two most recognizable wrestlers/sports entertainers that have ever graced the sport. Sandwiched in between the Hogan era of yesteryear and Cena’s reign at the top for the last decade and counting, are, of course, Steve Austin and The Rock. The Rock may be the biggest movie star of all-time when it’s all said and done, but Hogan paved the way for him, and Cena has carried the torch, setting previously unattainable records for appearances outside the WWE.
Cena is breaking new ground for the next batch of WWE superstars who will eventually follow in his footsteps. He’s certainly carved out a post-WWE career for himself for whenever he decides to hang up his boots. Just in the last year alone, he’s made appearances in the films Sisters, Trainwreck, and Daddy’s Home. He’s co-hosted the Today show and Live! countless times, and Season 1 of American Grit just concluded on FOX with Cena playing host for the reality competition series. He’s also slotted to host the 2016 ESPY Awards this summer.
Hulk Hogan co-hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1985, and now Cena may not be far behind in hitting the stage at 30 Rock either. Cena has appeared in an SNL skit in the past but has never hosted. Tuesday night’s appearance on the new NBC sketch comedy show Maya And Marty could go a long way in making that distinction a reality. In fact, it was Cena’s dead-on impression of Hulk Hogan, as reported on by Sports Illustrated, that had the internet buzzing in the aftermath.
The show that just debuted on May 31 stars Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, both SNL alumni, featuring rotating guest stars every week. Cena was playing himself auditioning for the part of Hulk Hogan in a mock casting of an FX mini-series revolved around Hogan, Gawker, and the trial that ensued.
@LKWrestling @kocosports
WWE vs IWC storyline confirmed…
John Cena Hulk Hogan impressionhttps://t.co/HRdNuBy9UJ
— Branulous? (@Branulous1) June 15, 2016
Cena’s impression of Hogan was spot-on, complete with mannerisms and the over-use of the word “brother.” The scene he was reading for centered around the time that Hogan was set up by Bubba the Love Sponge into secretly videotaping the Hulkster having sex with Bubba’s wife. Eva Longoria, impersonating Rosie Perez, was playing the part of Bubba’s wife. Martin Short did his best David Schwimmer imitation while also trying to get the part as Hogan. Kenan Thompson entered the fray as Cuba Gooding Jr. because The People vs OJ Simpson was such a hit for FX.
John Cena's Impersonation Of Hulk Hogan Is The Best Acting He's Ever Done — https://t.co/5oEL2dh1m0 pic.twitter.com/sbD008O95g
— BroBible (@BroBible) June 15, 2016
It will be interesting to see if AJ Styles has any kind of response to this one. If you recall, Styles criticized Cena’s movies during one of their promo battles, but only the ones that Cena starred in. Styles said the movies he made cameos in were “pretty good.” This sketch might qualify under the latter as Cena’s run as Hogan certainly rivals that of the Big Show. For years, Big Show has shown off his impression of the Immortal One to anyone who would listen. Most recently, it was on display on the WWE Network when Show was a guest on the Stone Cold podcast.
Curtis Axel brought his version of Hogan to Monday Night RAW when he and Damien Sandow paired up for a brief run as Axel-Mania and Macho Mandow. The doomed yet hilarious gimmick had to be dropped when Hogan was fired last year by the WWE when audio of a racial tirade was made public. Cena doing an impression of Hulk Hogan on NBC (NBC Universal owns the USA Network which airs RAW and SmackDown) and an image of Hogan appearing during WWE’s tribute to Muhammad Ali are both positive signs that the Hulkster could be back with the company in the near future.
[Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images]
