The former poster boy of the PG era, John Cena, has been the torchbearer of WWE for nearly two decades. The sixteen-time World Champion has moved mountains in Vince McMahon’s promotion and has been a permanent fixture of the company. Aside from wrestling, Cena is a New York Times best-selling author and is a record-setting Make-A-Wish granter.
The wrestler-turned-actor is widely recognized for his famous catchphrase and gesture, “You Can’t See Me”! In wrestling, it is common for wrestlers to go by their own catchphrases. Some catchphrases and gestures become a worldwide sensation.
DX’s crotch chop gesture was one of the most famous ones from the Attitude Era, which goes with the diss- “suck it”!. Similarly, John Cena made his catchphrase famous, so much so that it became a well-known meme. But how did the “You Can’t See Me” movement come to be?
What is the backstory of the You Can’t See Me movement?
Among WWE fans, The Champ is well known for his famous catchphrase, “You Can’t See Me”. Cena frequently waved his hand repeatedly over his face while glancing at his opponent during his WWE matches.
Cena brought up the origins of the gesture and famous gimmick while promoting his new HBO Max series Peacemaker on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He told Jimmy exactly how the whole thing began as a dare that later served as the basis for numerous invisibility memes on the internet.
He said,
“I developed a special maneuver in the WWE called the “You Can’t See Me.” In which, I put my hand in front of my face and say, ‘You can’t see me.’ The reason I did this is on, a younger brother, Sean.”
Cena explained that his brother Sean had previously heard Cena’s theme song for WWE entrance. Sean held his palm in front of his face and made a similar motion, with his head nodding slightly. Cena thought it was absurd, but when Sean dared him to do it on air, the Champ actually did it.
However, the action was made much more vibrant and noticeable to the WWE fans in the rafter seats with Cena exuberantly waving his hands in front of his face.
What does “You Can’t See Me” mean? It is a way of dissing and belittling an opponent that is not even on Cena’s level. Cena then joked that the movement has become his superpower that allows him to be invisible.
John Cena is set to wrestle again at WrestleMania 39
Ever since John Cena forayed into Hollywood full-time, a John Cena match on WWE TV has become a rare sight. However, the Cenation leader recently made his appearance on the last edition of SmackDown in 2022 in a tag team match with Kevin Owens as his partner against the Bloodline.
That was his only wrestling match in 2022. The wrestling legend is set to appear again at the show of shows and will compete against his rumored opponent, Austin Theory.
Cena’s clash with the United States Champion, Austin Theory, has been teased for months. The duo was also seen together in the promotion video of WWE’s 2K23 video game, except there, you really can’t see him.
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