Pro wrestler John Cena hosted the ESPYs last night for the first time, and the WWE star "acquitted himself well" during the broadcast, according to Chris Barton of the L.A. TIMES. Cena "showed some solid comic chops in a few skits and a barbed monologue that welcomed the recently relocated Rams" back to L.A. He also compared NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to WWE Chair & CEO Vince McMahon (L.A. TIMES, 7/14). THE BIG LEAD's Ryan Phillips noted Cena "opened the show by delivering a fantastic monologue that was undoubtedly one of the best" in ESPYs history. His monologue was "packed with great jokes and nods to the worlds of sports, entertainment and professional wrestling." Cena has "always had a decent sense of humor and away from the ring has often been self-deprecating and enjoyable" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 7/13). BLEACHER REPORT's Laura Depta wrote Cena's monologue "was just the right amount of funny, not to mention timely." He "razzed all the biggest stars," including LeBron James, Peyton Manning and Kevin Durant (BLEACHERREPORT.com, 7/13).
DOCTOR OF THUGANOMICS: Cena began his monologue by saying, “This is that one magical night a year when J.R. Smith wears a shirt." He said, "My name is John Cena. For those of you who don’t know me, I just signed a max contract with the New York Knicks. You might recognize me from a movie called ‘Trainwreck.’ ... Despite its title, it is not about the 2016 Summer Olympics.” Cena: “Why the hell did they get me to host this thing? No, I’m serious. The biggest night in sports, they couldn’t go out and get Kevin Hart? Matt Damon? Kristaps Porzingis? He was my No. 1 by the way. Instead they hand it to a guy who spends most of his life in jean shorts and is actually proud of it. Why? Why did they go get a guy from the red-headed stepchild of sports and entertainment? Why did ESPN get a host from the WWE? I mean, it’s rigged. Did I just spoil the surprise for some of the people? It’s scripted entertainment.” Cena went on to compare other sports to WWE, such the fact a Cleveland team "won something." He said, "That’s actually impossible. There is no way that wasn’t scripted.” Cena: “Here's the one place the WWE has you beat, the one thing we have that you don't: Vince McMahon, a maniacal billionaire pulling the strings behind the scenes, who uses every trick in the book to manipulate things to his advantage any way he can. Something like that, that is way too crazy for real sports.” At that moment, an image of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was displayed on-screen (“The ESPYs,” ABC, 7/13).
TWITTER REAX: Boston Globe's Bob Ryan: "Gotta admit. John Cena delivered his lines pretty well." Philadelphia-based WPVI-ABC's Ducis Rodgers: "John Cena might end up with his own late night TV talk show by the end of the night. Doing a great job." Complex Magazine's Joe La Puma: "Brock Saturday night, Cena with an A performance. WWE keeps winning in the mainstream." WME-IMG Social Media Manager Kami Mattioli: "You're right, John Cena. I, too, am wondering why you were chosen to host the ESPYs."
