I forgot this match even happened. It's not the first example of John Cena coming out of his shell as a wrestler (the Umaga matches I found fantastic), but it's clear to see that he's growing into it a little bit when he gives a passable match against the Great Khali. The five star John Cena that we'll see in 2015 is a long way away here, but perhaps with a 'strength of schedule' adjustment, if we could call it that, putting up a match I don't mind being rated 3.75 against the Great Khali maybe should count as a five star match anyway.
You're right to compare this to Hulk Hogan, as it did feel like a Hulk Hogan match against some miscellaneous monster that you knew wasn't going to be around for too long (i.e. Big John Studd). You were scared Hulk wasn't going to make it through, but at the same time in the back of your mind you knew he was going to make it through. No different with John here. As long as it's well executed (like this was) then there's no problem with that, but it does feel like a stepping stone towards something better.
Nothing better would come for 2007 John Cena, most of it filled with not the most memorable Cena-Orton matches, so something like this does end up feeling a little wasteful in the end, but if we can still look back on it all these years later, perhaps that's not a correct assertion.
I forgot this match even happened. It's not the first example of John Cena coming out of his shell as a wrestler (the Umaga matches I found fantastic), but it's clear to see that he's growing into it a little bit when he gives a passable match against the Great Khali. The five star John Cena that we'll see in 2015 is a long way away here, but perhaps with a 'strength of schedule' adjustment, if we could call it that, putting up a match I don't mind being rated 3.75 against the Great Khali maybe should count as a five star match anyway.
You're right to compare this to Hulk Hogan, as it did feel like a Hulk Hogan match against some miscellaneous monster that you knew wasn't going to be around for too long (i.e. Big John Studd). You were scared Hulk wasn't going to make it through, but at the same time in the back of your mind you knew he was going to make it through. No different with John here. As long as it's well executed (like this was) then there's no problem with that, but it does feel like a stepping stone towards something better.
Nothing better would come for 2007 John Cena, most of it filled with not the most memorable Cena-Orton matches, so something like this does end up feeling a little wasteful in the end, but if we can still look back on it all these years later, perhaps that's not a correct assertion.