“Unexpected John Cena,” often recognized as “And His Name is John Cena” or “It’s John Cena,” is a prevalent video clip online. This meme uses the громкое introduction of WWE superstar John Cena, complete with his iconic entrance music. Initially, this short, impactful clip was frequently added to the end of videos or Vines, creating either a startling jumpscare or a moment of unexpected humor. As the meme’s popularity surged, it evolved beyond simple video edits, expanding into GIFs and images, demonstrating creative deviations from its original format.
The audio that powers this meme is a potent combination of two distinct sources. The music is unmistakably John Cena‘s official WWE entrance theme, a track that has been synonymous with the wrestler since its debut in 2005. The visual element, in most iterations of the meme, is sourced from his 2012 introduction video. This original introduction video was uploaded to YouTube by TripleFlipKick360 on May 6th, 2012, and has since amassed over 18 million views by July 20th, 2015.
The booming voiceover that emphatically announces the wrestler, “And his name is John Cena!”, is extracted from a prank call segment from Z Morning Zoo. This prank call was uploaded to YouTube on March 11th, 2014, and has garnered over 14 million views by July 20th, 2015. The specific audio clip that the meme utilizes is located at the 3:24 mark of this prank call video.
The spread of the “Unexpected John Cena” meme demonstrates its rapid permeation across various online platforms. On Vine, the now-archived short-form video platform, over 11,000 instances were tagged with #JohnCena, indicating widespread use of the audio clip within Vines. Reddit became a central hub for the meme with the creation of the subreddit “Unexpected Cena” on April 7th, 2015, by user ReptilianFarts. This subreddit quickly attracted a community of over 30,000 subscribers by July 20th, 2015, dedicated to sharing and celebrating the meme. Facebook also played a significant role in the meme’s dissemination, with the “UnexpectedCena” page accumulating approximately 100,000 likes, featuring a diverse collection of videos and images related to the meme.
On YouTube, the meme continued to thrive. A video featuring just the audio clip, uploaded by Youtuber muckmouth on August 2nd, 2014, exceeded 1 million views. Vine compilations further amplified the meme’s reach, such as a compilation of “Unexpected Cena” Vines uploaded by Youtuber King Nate on June 11th, 2015, which garnered over 2 million views.
A broad search for “Unexpected John Cena” on YouTube reveals over 18,000 video results, illustrating the meme’s extensive presence on the platform. Tumblr also became a fertile ground for the meme’s proliferation, further embedding it within internet culture. On July 21st, 2015, Reddit user TonySesek556 even launched a website specifically designed for instantly playing and looping the iconic audio clip, solidifying its status as a recognizable and repeatable piece of internet humor. The meme also made waves on Vine through individual viral videos, such as Viner Evan Santiago’s “emequil: Part 1,” uploaded on July 22nd, 2015, which achieved over 8 million loops, and Viner bsm’s parody using flutes played through his nose on September 7th, 2015, reaching 5.9 million loops.
In conclusion, the “Unexpected John Cena” meme, fueled by the powerful introduction “His name is John Cena,” became a significant element of internet culture. Its blend of surprise, humor, and the recognizable persona of John Cena allowed it to spread rapidly across multiple platforms, evolving into various creative formats and cementing its place in the digital meme landscape.
External References
[1] Z Morning Zoo – John Cena Prank Call
[2] Vine – Vine #JohnCena Search
[3] Reddit – Unexpected Cena
[4] Facebook – UnexpectedCena Page
[5] YouTube – Search: Unexpected John Cena
[6] Tumblr – Search: John Cena
[7] Reddit – A site to commemorate this beautiful subreddit…
