Really, now. Who ever saw John Cena coming? When he debuted on SmackDown in June 2002, he was just a beefy guy in purple trunks. Within a year of his introduction, he transformed into the battle-rapping, chain-wielding "Doctor of Thuganomics." Now, he's the biggest star in WWE - but he's also the most polarizing.

Fans love him or hate him. There's no middle ground, and that's the power of John Cena. Whatever you think of The Champ, there's no denying his actions impact everything and everyone around him. Sure, he has his detractors, and they're vocal, but Cena is still easily the most admired competitor in WWE, as evidenced by his nine million-plus Facebook followers. Cenation is strong. And its message is spreading. Whether competing in the squared circle, performing in front of the camera or donating time to charitable organizations like Make-A-Wish, The Champ is there.

A product of West Newbury, Mass., Cena discovered sports and weightlifting in his teens. He attended Springfield College, where he earned a degree in exercise physiology and excelled as a Division III All-American offensive lineman. Although he grew up a huge fan of such Superstars as Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, Cena only seriously considered becoming one himself while working the counter at Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif. There, a wrestler-in-training encouraged him to enroll in class to learn the ropes. From day one, he was hooked.

A year later, Cena was signed by WWE to a developmental contract. What did he have that others didn't? A physique that looked as though it were formed from Portland cement, mic skills that would shame a Roman senator, the tireless perseverance of Superman, and a devastating move that could turn even the most cast-iron grapplers into bags of mulch.

Throughout the past decade, Cena has amassed many honors, most notably an amazing 10 WWE Championships and two World Heavyweight Titles. The year 2012 has been something of a mixed bag for the Superstar - he suffered what many consider his greatest defeat, losing to The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII, fell to CM Punk on multiple occasions and became the first Superstar to unsuccessfully cash in a Money in the Bank contract.

Cena doesn't dwell on the past, however; he's focused solely on the future. After tangling with the devious pairing of Dolph Ziggler and AJ, Cena delivered on a promise to make 2013 his year by winning the Royal Rumble Match. Although intent on challenging for the WWE Title at WrestleMania, the Cenation leader put his opportunity on the line against CM Punk on Raw and defeated the dangerous Superstar in a thrilling encounter.

Now, as he continues to look ahead to the main event of WrestleMania 29, the Cenation leader will continue charging into battle, equipped with the simple yet resounding mission statement he's had since day one: hustle, loyalty and respect.

The energy contained within one Kofi Kingston could power a major city for several years.

A Ghanaian grappler with a beaming smile, Kingston's boundless enthusiasm is only rivaled by his limitless athleticism, which he displays fearlessly every time he steps in the ring to the delight of the entire WWE Universe. In fact, the only people who don't like Kofi Kingston are the Superstars he faces each week - and that's only because they can rarely catch him. The leader of the Boom Squad's dazzling aerials only belie what is actually a truly fierce fighter, who can curtail the smiles to kick it up in intensity if an opponent is foolish enough to set him off.

Randy Orton, for example, tested Kofi's patience in late 2009, and paid for it when Kofi defaced The Viper's customized NASCAR before targeting Orton himself, leaping off a balcony at Madison Square Garden and splintering him through a table. Kofi's determination makes him a legitimate threat, and repeated favorite, in the annual Money in the Bank Ladder Matches, even though he's yet to snag the coveted briefcase amid his rampant boom-dropping. His creativity to survive in the Royal Rumble Match - like walking on his hands, lunging onto an eliminated Superstar's back or using a chair as a pogo stick - has quickly grown into an institution at the yearly January event.

Kofi jumped to the tag team division in 2011, forming championship tandems with Evan Bourne and R-Truth. It was no surprise these duos drew comparisons to classic teams like The Rockers and The British Bulldogs.

A multi-time Intercontinental and U.S. Champion, he returned to his roots as a solo competitor when he chased Intercontinental Champion The Miz off the "Larry King Now" set. Miz took offense, calling Kofi a "B player" who "reached his ceiling." The comment ignited a fire in The Dreadlocked Dynamo, as he defeated Miz to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship. After winning the rematch at WWE Hell in a Cell, Kingston said Miz's insults unleashed something he'd been missing, his inner "Wildcat."

His title reign came to an end against Wade Barrett on Dec. 31, 2012, but this Superstar's future continues to get brighter - probably because he actually keeps leaping closer and closer to the sun.

It's not surprising that CM Punk cites the radical "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as a childhood influence. After all, Punk is the embodiment of the anti-establishment, whose skill at igniting verbal "pipe bombs" is rivaled only by "Hot Rod" himself.

Punk even looks the part of rebel with his too-numerous-to-count tattoos and body piercings. Yet, he waxes way more philosophical than his exterior might suggest, and has shown a diverse set of interests that include ghost hunting, G.I. Joe and the "Straight Edge" movement, a subculture that rejects the use of drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle.

His in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles, all of which were put on full display during his debut in The Land of the Extreme in 2006. Since then, Punk has added many accomplishments to his considerable resume, including the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships.

Today, Punk is headlining pay-per-views - and he's doing so in spite of the events of 2011, when he assailed Mr. McMahon with his blunt opinions about the business and made a bold promise not to renew his contract with the company. Punk's criticism struck a nerve with The Chairman who, against his better judgment, granted The Second City Saint a WWE Championship Match at WWE Money in the Bank in the Superstar's native city, Chicago. Punk not only beat John Cena to win that match, but he also absconded with the WWE Championship as the seconds on his WWE contract ticked down.

Fortunately for WWE fans everywhere, Punk agreed to re-sign with WWE weeks later, compelled to return to the ring to prove that he's the undisputed "Best in the World." The Voice of the Voiceless advocated on behalf of disenchanted WWE fans who felt the WWE product was in need of a good (roundhouse) kick in the teeth. He became two-time WWE Champion, proving his mettle by defeating the likes of Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and other elite Superstars.

As Punk's WWE Title reign continued to climb, so did his contempt for the WWE Universe and the Superstars in the locker room who failed to show him the proper level of "respect." Proclaiming himself a "Paul Heyman guy," Punk aligned with the founder of the original ECW and one of his early mentors as his WWE Title reign grew to become the longest of the modern era. Despite his impressive accomplishments since winning his second WWE Title at Survivor Series 2011, Punk remains unsatisfied, lashing out at the WWE Universe for favoring Superstars like Cena and Ryback, both of whom unsuccessfully vied for Punk's WWE Championship as 2012 drew to a close.

As Punk rolled into 2013, "The Best in the World" seemed to benefit greatly from continued intervention by The Shield, a group of NXT standouts consumed by a neverending mission against "injustice." The Straight Edge Superstar denies any collusion with the trio of rogues, but video evidence presented by Mr. McMahon proves that Heyman has long been working with Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns.

It was that trio that would, seemingly, play a critical role in Punk's WWE Championship defense against The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble. Per a stipulation ordered by The Chairman, if The Shield were to interfere in this anticipated bout in any way, The Straight Edge Superstar would be stripped of his WWE Title. After The Brahma Bull was laid out in a sneak attack that many believe to have been perpetrated by Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, The Chairman proclaimed Punk would be stripped of the title ... but The Rock didn't want Punk's 434-day WWE Title reign to end in such a manner.

The match restarted, and in front of a sold-out crowd in Phoenix's US Airways Arena, The Great One drove the People's Elbow into Punk's heart and scored both the pinfall and the WWE Championship. In a rematch at Elimination Chamber, despite attempting every trick in the book, Punk was once again pinned by The Brahma Bull.

Although he is longer the WWE Champion, the defiant Punk will nevertheless get the chance to make history at WrestleMania 29. After defeating Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus in the main event of a special "Old School" edition of Raw, The Straight Edge Superstar will face The Undertaker at The Showcase of the Immortals. Can Punk succeed where others have failed and end The Phenom's historic WrestleMania Streak?

Regardless of what anyone thinks of him, the devious and bitter Punk ranks himself high among WWE's most iconic Superstars ... and if he manages to defeat The Deadman at WrestleMania, it will be nearly impossible to disagree with him.

Reminiscent of such goliaths as Andre the Giant and Big John Studd, Big Show is a feared competitor who intimidates opponents with his size and stare alone. The World's Largest Athlete's measurements are astounding. He weighs 441 pounds, stands a mighty 7-feet tall, wears a 22 EEEEE size shoe and boasts a 64-inch chest. It's no surprise then that his in-ring debut left a crater-sized impression on the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in WCW, where the young giant captured the WCW Championship on two occasions, along with the WCW Tag Team Championship.

In 1999, Show emerged as a global star upon signing with WWE, where he collided with Superstars of great acclaim and captured a slew of titles, including the WWE Championship. From "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock to The Undertaker and Triple H, there's no top name in the business who hasn't succumbed to the man's battering ram of a fist. He's even gone toe-to-toe with world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who only managed to clean Show's clock at WrestleMania XXIV with the aid of brass knuckles.

On a lighter note, The World's Largest Athlete happens to be the world's largest fan of the Rat Pack. He's also an expert auto mechanic and owns a 64-foot yacht dubbed "Showdaddie." And unlike the giants before him, Big Show harbors a sense of humor, which he put on full display in WWE Studios' 2010 theatrical release, "Knucklehead."

Yet make no mistake, Show, the first man to capture the WWE, WCW and ECW Championships, is still more proficient at delivering punches than punchlines. At 2011's Vengeance, he unleashed a devastating half-ton superplex on Mark Henry, which not only shook the ring to its core, but also caused it to implode. Now that's high impact. At WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011, Show captured his first World Heavyweight Championship and won the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania XXVIII, marking another first for WWE's giant.

Despite these accolades, Big Show turned his back on the fans by siding with John Laurinaitis at No Way Out 2012. But he did not hesitate to dump "Big Johnny" after Laurinaitis was ousted as General Manager following that pay-per-view, opting instead to go into business for himself and pursue personal vendetta against John Cena and, later, a championship rivalry with World Heavyweight Title holder Sheamus.

Although The Celtic Warrior had been on a hot streak, The World's Largest Athlete asserted his supremacy over the Irish Superstar by clobbering him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Hell in a Cell.Big Show's second World Heavyweight Title reign was brief, thanks to the ascent of Alberto Del Rio, who used a commentary desk to bury Big Show during a championship Last Man Standing Match in January 2013.

Having seemingly moved on from his heated rivalry with the Mexican Superstar, Big Show has since unwittingly found himself a target of the nefarious Shield trio. The keeper of the world's biggest KO Punch dropped Roman Reigns during a post-match skirmish and, as a receipt, the black-garb-clad triumvirate delivered an ungodly Triple Powerbomb on The World's Largest Athlete just days later.

Still in possession of the world's largest mean streak but no longer in control of the World Heavyweight Title, Big Show remains determined to prove his recent losses have been nothing but flukes. Best of luck to anyone who dares challenge him.

Dolph Ziggler is the kind of guy that makes other guys clutch their girlfriends a little closer. Not that it would help - the guy is slimier than his slicked-back blond hair.

An accomplished amateur wrestler, Ziggler set school records for wins at St. Edward's High School in Ohio, and again at Kent State University before parlaying his skills into a WWE contract. In 2008, this braggart first introduced himself to the WWE Universe by glad-handing every Superstar on Raw. Successfully introduced to just about everyone on the roster, Ziggler really made a name for himself after the 2009 Draft moved him to SmackDown, where he perfected his unctuous image and proved his mettle in high-profile contests against the likes of Rey Mysterio and John Morrison. In 2010, he defeated Kofi Kingston for his first big win, the Intercontinental Championship with shrill girlfriend-turned-"business associate" Vickie Guerrero attached to his side.

In 2011, Ziggler broke into WWE's upper echelon during a string of contests against Edge, in a rivalry that netted Ziggler a controversial, and short-lived, World Heavyweight Championship. It lasted less than 12 minutes. From there, he returned to Raw in the 2011 Draft, ultimately capturing the U.S. Championship and facing off with some of the ring's top stars, like Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston.

Summer 2012 brought with it one of Ziggler's most impressive accomplishments. In a wild Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship contract, The Showoff managed to beat out seven other Superstars in the climb to the coveted briefcase, giving him a guaranteed title opportunity at any point in the next year.

With the Money in Bank contract in tow, Ziggler sent Chris Jericho packing from WWE before turning his attention to John Cena, joining Vickie Guerrero in her quest to expose the alleged inappropriate relationship between Cena and AJ Lee.

Ziggler was forced to put up or shut up at WWE TLC when his Money in the Bank contract was on the line in a Ladder Match against the Cenation leader. The night nearly ended terribly for The Showoff before AJ stunned the WWE Universe by hitting the ring and deliberately pushing Cena off the top of a ladder. The unexpected move allowed Ziggler to score the biggest victory of his career.

As 2012 drew to a close, The Showoff ditched Guerrero for his new squeeze, AJ Lee. The passionate Diva didn't come alone, though, bringing along her monstrous friend, Big E Langston.

The Showoff was presented with the opportunity to enter the Elimination Chamber, but passed since he already had a guaranteed championship opportunity, thanks to winning Money in the Bank. He had an opportunity to cash in on Alberto Del Rio the next night on Raw, but Ricardo Rodriguez snatched the briefcase from The Showoff, giving the World Heavyweight Champion time to recover. Ziggler is determined to make sure Del Rio doesn't get so lucky next time.

Ziggler is proving there's no limit to his arrogance, no filter to his condescension and no ceiling to his talent. He's good, he knows it and, unfortunately, he wants you to know it, too.