Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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At the end of 2011 and heading into WrestleMania 28, John Cena found himself in one of the strangest rivalries of his career. With his once-in-a-lifetime match against The Rock looming, Cena was targeted by Kane in a storyline built around one simple idea: John Cena needed to embrace the hate.
The storyline began when Kane returned wearing his mask and claimed that Cena was living a lie. According to Kane, Cena pretended to be a hero for the fans while secretly feeding off the hatred of the crowd. Kane believed Cena’s true nature was far darker than the smiling “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” persona he presented on television. To prove his point, Kane decided to push Cena to the breaking point… and unfortunately for Zack Ryder, he became the perfect target.
In this video, we break down the entire Cena vs Kane “Embrace the Hate” storyline, the strange creative direction behind it, and why Zack Ryder seemed to suffer through one of the most relentless on-screen burials of the modern WWE era.
Support Wrestling Bios: patreon.com/wrestling_bios
Back-up Channel / RTW Highlights: youtube.com/@wrestlingbios2
Sweet Merch: wrestlingbios.com
X: twitter.com/wrestlingbios
At the end of 2011 and heading into WrestleMania 28, John Cena found himself in one of the strangest rivalries of his career. With his once-in-a-lifetime match against The Rock looming, Cena was targeted by Kane in a storyline built around one simple idea: John Cena needed to embrace the hate.
The storyline began when Kane returned wearing his mask and claimed that Cena was living a lie. According to Kane, Cena pretended to be a hero for the fans while secretly feeding off the hatred of the crowd. Kane believed Cena’s true nature was far darker than the smiling “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” persona he presented on television. To prove his point, Kane decided to push Cena to the breaking point… and unfortunately for Zack Ryder, he became the perfect target.
In this video, we break down the entire Cena vs Kane “Embrace the Hate” storyline, the strange creative direction behind it, and why Zack Ryder seemed to suffer through one of the most relentless on-screen burials of the modern WWE era.
