Some of y’all like him and some of y’all hate him, but there’s no denying that over the past several years, John Cena has become more and more a fixture of the general pop culture landscape. Chalk it up to a combination of his breakthrough role in Trainwreck and the “AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA” meme, or maybe it’s just a byproduct of having been on the top of the pro wrestling world for like 15 years. Being popular for that long in any niche is bound to raise your awareness in the larger cultural milieu.
Regardless, Cena has become more and more of a part-timer in WWE as he’s become more and more of a general personality outside of it. He’s landing lead roles in blockbuster films, voicing kind elephants and bulls, hosting popular daytime shows, and is, of course, continuing his work as a generally inspirational dude in his spare time.
When you’re a wrestler that reaches this level of exposure and ubiquity, even your theme song becomes iconic. I guess especially when you’re the one singing the theme song. At any rate, Cena’s “The Time Is Now,” which he has been using as his entrance music for over a decade now, is suddenly being used to sell Camrys, as it is the soundtrack to a new spot from Toyota that is officially entitled “Strut.”
The spot, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with Cena, or with the meme that introduced many people to the song. It’s just … a fun, cool song that’s full of bravado and confidence, and maybe wants to demonstrate that you’ll have a good time when you own a Camry? For wrestling fans, this is super, duper weird. For most people who will watch this ad … maybe they’ll want to find out who sings this bangin’ tune and will download the single off of iTunes?
But let’s get to the real heart of the matter here: the most notable thing about this commercial is that it demonstrates you can get a pizza via curbside service. Who would do that? You either go get pizza or you have it delivered. Who would get a curbside ‘za? I guess when people can’t see you and your time is now, you make your own rules.
