John Cena's Attitude Adjustment is one of the most recognized moves in professional wrestling, with him having it as his finisher since the early years of his career in 2003. A variation dubbed after the Death Valley driver, John Cena has had an eventful career showcasing his strength through delivering that very maneuver. Whether hitting the Attitude Adjustment on heavyweights like The Big Show or two men at the same time, the Attitude Adjustment is one of the most important aspects of John Cena's character. The history of John Cena's finisher is a fascinating story regarding its origins and how it evolved throughout his career.

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The Importance Of John Cena's Attitude Adjustment Finisher

An explosive finisher is one of the best ways to get a wrestler over with the fans. To this day, people look back in fondness over Steve Austin's stunner or Hulk Hogan's leg drop, as these maneuvers helped them get over as some of the biggest stars in professional wrestling. John Cena's Attitude Adjustment is no different, as utilizing the Death Valley driver was the perfect explosive maneuver to take his character to stardom.

What's unique about the Death Valley driver move is it's not a maneuver that every wrestler can do on someone regardless of their size. However, John Cena is one of those wrestlers who can carry ultra-heavyweight giants on his shoulders. Delivering the Attitude Adjustment helped him earn a reputation as being among the strongest WWE superstars in the wrestling business. He's especially earned that reputation, considering he's tangled with many giants throughout his career.

As John Cena started utilizing the Death Valley driver move in early 2003, it helped set him apart as someone who could be taken seriously on the SmackDown brand. That says a lot, considering the amount of star power with the SmackDown roster in 2003. John Cena hitting the Death Valley driver on superstars like Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker showed he was a threat to these men.

Related: 10 John Cena WrestleMania Matches (And Who He Should Have Faced Instead)

John Cena's Finisher Was First Called The FU

As many are aware, John Cena didn't have the best start to his WWE career, as his initial character in mid to late 2002 was as generic as it got. However, after turning heel and adopting the "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona, John Cena's stock in the company skyrocketed like no other.

Not long after taking the "Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick, John Cena added the Death Valley driver as part of his move set. He performed it for the first time on a March 2003 episode of SmackDown, delivering it on Rikishi and picking up a win against him in a singles match. As John Cena's character took an edgier tone upon turning heel, his Death Valley driver maneuver got dubbed as the FU.

One should understand that John Cena naming his finisher the FU was an effective way for his "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona to come off as an edgy rebel that fans could get behind. Believe it or not, there was a time when John Cena's character was pretty rugged, as he dubbed his Death Valley driver finisher got the FU for many years. Even after abandoning the "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona after winning the WWE Championship for the first time, John Cena's finisher continued to get referred to as the FU, holding on to his edgier side.

The FU Finisher Becomes The Attitude Adjustment

After WWE announced their embracing of TV-PG for their weekly programming in 2008, it didn't make much sense for John Cena to continue dubbing his finisher as the FU. For obvious reasons, the name of John Cena's finisher changed from the FU to the AA or the Attitude Adjustment. As further leaving behind his past "Doctor of Thuganomics" edgy persona and establishing a superhero like character, dubbing his finisher as the Attitude Adjustment fit WWE's family-friendly vision, especially as John Cena continued to get pushed as the top babyface of the company.

To this day, John Cena's Death Valley driver finisher is still generally referred to as the AA, even in highlight reels when it was referred to as the FU. However, it's worth noting that the FU made a one-night return at Wrestlemania 35 when John Cena appeared as his former "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona, confronting Elias by hitting him with the FU.

Regardless of whether John Cena's finisher is called the AA or the FU, his variation of the Death Valley driver maneuver is still among one of the greatest finishers in WWE. It has contributed much to John Cena's legacy and helped him become among the greatest wrestlers of all time.