You Can't See Me

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Hey man, you see that guy over there? No

There's something here you can't see. AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA!

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About

You Can't See Me is a catchphrase and taunt said by professional wrestler John Cena. The line is accompanied by a gesture in which Cena waves his open hand in front of his face. The catchphrase is meant to indicate that Cena is too quick for his opponents to see his actions coming. Online, however, jokes about the catchphrase involve people joking as though they literally cannot see John Cena.

Origin

Cena has stated that the catchphrase and gesture was inspired by his little brother, who imitated a dance move from an unspecified video where a performer moves his head around his hands.^[1] His brother dared him to do the move on television, which Cena did in the early 2000s on the WWE sub-show, Velocity. Since then, it has become a signature part of his character, and in matches, he generally does the taunt before performing one of his signature moves, the Five Knuckle Shuffle (example shown below, right).

Spread

"You Can't See Me" has become a signature phrase of John Cena. His debut rap album bore the title You Can't See Me. In 2005, WWE ran a "You Can't See Me" gimmick match with Cena in which Cena wore a bag over his head (shown below, right).

Online, the catchphrase has become a meme associated with Cena, generally in jokes in which he phrase is taken literally, as though one actually cannot see John Cena (examples shown below).

Inquiries about the phrase have been posted to /r/OutOfTheLoop^[2] and Quora.^[3]

Angela Reese 'You Can't See Me' Taunt

Angel Reese Taunt's Caitlin Clark "You Can't See Me" refers to LSU Tigers basketball player Angel Reese taunting Iowa Hawkeyes player Caitlin Clark by doing John Cena's You Can't See Me taunt at her, then pointing to her ring finger, shortly before winning the national title game in March 2023. The clip went viral online and inspired mixed reactions, with some, including Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, purportedly calling Reese "classless" for doing the taunt. Others defended Reese, pointing out that Clark did what appears to be the same taunt during a game prior to this without receiving backlash, some claiming that the difference in reaction was hypocritical and potentially racist.