John Cena addresses talk of him holding talent back in WWE

“Cena wins LOL!” isn’t just something wrestling fans say for a laugh, there can sometimes be a fair bit of malice in it directed at one John Cena.

Cena is a 16-time World Champion, two-time Royal Rumble winner, and is the biggest star WWE has produced since the Attitude Era, but this has led to a fair bit of criticism over the years in terms of how he reached that level.

It is a common belief that through Cena’s rise to the top, he has garnered somewhat of a reputation for preventing other talent threatening his status, often to drastic measures. One of the more common case studies of this theory that you may have heard is that of Alex Riley.In a recent interview on Jimmy Traina’s S.I. Media podcast, Cena addressed these rumors:

“I don’t care about the reputation I have. What I care about is the performance I give. But the easiest way to just silence that problem is to take me out of the equation. Here’s the crazy thing, all the people that have chastised me for staying around too long, are now chastising me for not being around. [It’s] also a great exercise to know that you will never be able to please these people, because they always need something to be cynical about. I guess that’s why they are called critics.

“But I’m very happy now, because it truly is… it’s like it was in 2002, when Randy [Orton] and Dave [Batista] and Brock [Lesnar] and myself and Shelton [Benjamin]… those guys came up and everybody left. We changed the name of the company, the XFL had failed. A bunch of superstars left, and now you are left with these new guys, and it’s like sink or swim. And we just happened to have a very, very talented group of individuals, and it was a long, long swim. I mean the stock was at 7 bucks for a long time, and now the fruits of our labor are kind of showing, and the company is bigger than it has ever been. So I’m very excited for all the superstars now.

Cena also discussed his current WWE schedule, and why he is no longer wrestling on a full-time basis:

“I hope they understand in perspective, as Randy is towards the end of his run, Dave obviously has had tremendous success in the movie business, he’s another that has transcended the industry and deserves his just due. My days as a full-timer are certainly numbered, and that has nothing to do with extracurricular activities. I just… as a 41-year old I can’t do it. If you look at anybody in my shoes… Chris Jericho had taken a break, Hulk Hogan had certainly taken a break. I think the only guy that may fall into that category of not taking a break is Flair. But Austin had already been done, Rock was already done.

“So people are like, ‘Where are you going man?’ I’m 41!”

Cena’s most recent appearance in WWE was this past Saturday at Super Show-Down, where he and Bobby Lashley defeated Kevin Owens and Elias in tag team action.

John will also be a part of the upcoming WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel, along with Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton and four others TBC, including either Rey Mysterio or Shinsuke Nakamura.

What do you make of John Cena’s response to the ‘burying’ allegations? Let us know on Twitter, Discord, or in the comments below!

• Crown Jewel
• world cup
• John Cena
• wwe

Share this article with friends