WWE legend John Cena on discovering NXT star: “I was floored”

WWE

WWE legend John Cena isn’t shy about his adoration of one young talent still making waves in NXT after joining the roster in 2026.

Heaping praise on to the NXT star who has been making waves at the Performance Center since arrival, John Cena had amazing things to say about Mason Rook.

An introduction to the future Mason Rook

While filming his upcoming release Matchbox: The Movie in Budapest, John Cena had a ground level introduction to a current NXT star gaining in popularity while he was still appearing in the indies.

Formerly known as Will Kroos during his time in the independent UK wrestling scene, it was through happenstance that Cena became a big fan of the star currently known as Mason Rook.

Telling Metro about catching the young star when he was appearing on an indie broadcast, Cena said:

“I didn’t have access to a lot of sports entertainment live, especially with the time change, and the only stuff I would watch is, they ran a UK wrestling program on broadcast television, on my hotel TV.

“I think it was every Wednesday night, and I would consistently see Will Kroos do his thing, and the promotion he was working with. I was floored. And here’s the thing: he’s known for the moves. I was floored by his storytelling.”

John Cena is “a big fan”

Cena described enjoying Kroos’ character work so much that when WWE toured the UK and had exrtas backstage, Cena was on the lookout for the star.

“We [WWE] did Glasgow, I think it was, and I was hoping, ‘Man, I know we have UK extras here. What if we walk into the room and Will Kroos is there? I will like lose my mind’ and that’s exactly what happened.

“All the additional talent was kind of being shepherded into taking their physicals and stuff, and Will Kroos is one of them and I stopped dead.”

Going on to share that he wasn’t shy about approaching the future NXT star, Cena shared even a year before signing with WWE, Cena was heaping on the praise, telling the young talent:

“Yo, dude, I’m a huge fan of yours. The way you tell stories, the way you carry yourself, what you’re doing is appropriate. Anyone can learn to do the physical stuff with enough practice. You have the nuance that very few performers have.”

Headed for big future

Mason Rook has continued to impress since his NXT debut and could be poised for a brand new challenge soon.

With main roster star Grayson Waller currently holding the NXT World Championship, the field for newcomers to potentially topple the champ is packed with intriguing characters.

Certainly set to continue to shine at the Performance Center, it may not be long before WWE main roster fans end up meeting Mason Rook for themselves.

John Cena’s new film Matchbox The Movie releases on October 9, 2026 on Apple TV.

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• wwe
• John Cena
• Mason Rook
• nxt

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