WWE legend and 17-time World Champion John Cena recently spoke with Adam’s Apple about a variety of topics, including the John Cena Classic.
Cena said, “Oh my god, I’m super excited. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and, again, we’re still working things out, and I like that. I like that it’s a work in progress, but this is absolutely from me. I can’t tell you how excited I am about it. I am fully invested in this. So, I can’t wait to see what it is. I can’t wait till we announce the date and location. And I think that’s obviously step one, and we’ll go from there.”
On turning his radar off for up-and-coming stars:
“Here’s an interesting perspective. Great question, right? I try to shut my radar off because I wasn’t on anybody’s radar, and I managed to have a wonderful career. Guys like CM Punk and even like Seth Rollins might not necessarily be on somebody’s radar. Becky Lynch is a story about someone who was not necessarily on somebody’s radar and made someone. You know, there are sure shots. Brock Lesnar was born to do what we do. I think Joe Anoa’i, Roman Reigns, is another one who is — I like turning the radar off, and I like seeing what people can do. I like seeing potential when the bright
lights are on, and maybe that’s like the nucleus of the John Cena Classic. It’s how I got my start.”
On the polarizing reaction to his retirement match:
“So, as somebody, you know, I think we’re all just living in the moment, right? I think this is just my perspective, and if people were upset, that’s their right. Of course, you can feel how you want to feel. I had a career that was uh polarizing, right? That’s a word Michael Cole uses a lot. That was a polite word for people who would chant at the top of their lungs that I suck. So, I think with the last match, the audience was polarized. There were people who understood and were entertained in a positive way. There were people who were so in the moment and reacted with such passion. It was like a microcosm of my career. The audience was split. I can’t think of a better way to close a chapter than that. That defines what I did.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
