AEW President Tony Khan recently shared his thoughts on John Cena, offering high praise for the WWE legend’s work ethic, professionalism, and crossover success in Hollywood.
Speaking with Josh Martinez of Z100 Radio, Khan called Cena “absolutely a legendary pro wrestler,” commending his charisma and the impact he made early in his career.
“John Cena’s absolutely a legendary pro wrestler who came into the space and became a huge star very quickly on television because he has so much charisma and he’s one of the hardest working people as far as I know in pro wrestling,” Khan said.
While Khan noted that he has never personally met Cena, he expressed deep respect for him as both a performer and a person.
“I’ve never actually met John Cena and I have a ton of respect for him as a wrestler. He seems like a wonderful person. Everybody I know that’s worked with John Cena has only the very, very best things to say about him, and he’s known for being the utmost professional.”
Khan also praised Cena’s acting career, particularly his work on Peacemaker, and drew a unique connection between Cena’s DC Universe role and AEW’s current partnership with DC.
“I think he’s also a very, very talented actor. I’m a huge fan of the Peacemaker show on HBO Max. AEW Full Gear is presented by DC. DC being the presenting sponsor, we had a great partnership going with DC. So even though I’ve never worked with John Cena in any wrestling capacity, we are partners now with DC. So that may be as close as we ever get.”
Khan concluded his remarks by calling Cena one of the most important stars in wrestling history.
“I think that he’s absolutely fantastic in the ring and he seems fantastic out of the ring. Certainly on screen, one of the all-time greats, and he came into the wrestling business after many of the top stars were either getting ready to retire or entering the final phase of their career and he really stepped up as one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time.”
Cena is currently nearing the end of his in-ring career, with his retirement tour set to conclude in December 2025, while Khan continues to oversee AEW’s global expansion and upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view.
