John Cena Demanded This Raw Star Win The WWE Title: “Put The Kid Over”

A veteran WWE superstar recalls John Cena deciding it was the right time to drop WWE’s most significant prize to a newcomer.

John Cena is a record-breaking 17-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Winning the title 17 times is a tremendous feat, but it also means he lost the title 17 times as well.

One of the most shocking defeats that Cena had as WWE Champion was at TLC 2009 when he lost the WWE Championship to a main roster rookie named Sheamus.

It was a Tables Match where the two men were battling on the top rope. Cena looked like he was going to hit a superplex through the table, but Sheamus shoved Cena off the turnbuckle, and Cena went bumping through the table to lose the match and the WWE Title.

During an interview with Insight’s Chris Van Vliet, Sheamus discussed how an ECW feud with Goldust helped set up his rise, ultimately leading to a move to Raw.

“It was mental, because I didn’t know what was happening. So a quick story. I was on ECW. When I went to ECW, I had the honor and opportunity of working Goldust, Dustin was awesome, dude. We went in there and we beat the sh*t out of each other, and we just got into it, dude.

That feud fella, put me on the map right away. I mean, ECW, for what it was, it made everybody in management look around and go this guy not just looks different, but he’s bringing a really aggressive, physical side, and that Goldust feud for me, that’s really up there as important to my career. Because if I hadn’t had that, who knows what would have happened? That was huge for me.”

John Cena Suggested That Sheamus Win The WWE Title from Cena

Before going into the story about his WWE Title over John Cena, Sheamus spoke about how he was at a career crossroads.

“So before that, I went to Raw, and I had to wrestle Jamie Noble. But the first match we had, we thought it went well. Then all of a sudden we get told I sh*t the bed. So the match was so bad. So that’s what we had the second match, where I Powerbomb him on the floor, yeah, but the first thing was I was told, ‘You better bring the next one, or you’re going to be dead in the water.’ That’s what I was told from certain people in positions, who knows what’s gonna happen next, whatever. So it was they hated it so much that I think Patterson really hated it, so it just got back.

Then I was freaked out, and I had to go to ECW wrestling Shelton the next night. And then I had that match, it was physical as well. So it was, like all of a sudden a serious pressure. Then we had the second Jamie Noble match with the Powerbomb and all. It was a rough bump for him to take. But then after that, then I got to the races.”

Once the momentum started, Sheamus was on the right path, and he revealed that John Cena came up with the idea for Sheamus to leave TLC with the WWE Title.

“Then the next week or two, I’m in Survivor Series. And then all of a sudden we’re going off towards this breakthrough battle royal thing, and I’m wrestling John, I had no idea. So the day of TLC, I drove into San Antonio, and I fully expected that I was losing, and I was in the car with I think Arn Anderson and Scott Armstrong, and Scott was saying what an upset would be if you won. And Arn was like, ‘No, no, it’s too early.’

Then all of a sudden, got pulled into the room, and Vince is there, and I’m nervous as hell, right? Because all of a sudden I’m going into a WWE Championship match. Vince, he turned around to me and John and Arn. He said, ‘John, what if we…’ John goes, ‘Put the kid over?’ Vince is like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ And that was it.

And he walked out, and I’m just sitting there, what the f**k is happening? And then when we went out there, that was John, though. Right away, straight up was like, let’s do it.”

John Cena would go on to regain the WWE Title at the Elimination Chamber PLE three months later, but then he’d drop it right after the match to Batista, which set them up for a WrestleMania 26 match.