John Cena Hates Popular WWE Term

John Cena doesn’t like a particular word that many people who follow WWE use regularly.

Following his final WWE match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, John Cena appeared on the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast with Cody Rhodes, who is the WWE Champion who ended Cena’s final and record-breaking 17th WWE World Title reign.

Their discussion, which came off as a chat between two close friends rather than an interview, was a lengthy one and it covered a lot. During the discussion, Cody Rhodes talked to John Cena about what it means to be a top guy in WWE. Cena was in that spot for over a decade in his WWE career, while Rhodes has been in that spot for most of the last three years and likely more years ahead.

Rhodes: “Something he (Bruce Prichard) showed me on Saturday, he knows I like to be motivated, and you know I like to be motivated, as you have continuously said you are going to show me some numbers, reflective on the gigantic merch wave…”

Cena: “No no, just…first of all, I hate the term merch, it’s so…”

Rhodes: “Okay. Here’s what he showed me.”

Cena: “Anyway, yeah.”

Rhodes: “He showed me a list of numbers of sellouts, revenues, and he just flashed it at me.”

Cena: “I wanted to show you a year of analytics.”

Rhodes: “It wasn’t a full analytic breakdown, but it was more of a dumbed-down version of all I ever needed to see. And then he took it away. Flashed it at me, said you’ll appreciate this and then took it away.”

Cody Rhodes kept on talking about how Cena leaned into everything he did and always put his heart there, but also was not afraid to lead with his mind. They talked about how they put fans in seats where cameras usually go. Cody thought it was a statement of love for Cena’s career.

They moved on to other topics and didn’t discuss why Cena hated the term “merch,” but apparently, he’s not a fan of that word. During most of his WWE run, Cena merchandise was a top seller, and it continued to be so this year as part of his WWE retirement tour.

John Cena Knows WWE Is In A Good Place

The 48-year-old John Cena ended his WWE career at Saturday Night’s Main Event when he tapped out to Gunther’s Sleeper hold.

While reflecting on the end of his career as an in-ring performer in WWE, Cena told Rhodes in another part of their interview that he knows WWE is in a good place.

“Knowing we’re in a good place and we’re going to be great going forward. ‘I gave everything, thank you for everything.’ In that one moment, that was going peacefully. The whole tour was the cycle of someone facing the end of their life. The struggles they go with. I got a raw deal. I want this one more time. This will make me happy and live forever. Then, realizing I’m a pr**k and went against my values.

Having a good person, someone you know and love, be like, ‘This isn’t you. Let’s do it the right way,’ which connects to our why and helps us tell a story and have a conversation with the audience. Then, moments with colleagues that I have history with.

Tributes to everyone I’ve shared the canvas with, or as many people as I could squeeze into one match before we have to take it home. New competitors, so you can pass on the wisdom and knowledge. The deal in San Diego where we ran everybody who bought a ticket to the ring and could get as many people around the element of, ‘I only have a few more matches left to call, can we run 27 people down so they can hear the noise?’ To be honored to be in there as somebody who takes the mat as sacred.”

John Cena would also go on to praise his final opponent, Gunther.

“I don’t care who likes or doesn’t like Gunther. I respect his core value. He’s pure and is all about this 20 x 20 box. Whether he does it my way, a wise man once said, ‘Just because it’s the way John does it doesn’t mean it’s the way it needs to be done.’

I got the utmost respect for him. That’s what the artist was thinking when painting the picture. The audience didn’t necessarily get that, and nine times out of ten, they don’t need to get it, but if you go in with no story and nothing (in your head and heart), you just do a f**king stunt show.”

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