John Cena Says Pro Wrestling Is “A Whole Lot Better” Since His WWE Start
John Cena explained why pro wrestling is in a better place now compared to when he started and a big reason why is the health of the athletes.
When John Cena first got into pro wrestling in 1999, was signed by WWE a year later and debuted on TV in 2002, pro wrestling was in a different place.
While The Attitude Era was very successful for WWE in terms of making money, there were still a lot of issues in the business in terms of the health of the performers. Several wrestlers in that era had addiction issues or other things going on that impacted their quality of life. Sadly, a lot of names from pro wrestling that we grew up watching in the 1980s and 1990s didn’t live long lives because of the kind of lifestyle they led in that era.
Today’s wrestlers have learned a lot from the past. They live healthier lives, they party less, they train all the time and there are more wrestlers competing in their 40s than in any generation ever due to the quality of life they have.
John Cena is a great example of what it’s like to be successful in this era of wrestling because he is a role model for millions of people and is regarded by many as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. Cena’s days as a WWE regular ended in the last five years, but he’ll still always be part of the company as he showed at Money in the Bank two weeks ago.
During an in-depth interview with actor-comedian Kevin Hart on Hart To Heart available on Peacock, John Cena explained how things have changed for the better in pro wrestling.
“The business has changed so much since I started. I think a whole lot better. Again, I’m thinking for you, I bet you comedy’s changed from ’98 until now. That’s the biggest thing, it has grown exponentially. To the point where — I always preface the NBA and the ABA in the ’70s, MLB in the late ’70s and ’80s, pro football in the ’80s. Like pro football now, it’s an operation. The NBA now is an operation, MLB’s an operation.”
As he continued, John Cena talked about how WWE has grown by running more stadium shows over the years while adding that the PG product has helped as well.
“WWE’s kind of followed the same trajectory where it is this massive, globally-reaching entertainment juggernaut that can show up anywhere. We’ve been to AT&T Stadium in Dallas and I’ve performed in Afghanistan and everywhere in between. I think as you have more success, and especially as they cast as a PG net, it’s a generational product.”
John Cena also spoke about how the WWE superstars are smarter, healthier and better taken care of, which is obviously a good thing as well.
“As the company grows, it’s trying to gain more of a following, it’s trying to gain more of a fanbase, a general fanbase, so you have to act accordingly. The great news, I feel, is the talent are better taken care of. They’re more professional. They’re more understanding. They’re not as wasteful, they’re a lot smarter. They’re a lot healthier.”
Elsewhere in that interview with Kevin Hart, John Cena also revealed how much (or how little) money he made when he first signed with WWE decades ago.