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John Cena Unmoved By Vince McMahon Backlash

By Lyle Kilbane • Published May 14, 2025 08:10 EDT
John Cena

John Cena will not apologise for loving Vince McMahon, but the negative reaction to Cena’s public backing is not something that surprises him.

Vince McMahon left WWE in early 2024 after former employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit, which included allegations of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. The suit was filed against McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis, although Brock Lesnar has since been implicated.

The filing contains a litany of sickening allegations, including claims that McMahon offered sexual encounters with Grant to Lesnar as part of contract negotiations.

Just a month after Janel Grant’s lawsuit was filed, John Cena came out in support of Vince McMahon, saying he loved the former WWE Chairman and he was going to stand by him as a friend. The interview was met with incredible backlash online, with Cena appearing unmoved.

John Cena Loves Vince McMahon

Cena reaffirmed his love for Vince McMahon in an interview with the New York Times, where he stated:

I don’t care who hears it: I love Vince. I’m not downplaying anything that needs to be decided or allegations of any kind, but when I love somebody, I love them wholeheartedly. I know people are going to be angry about that, but they can’t put their value on my relationship with somebody I love.

But the backlash John Cena received for these comments is not something that has surprised him.

During the Amazon upfront presentations, a reporter from Us Weekly asked John Cena if he was surprised by the negative reaction from WWE fans over his comments about McMahon:

No, because everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Just like I am entitled to have an emotional connection to somebody. I don’t hold anybody to how they feel or what they view as permissible or things that make them happy, angry, excited, sad. That’s their right as a human being, I’m not surprised by any of that.

John Cena recently retained his WWE Championship at Backlash with a cheap win over Randy Orton that came following a low blow and a title belt shot to Orton’s head.