John Cena Says WWE Used To Be “More Of A Fraternal Society”
John Cena burst onto the WWE scene in 2002 and for the best part of two decades, Cena was the focal point of the entire company, winning sixteen world championships.
During that time Cena has seen a lot and done more and now he is mixing it with some of the top stars of today as he will open WrestleMania 39 by challenging Austin Theory for the WWE United States Championship.
Speaking on Whiskey Ginger with Andrew Santino John Cena explains how he sees things have changed in the wrestling business and says in the past you sometimes had to head to the bar with your colleagues to learn how to improve:
“The great thing about WWE, and I think it runs parallel to stand-up, is when you book a 65-day tour if show 4 bombs, you still gotta make show 5. But yeah, it’s a pick 6. You got to get back in the field. So those nights where you stunk out the joint were the most productive because you could really lean into the guys and lean into the guy you’re working with, or the people around you who you trust and give you an honest opinion to be like, ‘Hey, this is what I was going for and it didn’t work. Why?’”
“It used to be a little bit more of a fraternal society where you kind of had to go out afterwards to get some wisdom. Nowadays, the business has evolved and in great ways. I romanticize about that period a lot because it was just super fun, but guys (now) are paid better. Guys are treated better. There’s less of a work schedule. So I don’t know how much that still exists. I know today, I just try to pass on wisdom at the show because I don’t know the life anybody lives. Back then there was a lot of camaraderie, a lot of brotherhood, and if you weren’t in, you were out.”
John Cena has not been shy about passing on his wisdom and it was recently revealed the lengths the star went to to spend time with young stars in NXT.