WWE Star Credits John Cena For Major Title Win

Sheamus has revealed that John Cena played a pivotal role in the decision to crown him WWE Champion for the first time in 2009.

The Irish Superstar had spent less than six months on the main roster in WWE before a shock victory over Cena at the inaugural TLC:Tables, Ladders and Chairs Premium Live Event on 13th December 2009 saw him climb to the top of the WWE mountain.

Cena was dominating the WWE landscape at the time and having won the WWE Championship from Randy Orton just six weeks earlier at Bragging Rights, most expected him to defeat the upstart from Dublin to retain his title as WWE headed towards 2010.

Two weeks prior to the event, Raw guest host and WWE Hall Of Famer Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura announced that the pair would battle it out for the gold in a tables match and it was Sheamus who emerged victorious in somewhat fortuitous fashion.

In a recent interview with Virgin Media Sports Stories, Sheamus explained that he was originally set to lose the match before Cena stepped in and suggested a change to the finish of the match:

“Up until that day, I was losing that match. Things changed.

Cena had a lot to do with it. Cena had a lot to do with what happened that day. It was like, ‘this is someone I can do business with. This is someone I can go around and is a believable foe,’ which is what John needed.

What every good hero needs is a good villain. He saw that with me too, people did not like me. People hated me. I was so different compared to everybody in there.

Long hair, short hair, super tan, tattoos. I was a different mix and he saw he could do something good with me.”

‘The Celtic Warrior’ would only hold on to the WWE Championship until 21st February 2010, with Cena regaining the gold in an Elimination Chamber bout that also included Triple H, Kofi Kingston, Ted Dibiase and Randy Orton.

Has John Cena Retired From The Ring?

John Cena enjoyed his longest run for some years in WWE in 2023 with Hollywood at a standstill due to the actor and writer’s strikes.

With those issues now resolved, Cena has returned to filming duties and whilst it seems that he isn’t done with wrestling just yet, he did appear on the 30th December edition of SmackDown to reveal that he wasn’t sure when he would next appear on WWE television.

H/T: Fightful for the above transcription.