Six Feet Under - John Cena LIVE from WWE World

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I'm only acting in the business world, but I think you're the best. Wow! You guys ready to have a good time? Yeah! I don't know who set all this up, but this could be trouble. Hey, without further ado, we are extremely lucky. Like, we're almost like a real podcast now. Almost. With guests like this, hey, we all know him, man. He is the face of WWE, has been, will be, one of the greatest to ever step foot in a ring, even a ring with three sides. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the great, John Cena! I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. Who can't see me? I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. I'm gonna take a lot of post-past, all the way to the end of the world. C-O-C-O! C-O-C-O! C-O-C-O! C-O-C-O! C-O-C-O! Wow, that's... Thank you so much! Thank you! Wow, that actually worked! Right on! How's that feel, man? Different! Different? Yeah, cause I don't have to get my ass kicked now. I hope so! Well, we'll see how this goes. Yes, indeed. Oh, golly. Hey, starting with uppers. Oh! That's cheating, man. You're just boomy having a coffee. Shame! It is still the AM, sir. I know it's Vegas, but... All right? Okay? Yeah, I know. I'm hosting out there tonight. Yeah, you got an important job tonight, man. It is not important. I have a crush gig. This is what retirement is like. You should have told me this years ago. Well, I didn't know. His retirement, look like that. This is fantastic. I get to come in. I get to be in front of a crowd. We get to do stuff like this. I mean, it is like... WrestleMania is starting in a few hours, and we're just kicking it. And I'm cool with that. Hey! I am okay with that. You okay with that? Normally, I'd be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Trying to figure out if everything's good, totally stressed out. I'm like, I'm doing all right. It's a little different, right? It's a little different. It took me a while to adjust. When I retired and I showed up, and then you just have that thing in you that's like, I should be doing this. I should be getting ready. Why am I not... And like, oh, you're not working, man. Yeah, for me, it was immediate. Like, I went to T-Mobile on Friday while they were doing SmackDown. I was saying, hi to everybody. I didn't have a care in the world. Now I know what it's like to be a fan. That's why I know you guys are so excited all the time. Because all you got to do is just sit back and give some enthusiasm. Honestly, it's a good spot. I'm happy. Yeah, well, that's good. Because you've adjusted well, obviously. Like, I didn't adjust that well coming out, so... But you are just in your moment right now, man. And I love it. Thank you so much. Truth be told, I kind of had a while to work up to it. We've had some conversations that are not on air, so you're going to hear me repeating stuff that we've said in confidence. But you'll be hearing for the first time. Thanks for playing along. So we've talked a few times, and you mentioned that it was something you really never thought about. This was something I thought about. And something I thought about early in my career. I literally promised the fans that when I felt a step slower, I was out. So not only did I make that promise early, but the whole planning of the retirement tour took three years. Wow. The concept happened three years before execution. I pitched WWE about close to 18 to 20 months out. And then we announced it in Toronto, and then we started in January and into it, Dome. So I've adjusted because I've had close to four years to think about what's going on. I think if it happened... If it truly happened in December, for a path like AJ, where he just kind of retired, I don't know what that lens is like. I had a lot of thought into this. So that's why I'm feeling pretty good. That's good. I mean, that's... To prepare your mind mentally, because, again, as to our conversations, you know that your realistic mind knows that you're not going to be able to do this forever. Yes. But then there's that other side of your mind that says, I'm going to do this forever. Yes. And it's amazing that you had the presence of mind to start preparing yourself, because if you don't, it's very challenging for it to wake up that one day, and then it's not like, hey, I'm not putting my boots on today. Yeah, that's why they have that phrase, athletes die twice. Yeah. You know, they got to walk away from the thing that they've done their whole lives. And then that's essentially, you know, facing your mortality. It's a lot for a lot of folks. It's their identity, you know, and man, you are literally the last of the secrets of wrestling. So for you to put that character away, I don't know the identity struggles that you might have had, or the hills you might have had to climb. For me, like I said, I had a really nice lead up, and I got some great love and connection around me, and it was nothing but support. And that's why I'm in a good place, man. Well, look, also, in all fairness, he retired like five times, right? So he had to keep preparing for that retirement. Try it, didn't work. Try it, didn't work. Right, retire, have a surgery, prepare, come back. So like you had to, I mean, you mentally prepared for that a lot, and finally got it, I think. I mean, all right, I get a lot of flak, but truth be told, the only time that I ever said retire was when I retired. Now, I did, I put my boots and stuff in the ring, and that was a legitimate moment for me, but obviously the old man had different. I don't think even when I retired, because he was insistent when I did retire that I retired in character and all of that. I still think he felt like he could ring the bat phone if he had to, and I was going to come back. No, the character retired, but we can bring you back. Oh, there's something left, right? There's a little bit left in that sponge, but there really wasn't, man. What, June 2002? Yeah, that's when this whole thing started. This is a full circle moment. Yeah, so 2002 is where y'all actually interacted for the first time backstage, right? Yes. And you had been there for what? Oh, look. Oh, my goodness. Look at that. Look at those young guys. So you had actually been in the business for 12 years at this point? Yeah. You did it? Yes. I had been in the business for 12 minutes. Look at that, man. Hey, I'd already been at WWE 12 years. Yeah, like I said, that's 12 minutes. 12 minutes, 12 years. Fresh out of that match at Kurt Angle. That was about 12 minutes long. Okay, so tell me, what are you thinking right here, John, because I would be nervous as I'll get out. So that's what I was thinking, and that's why that version of me did not do well. And I mean that, and I talk about this a lot. Like I came out and Kurt Angle was like, what makes you think you can be out here? And I said two words, ruthless aggression, and I slapped him across the face. All right, that's cool. Then I proceeded to have a fast-paced 50-50 match where I almost beat him. And in a sportsman-like way, I was like, hey man, I almost won. And then I get to the backstage and I see truly the patriarch of the company giving me respect. And I take the respect like a fan. I was neither ruthless nor aggressive. And that's why that persona didn't attach to the audience. If I had kicked you in the nuts or slapped you in the face, or even just said like, hey, I'm coming for you next. That's ruthless and aggressive. But I'm such a fan of the business. And honestly, that's a legitimate look of like awe. I was, I just, you know, we all find our own path. That's a moment of me not understanding, that's a moment of me being a fan and not understanding the business side. Right, right. And you don't hand out compliments lightly. So I mean, was that... That's another thing. Like that didn't happen. Yeah, so I do, I'm a little bit, I'm pretty much the last one come to the table with the compliments with the young guys. But you are like, in my head, what I'm seeing here, you are... I think you gave me a compliment there, and this introduction was the next compliment you gave me. 24 years later. So I'm okay with that. I'm doing all right. Once every quarter century. Well, I mean, you know, I mean, do you actually need to audible hear it? I mean, come on. But what I'm seeing, what I see is the prototypical Vince Guy right here. I mean, you are, you've got the chiseled good looks, the body, no tattoos. You, I'm thinking this is the guy for Vince. But you are absolutely correct when you come at me with that. Thank you so much. Like, oh man, this is so great. How could I say I have ruthless aggression? Exactly. How? Yeah. And I think what a cool frame to bring up, right? Because we have a bunch of fans who are excited to see a bunch of performers at WrestleMania. We have NXT folks integrated in WWE world here. We got a lot of WrestleMania debuts. The one thing I stress to new performers is find out who you are and be authentic as soon as you can. Yes. And sometimes the character they give you won't work. And you got to, you got to look in the mirror and say, why? That didn't work because of me. Right. If I, if I had ruthless aggression now, if somebody be like, okay, kid, we're going to go with you and your gimmicks, ruthless aggression. Yo, I could have a hundred ideas of the directions I could take that. I was just trying to throw good drop kicks and do good arm drags and not piss off the boys. And that's not going to work. Yeah. So that's the doctor of thugonomics. Were you already, like, that was your, that was your vibe? Your personal vibe, right? Yes. I was as hip hop as you are country. Okay. So that, that's, it was kind of the lane that I traveled in. And the reason that whole thing started is because guys would just wrap it on the back of the bus. Right. Like Rikishi had a, the back of the bus, some of the boys just got up there and it just happened to be the right chemistry of enough people who liked hip hop and maybe like a little bit of courage going around. And I finally, like I wasn't connecting with the audience and, and I was going to get let go. So I was like, all right, enough of this, keep your mouth shut and your ears open stuff. I'm just going down swinging shut my laptop. I was playing roller coaster tycoon. Shut that one roller coaster tycoon fan right there. I was literally just a nerd who was on my laptop all the time. And that would lead to our first meeting shortly after where I just, I went back to, to the back of the bus and it's wrapped and Stephanie heard it. And that was authentically a piece of my personality. And then when I got that authentic piece, I'm like, oh man, I can turn this up to, to 10. No problem. Let's do it. Right. So then you'll get to, they just threw another photo up here for you guys. This is vengeance, right? 2003. 2003. This is the first time y'all met in the ring. Yes, it was. Yes, it was. Okay. This was, this was awesome for me because, okay, so we showed a frame of you giving me a handshake and me being like, oh man, this is great. I have always had to punch up because I started as like a job guy. So, uh, Vince's pick, I came out, I had a good match against Kurt. I worked a little bit with Jericho and then after that dwindled in obscurity. So I was like a job guy and a go through guy. So I always had to punch up and that, that narrative like never changed until the, like the last year. I've always had to punch up to my opponents. This was no different, but you want to talk about one year making a huge difference in 2002. You shake my hand and I'm like, oh, thank you. In 2003, the vignettes to lead up to this where I literally urinate on a grave and I say, and I quote, I'm pissing on the mark. Like use your real name taboo out the window. This, I learned the lesson. I was like, yo, I'm going to go for it. Right. You had, you had no, it was just me doing the promos. You had no response. And in this match, the first choke slam I ever took and I know we're live. You're going to have to bleep it. Get ready for the button. So our referee, when the lights went out in that match and you're a gong hit, he's like, you're about to hear what it sounds like to be over. And I like, you could feel it. It's when noise becomes feel when you came to the ring. And the first time you hit me with the choke slam, you literally hit me and said, do you know who the fuck you're dealing with? He didn't mean it. And it was amazing because as I'm nine feet in the air, I'm going, yes, I do. And this is awesome. It was great because it was authentic. I could maybe I got under your skin with the vignettes. I don't know, but it that's when the moments are the best. You know, there has to be some grit there. There has to be a little sandpaper in the mix, you know, you have to have grit and listening to you talk. This is it's a masterclass for any young guy coming up. I think a lot of times what happens with young talent is they feel like, well, I don't want to I don't want to make the way I don't want to piss anybody off. But you almost sometimes you have to you have to roll those dice. You got to bet on yourself. You've got to bet on yourself. And there's a difference between this is I think this is a lot of confused. Sorry, I'm so passionate about this, but like there's a difference between going into business for yourself. I was able to cut three vignettes on you. I went for it. I think I might have hit you with one AA, but literally you kicked my ass and beat me. I did not go into business for myself right behind the curtain. You were like, just sell. That's exactly what you told me in 2003. And it works. So there's a difference between not doing business and being your character. And I think there's a fine line where performers overstep that sometimes to be like, well, I want this thing to go this way. No, that's not how it is. You just got to do your job the best you can as you. And I think that's a that's a major point of confusion with a lot of young performers. Yeah, I think you go a times you get too wrapped up in your obviously you have your own your vision of what you want to do. Your vision has to work into the big scope of the overall program. We're all little spokes in the wheel. Exactly. And that's the disconnect sometimes. It's like, yeah, I'm this, I'm this, I'm this. You are that, but you have to make that fit. And yes, and the goal of the night is to move you on to your next viable championship competitor. And I'm the go through guy for that to happen. And a lot of folks get confused with that. Yeah, absolutely. And obviously you went over here. No surprise to anybody. But y'all you so you speak about you called him out had these vignettes and he didn't respond, which he is really well at which kind of happened in WrestleMania 34. Right. Oh my God, what an awesome. This was so good. This blows my mind. So y'all rat vengeance. It was 15 years apart when y'all met again in the ring. Yeah. Like how does that happen? There's somebody else you're gonna have to talk to kind of writing the program. So for this WrestleMania specifically, I know you had gotten into acting at the time. Maybe there wasn't a storyline, like a set storyline for WrestleMania that year. He's at home. He's retired again. I think it was number four and he's had his second hip read on sabbatical. We call it. Yeah, yes, sabbatical. He's rehabbing a second hip minding his own business and. What and I get on TV and call up the other day. Yes, yes, a lot. So I kind of fell into a part time role and I kind of assume that role for maybe 2016 2017 in that vein. We all know if you're not in the number one contendership, if you are not in the hunt by January. You can either win the rumble, win the chamber or cross your fingers to get on the WrestleMania stage. I lost the rumble. I lost the chamber and I had no opponent for WrestleMania. Now as a part timer, I wanted to be empathetic to the role of a full timer. So what's the story I'm going to tell? I know, I know I have a part time gig from like January into the WrestleMania and I have to fill an entertaining and believable storyline for you guys. I hate when people just show up without a reason. I hate when people just show up without a why. I always welcome any involvement, anything that can move the needle or tell a good story and make you guys excited. I wasn't in the pictures and number one contender because I'd been away, lost the rumble, lost the chamber. So I went out and said, I will not be on WrestleMania. And it was like, oh, you're John Cena. That's not even true. No, I won't be on WrestleMania because I haven't earned the spot. So there's a believable story of like, oh man, he didn't, he doesn't have a championship match. He did just kind of mosey in here in January, but I wanted to be on WrestleMania. What's the only surefire way besides those two routes that you can be on WrestleMania, but is also suicide because of the streak? You call out the Undertaker. So in doing that and saying, I have no other option, I'm throwing myself to the wolves. I want to be on WrestleMania that bad. Screw it. I'm doing it. I'm going to get my ass whipped, but I'm calling out the Undertaker. And then the audience is like, man, this is great. So it's a creative narrative that allows the winner of the rumble to go forward as planned. I don't have to steal anybody's shot. The winner of the chamber to go forward as planned. I don't have to steal anybody's shot. And then I can say the only way I can do this is by doing something really stupid and kicking a hornet's nest, a big hornet's nest. Should I do it? And that's when you're sitting at home and the crowd is like, yeah, you should. And you're like, ah, shit. Now I got to go to work. Well, so I just had my second hip surgery, right? So I am oblivious. I'm oblivious to it. So this was all your idea, actually. So yes, I want to take credit for that. But I also want to say that in not going into business for myself, I asked if it was an option and I was told that it was an option. It was an option, but I'm going to have to make a, I'm going to have to call him. I never forget getting a call. He goes, hey, what do you think? And I'm like, come on. After all these years now, like I'm full of metal. I don't have any plans at this point to get back in the ring and now you're going to dangle this carrot in front of me. Like, come on, man. And I think you actually told him, you said, like, give me two weeks to see if I can even think that I can get into the shape I need to be into Russell with John. I'm in, I'm in, I'm rehabbing. Literally. Yeah, like this is after I'd already, I'd already committed like I had a ring sit down to Texas, put up in this old dilapidated auto shop and like I'm running. Like, I don't like, I am not, I am not going to have this match after all these years with you and not be able to go. Right. So I am like, and talking about being your harshest critic, like I'm looking for every reason to say, man, I don't know. I don't know. Because I, you know, you just don't want to have that kind of a marquee match. Like we're 20 years into your career. I'm there all that time. You do not want to shit the bed. But how long was the build up? Because it was about six weeks. And I think this is the only storyline I can ever think of where all you did was talk trash and he didn't even show up for. Yes. Yes. So continuously, I would just try to rage bait you out of retirement. And week after week, I would promote like you guys want to see this, don't you? Like bring him out. I don't care if I'm going to get my ass kicked. I want to go to WrestleMania. And I would consistently say, if he doesn't show up, I am going as a fan. Right. And I will go. I haven't earned my spot. And if not, hell, I love to watch behind the barricade. It's the best seat in the house for one year. I'm going to sit on the bench and be a fan. And like that, those were my stakes. If you didn't show up. So we honestly, the contingency was, if you said no, I have more than four beers with those guys. I have 84 beers with those guys and enjoy a hell of a WrestleMania. Well, let me tell you, he got in such good shape that year. Like he was training so hard. I told him all these years I would train with him. We'd have this, you know, we'd work out together, eat clean. That year I was like, screw that. Like I am not suffering for six weeks for you to come out of retirement again. I'm glad you are. I'll be there working out with you, but I'm going to eat pizza at night. So he trained so hard was in such a good shape. And then. Yeah, there was no reason for me to be working this hard, that old. But, but I knew once I committed, like, okay, we're going to go to Mania and me and John are going to tear the are going to tear that son of a bitch down. Like it was once I committed, it was like, okay, man, this is going to be the one. This is the one they've waited to see, you know, because at this point in our careers, it's hard to find somebody to have that kind of a marquee match. We've got two single. We had, well, no, at this point, we have one, one single PLE match together, a few tag match through the years. Like this is this is untouched really. So can you let the fans know because I think it might be a little different from each one of y'all. What was y'all's perspective backstage that day going into Mania? How the match would go? I think yours is a better opener. Yeah, yeah, mine is a much better opener. Right. So I did like I trained like an I mean, I trained like an animal. I was a total bear to be around my family. Like I was it was like trying to get that first booking, right? I mean, I was that was more of my mindset was and and I have to say, like I was I was in killer shape and the best shape I've been in probably a decade. And I remember getting to I remember getting to WrestleMania and going in the old man's office. And I was I was like giddy. I was fired up because I was like, man, this is going to be awesome. And I remember going into his office and sitting down and I like, all right, man, what do you want to help? What we got? We got 30. He goes, no, I think about. And we got about five minutes. I want you to hit the hit the high notes and let's call it a day. That's good. No, seriously, what do you what do you want? He goes, no, that's that's what I want. I want you to come in. I want you to kick his ass. Drop him on his head. Cross the arms. Let's get out of there. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I've been training like a maniac. I know, man, you're an excellent shape. God damn you look good. Yeah, I know there's a reason is John Cena undertaker WrestleMania. God damn mark. They don't want to see that. I'm like, I'm pretty sure they do. I'm just saying I know a little bit too. I'm pretty sure they want to see this. Yeah, they're going to see it. Five minutes. Do all the hits. Call it a day. Like, where's John? Somebody go get John. John comes in. John, you know, he was new five minutes and we're going to go. He goes out missing a beat. He goes, yeah, what else? And I'll let you take over from there. But like my call in, my airstrike, my support. Your phone to friends. Didn't show up. So I love this story because it's WrestleMania season and it shows the passion of performers and the pressure they put themselves through in WrestleMania. The streak, the contributions to the company, your loyalty to the brand, your loyalty to Vince, your passion to perform in front of people. When you hear Undertaker attached to WrestleMania, your knee jerk subconscious reaction is, I am going to fucking wow these people. I am going to show them who I am. And when I say, do you know who the F you're dealing with? Everyone is going to understand. That's you. The narrative going into WrestleMania was this guy is not going to show up. And the reason you never showed up, never responded was not to build to a 30 minute match. The payoff is you're here. That's it. And how do we make it like you're not going to show up? I specifically didn't wear the Superman outfit. It's the one time in my life I actually wore full jeans. When the doors opened, they had creative had like, hey, five minutes before your segment, we're going to put you out in the audience and we're going to put you out there. I said, no, I'm going to WrestleMania as a fan. And to fans who went with that, doors opened at two. I was in section 300 at two o'clock. I talked to fans, those are my boys from Australia right back there, the guy putting his hand to my arm. I talked to everybody in that section, literally drank beers with everybody. So we're pulling the, we're setting the stage for like, you're not going to show up. Because no one believed that John Cena was going to go as a fan. And this is the moment right here where the referee is informing me that I might be in a little bit of trouble and I might want to get dressed. And this happened like after the third or fourth match. So it's all built into the story. The story of WrestleMania for you and I in that moment was not let these guys go 35 minutes. The story was, would you show up? And I ran over the barricade in denim and my gray T-shirt switched to Superman outfit as soon as I could. Ran down to the ring and was like, I might be half sober. Is this guy here? Is he not here? And man, when the lights went out and you showed up as Undertaker, that's the payoff. And then when they see you having not seen you in a while, when they see you in your strongest form against a force to be reckoned with and WWE just going through this person, that helps you for the next one. Like that's the purpose of what we did. Yes, selfishly, we could have gone 30 minutes. You should have called me from Austin. I would have brought an iPhone down. We just set up a tripod in your ring. We could have had a match for us. We could have watched later on. It'd been great. We could have showed it in the Lost Archives. But for this, that's why I walked into Vince's office and you were like, are we going, are you for this? I'm like, yes, I am. That's absolutely what we should do. That's the logical story of what to give the consumer what they want. We have bet the farm that you're not going to show up. Everybody here thinks I'm not going to be a fan. Oh my God, he's going to show up. And then when you show up, you kick ass and you stand tall as the Undertaker and everybody leaves going, yeah, that was great. And hopefully maybe like, and I'd like to see them go at it again. Now we never had that chance, but with the build up we had a 30 minute match. It doesn't make sense. Yeah, see, that's one of those instances we were talking about earlier. Like I had the vision, right? I think you, and this even in as many years as that I've got in the business at this point, you're thinking business and I'm thinking personal. That's in a lot of times we think it especially WrestleMania. We think it personal. Yeah, I love the fact that my trajectory started at the bottom because so many matches were like, okay, you guys got seven minutes, you are going to kick the shit out of John and win clean with your finish. Yes, that's exactly what we need to do tonight. Right. So when that position was put in front of my plate for WrestleMania, I'm like, yes, that's exactly, we need to get that guy back. And that guy on that night came back. And that was for me, it was nothing more special. And I got to see the look of frustration and disappointment in your eyes because after we got out of Vince's office, we went to a smaller locker room with Michael Hayes and Arne Anderson. Right. And all three of you guys ganged up on me to be like, we can't do this. We cannot do a match like this. And I'm like, no, this is what we're doing. We are doing this. Can you do your stuff? And you're like, of course I can do my stuff. Like, is there anything you want to go over? Like, man, you might have, we just get in the ring, like run the ropes because he went so hard. Our WrestleMania practice was, it was like a posturing 30 seconds. That was it. And that was it. And then we were ready to go. But yes, that is a, it's a prime example of like, yeah, all I was wanting to do that year was, was redemption. Right. And again, that goes back to the, to the person that is in my mind, that is redemption. The audience now knows you are back, man, you are back. You're still trying to sell me on it. It works. It absolutely works. Hey, all right, damn it. Let's move this furniture. Come on, man. I want my damn WrestleMania match, but it's also, it's also like we need to know our part. Neat, not a ch- with this panel, not a chance. Are you, at this point, that is you. That is no problem doing it now. That's not me. That's not me. I got, I got no problem going two minutes right now. And I'll still be gassed. I'm still, I am a host. Thank you very much. I am, I am a host of WrestleMania. I will say during that match, and we've actually told you before, but there was one consumer that was not happy. I was watching Ringside with my daughter, who just like any other kid in the entire universe is the biggest John Cena fan, right? And I will say at that point she had a little speech impediment, and one time she called you Juan Cena. So of course this guy ran with it, and that's all she were in our house. But we're watching your match. I'm holding her in my lap. Her daddy goes over and she's doing these things with her hands like, I go, baby, what are you doing? And she ends up going, She had one thumb up for her daddy, but one thumb down. And you actually had to console her backstage because she was so mad that John Cena did not beat her daddy up that night. I was happy. Oh, she's right. There she is right there. Yeah, she was not happy. Yeah, she don't like you anymore. I will also say that, that to me is one of my favorite WrestleMania moments. And I want to share personally why. Because John Cena was a fan and got squashed. And I have always said, like, business first, you do what needs to be done. And a lot of times, again, teachable moments for young performers. We get in our own head. We believe our own hype. We don't understand the larger picture of things. And if I figure I could come back with all the opportunities, I've been lucky enough to be rewarded and all, all the wins I've had. And been able to sit in the crowd and then go out and get my ass handed to me proudly, honorably, and come back because it's the right thing to do. There's not a better message to send to a younger performer. A lot of young performers think you're talking from a high place. This was like putting rubber to road of this is what we need to do tonight. And one of the most, one of the most valuable IPs in the, in the company is going to be sacrificed to bring a very valuable IP back. And that's how you do business. It literally is one of my favorite WrestleMania moments because we got to bring you back. I got to be part of that. I got to have a hell of a campaign and lead up. And it was a challenging new story for me on the way there. I got to work with somebody who's a mentor who inspires me, who I absolutely respect. And I got to do business for that someone in the right way. And the cool thing about when these guys try to bring me in the locker room and gang up on me, eventually you cracked. And you're like, yeah, that's what we got to do. Because you knew it was the logical thing of like, yeah, yeah. I trained for this, but yeah, we should do it the other way. Yeah, I just, yeah, I had to put my personal self aside and yeah, that's, that's, yeah. What a, what a cool moment to be like. It's why I hold like the US Open Challenge very close to, hey, after you main event with the rock at WrestleMania two years in a row, where they got for you next? I don't know. I don't care. We don't have anything for you, John. You want to do something with the US title? I sure do. Yeah. Hey, what do you have now? What do we have for you now, John? I don't know. Do you want me to call the Undertaker out and get squash at WrestleMania? Sure. That'd be great. Like you make the most out of your opportunities. I think they're performers like, uh, like Chelsea Green is a great example of taking an inch and making it a mile and not being afraid to do anything and everything to commit to what's right for a business. Right. I just saw a guy walk with one of my favorite shirts is shifting gears. I'm sorry. That's another topic. Let's go. It says wrestling is real. Number one question everybody gets is wrestling rules at fake between the two of you alone. There's probably 20 plus maybe 30 surgeries. I mean, you've had what? Peck, tricep, um, hips, knees, ice lock at cold on fire, all the things. My feelings have been hurt. Feelings have been hurt. So many times. All the time. So many times. But I will never forget something that's stuck with me seriously so long is I don't know if you guys know, but I was at Melan or Marina when John had neck surgery. I'm not sure what year that was. Um, uh, to, that was man. Oh, oh, eight. No, I'm not saying this guy, y'all had neck surgery at, I don't know what time in the morning and we are backstage getting ready to go out on our show. John walks in like he had a bandaid on his neck or something. I mean, he walked in shaking hands, hugging people and showed up and we're all like. This guy literally is super human. The way you heal the way you train your mindset, everything, but that stuck with me that you had neck surgery in the morning and showed up to work that day. Like how, how. I really wanted to. Uh, yeah, I, I don't know if you guys know this. I really like WWE. I just do. Good enough to host this year's WrestleMania, which. Starts in a few minutes, but that's all right. I wouldn't miss it for the world unless we miss it. And then whatever, they're gonna start without me. We'll be fine. No, I appreciate you saying that. I think, um, I, I very rarely said the words, never give up on television. I very rarely said the words hustle, loyalty and respect on television. The reason I love them is because you just do it. And if you do it one day, it's whatever, but compounding interest of those decisions brings you to a moment like how, how. You just know I should go. Doc, am I healthy? Yes, just don't move your neck a lot and stay in the brace. Can I go? Yes, you can. Just please don't move your neck a lot. All right, I'm going to go. And what I mean, that's a moment that's stuck in your mind. That's super cool. Very cool. Very cool. Yeah, that's, um, you know what that I have to admit that stuck in my mind as well. Nice. No, no, no, no. Nice. I got the robot. This guy has no emotions. It wouldn't put anybody over. No, I don't have many emotions, but I, but I do recognize, um, when people are different. And the fact that I think most people would have laid up somewhere. But I understand and as I understand you better now, there was a lot being said by you showing up. There was, that was the beginning too of a transition of what your role, your role was going to be soon. And that was the leader of that locker room. And that's how doing things like that is how you set an example to this is how important what we do is. Yes, I had neck surgery this morning, but this is so important. And I'm going to make a statement by showing up and letting these guys see how important this is. Because a lot of times you guys have been around as long as I was, they get jaded and then you see somebody that means that much too. Like what is wrong with this guy? And I was just like, man, you, you had already, you had already earned a lot of respect for me. But when you showed up that night, I was like, to myself, I was just like, I'm going to do this. And I was like, this guy, you know, and you'd been there a while, but it was like, this dude's okay. So I think that's, that stresses the importance of mentorship, right? What I'm hearing is this was an example for people to process. If this guy can make it, I better get my ass in here. I learn from people like you, from the Cal Ripkins of the industry, from warriors like you, when the phone rings, it doesn't ring more than twice. You pick up on the first one and the answer is yes. That's it. And I at least had the luxury of showing up in a T-shirt and shorts. I figured out from you, I should not have a full gimmick with makeup. So I have to get all ready to go all do all these appearances in full character. But you, you guys, your, your style of moving through space taught me how to operate. I would say for the first 18 years of my existence in, in sports entertainment, it was simply to honor my peers, people like you, because you guys know what it takes. There's only a select few that knows what it takes to further the company. That number and that math gets really small when you know what it takes to get the company through tough times. You saved this company. It was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was on the verge of folding. Its main characters were gone. It needed identity. It was working for TVs in Allentown. You guys were working bingo halls to no attendance. You really had a topic shift. Like you had a content shift, everything. And you stuck it out. Like, and you also could have gone elsewhere. So when I'm supposed to be the next person to step in those extra wide shoes and try to run 10 feet, I just want you to know that you can bet on it. And you never had to say, hey, you just show up because you just showed up. And like that's, that's the effect that you have on people. That's the effect that you had on me. And to get your validation, you never had to say, great job, ever. You allowed the bet to happen. And that's respect. You're the reason I drank so much of this shit. See, see, okay, I am so glad you just said that. I was getting there. I am so glad you did. I said. My God. Like, because that's what we do. Why do we do it? It's difficult. Right. Roger that. Do the hard thing. Always show up. Always do the best for the fan base when houses are down, work four times as hard. Like you're just, just your confession of WrestleMania, John Cena, gotta go. Dude, you have a, you have a brand new hip. Don't care. Let's get on the bike. Let's get on the roller. Let's carry some stuff. I just do, I just wanted to do you right. Like I just wanted to do, the business is nothing without people before us. And it'll be nothing if we don't pass those lessons on. Right. And I just, I just hope some other folks had that same. Oh, I think so. Had that same takeaway. Is there, and I don't want to put you on the spot and you don't have to give me a name, but do you see people in the, in the, in the roster now that's going to continue to move it, move the needle forward in that aspect? Somebody will like, this is what I heard for the longest time when a large bet was placed on me. It's like, oh, who's the next John? We don't have the next John. They were saying that when Hulk left. They were saying that when Austin left. I mean, they said it when our class came up and you were hurt, Austin left. Like there were, there was just a huge shift. We changed the company name, the XFL failed. There was like, what are we going to do? I've been through some, some low houses and hard times. Right. But there's always someone, someone always steps up, always. And that's because of you guys, because you keep showing up and you keep your interest. And you're like, who's, who am I going to cheer for next? And it's all, it's unpredictable. What I, I like to, I like to bet on the right person. I like to bet on the person who's going to show up the day after surgery. I like to bet on the person who will wake up at four in the morning to go do media for an event they might not even be on. I like to bet on that person who is when, when they're told, hey, your punches are weak. We got to, we got to get you to the arenas four hours early to throw a thousand punches a day and they show up and do it. Like those are the people I want to bet on. And I think we got some tremendous talent. I don't think the roster has ever been this stacked, especially with our reach, AAA to draw from with NXT to draw from with the way we recruit now. I don't know who the right people are because they got us, they got to get in the fire. Right. You know what I'm saying? They got to get in the fire. When I came up first, I wasn't the right person. And then I realized my mistakes and I was like, yo, my, my first real meeting with Vince was me walking up to him and saying, if you bet on me, I will not let you down. And shortly after he bet on me and it was a wrap after that. Rest as they say is history. The rest is history. You know what? I could do this all day. I know you have, you know, some other thing you got to do. No, it was just some small, some small. I don't know. Hey, clear this up for me because rumor has it that you, before you got here to WWE, that you did not partake. I did not have one drink. In adult beverages. I was sober until my WWE days. What happened? You. Point blank, you. Now, I don't want this message to get misconstrued because it's important. Our business is very valuable and very precious and the business has changed. It used to be a process of slowly passing on wisdom and secrets through performance in the ring and time with that. And the reason we spent time with this is to bond with your fraternity. The business has changed a little bit and instead of passing on secrets, nowadays we give them away in hopes that someone will catch and be good. I had never had a drink until I sat down with you to have a drink. My takeaway from that night now reflecting back was you have to hang with the people you're going to trust and the people who are going to put their life in your hands. You cannot just show up for the gig, do the work and leave. This is a fraternity and a brotherhood and if we don't know you, we will not accept you. And if we don't accept you, we can't trust you. And if we can't trust you, we probably can't bet on you. And that is why I hate and love this. Because this to me is not just punishment. This is community. It is fraternity. It is brotherhood. And I remember one night in WrestleMania in Chicago, I was facing Triple H. And a few days before I saw you and Shane and KD in the hotel bar. You were sitting at another table and I was sitting with my crew. I'm on the come up a little bit. You know, I'm fighting Triple H for the strap. WrestleMania, I'm feeling pretty good. I got my little crew at the table. We're drinking Southern comfort. I don't know if you ever had that, but it's like little whiskey, a lot of lime, a lot of sweet. I want to do a good thing. I want to order my coworkers, my mentors a drink. So I send them around a Southern comfort. Waiter goes over with the tray like this. He's like, send them around Southern. No problem, I got it. He does this. It comes right back. I'm so sorry for cursing this much, but this is actually how I went down. I don't know how to say this, but the large gentlemen over there wanted me to return this to you and say, and I quote, we don't fuck with candy. Yo, I literally had like eight of my guys at the table and I look over and you just gave that. I told everybody right then, go to bed. I got the check. I'm going over there. That's when I learned the process of what this is all about. There's so much symbolism in our business. Leather and gold has a symbol of excellence. Characters invoke emotion. There's also a lot of symbolism behind the curtain where the business is changing so fast and everything is gray and nothing is off limits. I'm a dinosaur because I do romanticize about the old days, but in my heart of hearts, I want our reach to be as much as we can. If we got a film backstage, I better get used to it. If we got to tell stories, we better get used to it. I'm going to get used to it, but I do romanticize about this time because when you asked me to sit down next year, it was special and it was not just silent pounding. It was like, hey kid, why did you do that stupid thing in there tonight where you wave your hand in front of your face? Nobody will ever believe that. You heard that? I did. Just life lessons of wisdom passed on. Me sitting with you, sitting with Rikishi, with Booker T, with Eddie Guerrero, with Kurt Angle, with Rick Flair, with Shawn Michaels, with Triple H, with Michael Hayes, with Arne Anderson. You have so much to give and teach and it's in the cool of the evening, the afterwards when the lights are low and you can't wind down because you're so, you just did the main event. You just went 30 in Albany, New York and you can't go to sleep. So you just hang out with the guys and you reflect on the night. I used to love that so much and I learned the business through this. I do not regret my choices at all. Beautiful. Well, it's time for a full circle moment then. We're actually going to open that up. He does have a job later, remember? Is this technically drinking on the job? I don't know. No, no, no, no. This is just making sure your voice and your pipes are well lubricated for your other job tonight. No, I will say before you pour that, this is inside baseball. I can't explain any more than this. The last time you poured me a shot, my wife was there and gave you her own death stare because your shot was pretty much half of the bottle. We have a legitimate sip right here. These are baby shot. Is this approved? It's approved. It's approved. We're good. We're good. We're good. Hey, John, incredible career. Seeing what you've done for this industry, the industry is forever indebted to your mind, your body, and your passion, man. We can't thank you enough for coming to spend some time with us. It has been a true honor watching you become the superstar and the man that you are, man. Yes, thank you so much. If I may, and we are toasting, I want to toast to everybody here and everybody about the pile into Allegiant Stadium. None of this happens without you. You hear it a lot, but you don't hear it enough. And it is genuine and authentic. Without you, we don't exist. So thank you so much. Thank you so much for being the mentor I needed in my life. Thank you so much for giving me wisdom at a point in my life where I desperately needed it. Thank you for being a major force to allow me to live my dream. I don't have a job. This is the lottery. And I get a lottery ticket every day. I love you. Thank you so much for being who you are and your passion and dedication to the business. Just like you, I'm in a new spot and I'm just getting started. Here's to the future. Here we go. Oh my goodness. Thank you, man. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you guys for listening to some old folks just reminisce about the times it was. I appreciate you. We got WrestleMania. I hope everybody enjoys. I'm going to get my energy up because we're going to get fired up. Ladies and gentlemen, one more time, John Cena. As Kolo would say, that's my time, folks. Hey, everybody. Thank you. Hey. WrestleMania, man. It's that time. Hey, this has been a fanatics and WWE original production. Thank you, everybody. You've been awesome. The goat John Cena. One more time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.