John Cena talks passing the torch

Veteran WWE Superstar John Cena has a goal of passing the torch up in WWE.

Cena, who lost to WWE United States Champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39, recently spoke with Sam Roberts for the Notsam Wrestling Show, and looked back on how he always tried to make fans care about what he’s doing, even if he’s missed the mark at times. Cena said he’s always trying.

“You can track back, and I’ve missed a bunch of times. I’ve tried to care and been too quirky, tried to be funny, and failed, but I’m trying,” Cena said. “I’m always trying to make you care. That’s been the way since I was doing raps. People would want to hear the lines. Then people wouldn’t want to hear the lines. ‘You can do your rap thing. I’m just going to kick the crap out of you in the ring.’ Fine, that doesn’t matter. What matters is me making them connect and believe. If they believe and maybe they laugh, then they feel sad when people kick the crap out of me. Then I can get away with something like, my ethos is persistence, because years from now, people will be like, ‘Yeah, that actually kind of is what he does. He just keeps showing up. He’s here a lot.’”

Cena continued and commented on authenticity, and wanting to pass the torch.

“That’s the thing when authenticity. You can’t shake hands with someone for the first time, and they know you’re sold,” Cena said. “I’m blessed enough to be able to, for now, people to reflect and see, ‘he is authentically that. He authentically has passion for the company.’ My goal is to authentically leave it better than I found it. That’s my goal, to pass the torch up.”

In regards to passing the torch, Cena said he doesn’t want to be talked about generations from now as fans should be discussing Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and whoever follows him, and so on. Cena commented on the burden Reigns has, and how he himself realizes he’s just a pawn in a chess game.

“I don’t ever want to be talked about generations from now,” Cena declared. “They should be talking about Roman, and whoever follows him, and whoever follows him, because that’s how it should be. They should be in stadiums instead of arenas every night. That’s how it should be. That’s the burden Roman has on his shoulders. That’s the way it’s supposed to go. Too many people caught up in, ‘I’m this, I’m that.’ I’m a pawn on the chess board, and someone tells me, ‘we’re going to move you with this guy,’ it’s the same with movies. I don’t call the shots.”

Cena noted that the movie industry is even more restricted than WWE.

“It’s even more restricted in movies because, on set, I can call the shots, but I’m not following the director into the edit,” Cena said. “At least in live entertainment, if I want to drop a pipe bomb, I can do it, and deal with the consequences after. I have to be accountable, but I got my five minutes to throw two middle fingers up to the world. You don’t have that in a movie. If you do every take, they’ll cut around you to get what they want. Why not embrace the process, work with everyone instead of against everyone, don’t think the world is against you, The wrestling business is a business, and their business is to make money. If you’re of value to them and you’re of value to the movie system, if you don’t cost them a tremendous amount of money, if you show up on time, if you’re passionate about the work, if you know the context of the story, if you know why we’re fighting; they might ask you back. You don’t need to be the last match.”