John Cena heaps some massive praise on two of WWE’s most popular Superstars, Cody Rhodes and LA Knight. Cena is a big movie star now, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots in wrestling. Unlike some other former wrestlers turned huge Hollywood actors he isn’t afraid to wrestle some matches or mix up with the current Superstars. He has also made it clear that he is going to be sticking around for a while. He has some free time and wants to contribute to the company that helped him become a huge star.
Recently John Cena has created an alliance with one of the hottest Superstars on the SmackDown roster, LA Knight. They have been having some issues with The Bloodline as of late. The pair will be taking on Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso this Saturday at Fastlane.
Cena has been keeping an eye on Knight for a while now and he likes what he sees. On a recent episode of WWE’s The Bump, he talked about his interaction with Knight at Payback and what it felt like raising Knight’s hand. He also talked about one of the reasons he likes Knight is because he reminds him of his younger self. Cena stated the following:
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“It felt great, only because it reminds me of when I started to gain a little bit of notoriety and relevance in WWE. LA Knight and my story runs a little bit parallel. He kind of just refused to give up … and has done it his own way, even in a lot of times being an underdog and being forgotten by the people in the bowels of the arena, but not forgotten by the people in the arena cheering him on and I think what he’s done is incredible.
“We work so hard to get where we’re at. And this is a job that shouldn’t exist. I sit in a director’s type chair in wristbands, a t-shirt, and a ball cap. This shouldn’t be a thing. So when you get a level of consistency and you get to a certain level of relevancy, you don’t want it to ever go away. And I totally respect it.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
John Cena Explains His Partnership With LA Knight
John Cena and Knight don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, but they have a common foe in The Bloodline. On last week’s SmackDown, Knight came down to the ring to aid Cena. That is enough trust between the two for them to agree to team up.
Knight has continued his rise up the ranks of the WWE roster. Teaming with a living legend will hopefully give him the boost that he needs to get that final push to the top title picture. Cena giving him his seal of approval will certainly help a lot as well.
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Knight isn’t the only one in WWE that Cena has been impressed by. Cody Rhodes is proving himself as one of the most popular Superstars on Raw, and John Cena is very impressed by this new and improved Rhodes. Cena added while speaking to The Bump:
“I’m extremely proud of Cody, especially because he was bold enough to bet on himself,” Cena said.” “He knew it [going outside WWE] was going to be painful, he knew it was going to be a path of growth, and now he’s back and performing at a level even more elite than before. He’s kind of crafting his own path; he’s much more authentic. The Cody Rhodes you see is him, it’s the young man I saw speak inducting his father into the Hall of Fame.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Making A Name For Himself Outside WWE
Rhodes famously left WWE in 2016 because he was not happy with his position in the company. He wrestled in the indies and Japan before helping to start AEW. In 2022 Rhodes left AEW and returned to WWE as a completely new wrestler. He hasn’t hesitated to take every opportunity he has been given and has made the most out of every single one.
John Cena, who is a WWE man through and through, applauds Rhodes for leaving WWE and taking that huge risk. He is also proud of Rhodes for learning everything he could about the technical and behind-the-scenes side of wrestling while in AEW.
Rhodes will also have a match at Fastlane this Saturday. He and Jey Uso will take on Finn Bálor and Damian Priest of the Judgement Day for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.
What do you think of John Cena hanging out for a while in WWE? Should he not because he is taking an up-and-coming wrestler’s spot? Do you see similarities between Cena and Knight? Are you excited to see them team up? What do you think is the biggest change between 2016 Rhodes and 2023 Rhodes? Let us know what you would like to see Cena do or who you would like to see him wrestle while he’s back.
SOURCE: Wrestling Inc., WWE’s The Bump, Wrestling Inc.
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