{"id":39307,"date":"2017-02-27T14:54:21","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T20:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=39307"},"modified":"2017-02-27T16:26:36","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T22:26:36","slug":"interview-highlights-john-cena-talks-role-mixed-tag-match-wrestlemania-left-off-last-years-wm-regretting-rock-comments-wkellers-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/02\/27\/interview-highlights-john-cena-talks-role-mixed-tag-match-wrestlemania-left-off-last-years-wm-regretting-rock-comments-wkellers-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview Highlights: Cena talks about mixed-tag match at WrestleMania, being left off last year&#8217;s WM, regretting Rock comments, more (w\/Keller&#8217;s Analysis)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3628128326\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>The following are highlights with analysis of John Cena&#8217;s new interview with\u00a0Justin Barrasso published by Sports Illustrated today.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022In response to criticism that his 16th World Title reign was only two weeks:\u00a0\u201cTo rebut the two-week, 16th title reign, if I\u2019m correct, Ric Flair\u2019s 16th title reign was only 24 hours.\u00a0They can\u2019t all be these massive statements in the annals of history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: I&#8217;m a little surprised that Cena had this little anecdote at the tip of his tongue. It shows maybe he or someone was aware of criticism and thus he had a comeback ready. Sure, many of Flair&#8217;s title reigns were poorly booked, especially near the end of his career. That said, Cena shouldn&#8217;t proudly point to this title reign being short just because something a long time ago was booed flippantly or poorly. I am a bit torn, though, because I do ultimately agree that every title reign cannot be magnificent and historical in length. I suppose what most people would want is just a little more acknowledgment of the record-tying reign and a bigger deal being made of it ending so quickly instead of just, as Cena often does, kind of blowing off that losing the title matters that much and just turning the page to the next challenge until he&#8217;s booked to be in the title picture again.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022On his feud with A.J. Styles:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m really happy that people were interested in everything we did.\u00a0I think it was a really good opportunity for A.J. Styles to show exactly how gifted he is, and, in my mind, he is tremendously gifted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: This isn&#8217;t a big criticism of Cena, because I think he means well and genuinely meant to compliment Styles, but it&#8217;s not like Cena is some grizzled veteran who helped show fans how good\u00a0this young up-and-coming Styles guy is. Styles and Cena are less than two month apart in age, they have similar length careers (and although very different paths, both have been centerpiece headline stars pretty much the entire way), and Styles is regarded by people who have seen both of their careers as the better of the two workers in the ring, some would say by a wide margin. So I guess what&#8217;s missing from Cena&#8217;s compliment is an acknowledgment that maybe Styles helped Cena show the world what he can do in the ring the levels he can reach against a world class top tier wrestler like Styles.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022On his rumored mixed tag match at WrestleMania &#8211; Cena &amp; Nikki Bella vs. The Miz &amp; Maryse: \u201cI know people have a perception of who I am.\u00a0There is nothing I can say in this interview that changes that perception, but I\u2019ll say this: I don\u2019t pitch ideas, I don\u2019t go and say, \u2018This is what I would like to do.\u2019 I\u2019ve had tremendous success in being a versatile poker player, if that\u2019s a good analogy. I get my hand told to me, and I play it the best I possibly can.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: That doesn&#8217;t sound like someone embracing the match or his position of influence in WWE these days. He might genuinely deal with it with an innocuous shrug as he looks at his paychecks and, perhaps more so these days, his post-WWE opportunities. He also might be trying to deflect criticism that he&#8217;s trying to keep his girlfriend Nikki happy or give her a big (potential) sendoff match due to her neck issues.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022On doing off-the-beaten-path requests WWE makes of him:\u00a0\u201cAs far as WrestleMania is concerned, whatever I\u2019m supposed to do I\u2019m going to do to the best of my ability. I can reference last year as a great example. I was ready, healthy, and one-hundred percent activated by early March, and I was told that I would be assisting The Rock in WrestleMania. Quite honestly, if it weren\u2019t for The Rock\u2019s involvement in WrestleMania, I would have been told that I would have been sitting out WrestleMania. [People ask] why don\u2019t I just go in there and say, \u2018I want to do this\u2019? Last year, I should have said, \u2018I want to do this,\u2019 but that\u2019s just not what I do. This is why I love what I do. You sometimes get an off-the-beaten path request, and it\u2019s your job, as a professional, to make it interesting and make it the best you can. To be quite honest, way, way, way back, A.J. Styles was an off-the-beaten path request, and I loved that. It brought out the best in A.J. Styles and it brought out the best in me. I\u2019ll always try to do the best with what I\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3439108414\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: Again, if you look at Cena&#8217;s public comments and role in WWE the last couple years compared to what he said and how he was featured before that, it indicates there was a turning point or tipping point along the way where he went from sleeping on WWE bed sheets and wearing WWE pajamas to treating his relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon in a more business-like detached way. It&#8217;ll be fascinating to hear some stories on this dynamic if it ever comes out in a book or interview some day. He&#8217;s hardly bad-mouthing WWE and still affirms his loyalty and\u00a0dedication to the brand, but there&#8217;s just a different approach to his public comments, including how he admits he\u00a0looks totally differently at The Rock&#8217;s career path now than he used to.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022Regarding his criticism of Rock win the past:\u00a0\u201cIt was stupid of me.\u00a0It genuinely was. That was my perspective at the time. When you\u2019re involved in the daily grind of WWE, and that\u2019s something I never will let go of\u2014I promise you that. I just love it, and I don\u2019t think I need to say that, ever again, or have somebody question my allegiance to a brand, not the sport of professional wrestling, so to say, but a brand. I love the WWE. For me to not be able to see Dwayne\u2019s vision on what he wanted to do personally, and how his personal success could affect a growing global brand, that was just ignorant on my part.<\/p>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: I said back then Cena couldn&#8217;t credibly criticize Rock for his choices until he actually began facing the same choices and opportunities and turned them down. As Cena began to actually get outside opportunities, sure enough his opinion of Rock&#8217;s decisions changed. There are differences, as certainly Cena put in many more full times with WWE than Rock did. I also think as Cena matured and began to see\u00a0the eventual end of his full in-ring days and physical ability to keep up the schedule, he saw that the brand would go on without him, so he needed to plan his post-WWE in-ring career path too.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2022On why his opinion of Rock&#8217;s foray into movies changed: \u201cWe have our blinders on, sometimes, in these daily situations of life, and, to me, my thing was, \u2018Hey man, as a fan, I loved you performing in this venue all the time, you left us high and dry, why aren\u2019t you back here? It\u2019s obvious you\u2019re still healthy and obvious you\u2019re still capable.\u2019 On the other side of the fence, I didn\u2019t see the man who is so driven to crush the stereotype of \u2018pro wrestlers are just pro wrestlers, and they can do nothing more, period.\u2019 Here we are, when Rock left in 2002, it didn\u2019t happen overnight for him, and through fifteen years of hard work, he is the number one box office draw in the world. There is not more of a foot in the ground that you can stake your claim in and say, \u2018WWE Superstars are so much more than WWE Superstars, and here\u2019s proof.\u2019 I was foolish and ignorant to not see that, because I just wanted him, selfishly, on\u00a0Monday Night Raw\u00a0and on\u00a0Smackdown Live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2022On his belief that he goading and guilting Rock into returning helped WWE ultimately:\u00a0\u201cI like the fact that I talked enough trash that he eventually came back, and he hasn\u2019t really left.\u00a0He periodically shows up, and the fans love him now, and they always have\u2014it\u2019s just that he\u2019s around a little bit more. At the same time, I\u2019ve apologized to him in person, I\u2019ve apologized to him publicly. I was completely wrong in the approach that I took. It was one-sided and selfish, and I\u2019m glad the way it worked out, but I apologize for not being able to see his side of the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Keller&#8217;s Analysis: That&#8217;s the furthest\u00a0Cena has gone\u00a0in detailing expressing his regret for his public criticism of Rock leaving WWE. He seemed to catch himself in saying in one breath, he &#8220;came back&#8221; and then clarifying he never really left, it&#8217;s just that he comes around more often now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He also talked about how Rock has changed the perception of pro wrestlers (well, &#8220;WWE Superstars,&#8221; but same thing really) and how fun the Saturday Night Live experience was. Check out the full article <a href=\"http:\/\/www.si.com\/extra-mustard\/2017\/02\/27\/john-cena-aj-styles-rock-nintendo?xid=socialflow_twitter_si\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CHECK OUT THIS RECENT ARTICLE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/02\/23\/interview-highlights-christopher-daniels-talks-samoa-joe-landing-wwe-push-roh-status-tna\/\">Interview Highlights: Christopher Daniels talks about Samoa Joe landing in WWE, his push in ROH, status of TNA, more<\/a><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2688491879\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3207536777\"><div id=\"pwtor-2572444084\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The following are highlights with analysis of John Cena&#8217;s new interview with\u00a0Justin Barrasso published by Sports Illustrated today. \u2022In response to criticism that his 16th World Title reign was only two weeks:\u00a0\u201cTo rebut the two-week, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/02\/27\/interview-highlights-john-cena-talks-role-mixed-tag-match-wrestlemania-left-off-last-years-wm-regretting-rock-comments-wkellers-analysis\/\" title=\"Interview Highlights: Cena talks about mixed-tag match at WrestleMania, being left off last year&#8217;s WM, regretting Rock comments, more (w\/Keller&#8217;s Analysis)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,2,3],"tags":[90,116,974,294,133,1724,1138,2112],"class_list":["post-39307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-prowrestlingnews","category-news_wwe","tag-aj-styles","tag-john-cena","tag-nikki-bella","tag-the-rock","tag-wm32","tag-wm33","tag-wrestlemania-32","tag-wrestlemania-33"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CenaJohnWK5_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39307"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39313,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39307\/revisions\/39313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}