Post by King:$noopy on Apr 1, 2006 7:44:56 GMT -5
John Cena Interview
Wrestlemania, Triple H, and Smackdown vs. Raw 2007.
by Jon Robinson
March 30, 2006 -
"John Cena is somebody who can help keep the art form alive and can carry the football for 15-20 years."
Those were the words of The Immortal Hulk Hogan when talking about passing the torch to the next generation. When I told Cena what Hogan said, the champ actually seemed choked up at the flattering words of his idol, then started laughing. "I just hope he told Vince that," Cena said. "Maybe they could hook me up with a 20 year contract."
We both laugh for a second, then Cena starts to reflect back on Hogan's words.
"To come from a guy who I totally, totally idolized and looked up to, not only as a role model, but as a superhero, that's some amazing stuff to hear. Five years ago when I was working at Gold's Gym 90 hours a week, I never would've imagined any of this."
And the stage just keeps getting bigger and bigger for Cena as he prepares for the biggest match of his career so far, wrestling in the main event against another living legend, Triple H.
Can Cena live up to the potential, the hype, and the belt around his waist?
Find out this Sunday at Wrestlemania. Until then, read on to find the champ's thoughts on his main event, getting booed, and the new game, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007.
IGN Sports: Last year at Wrestlemania, you beat Bradshaw for the title. This year you're defending the belt against Triple H. What has the year-long ride up to this point been like for you?
John Cena: Busy, absolutely busy…but I've enjoyed every moment of it. You talk to a lot of guys who have never had the chance to be a champion, and when they win a championship, they don't know exactly what they're in for. You talk to a lot of guys, and some guys will even tell you it was a breath of fresh air when they finally lose the title because they finally get to rest and get a little time off. But Jon, I have to tell you, I welcome this with open arms. This is what I've been waiting for my entire life. I love traveling the world, meeting new people, and letting WWE fans know that the champ is out doing his thing and trying to spread the good word of WWE. I love the feeling of being the ambassador for the company.
IGN Sports: You've had a lot of trash talking episodes with Triple H leading up to your match. Do you ever leave the ring feeling like George Costanza and the jerk store, kicking yourself about the comeback you should've said but didn't think about in time?
John Cena: No because if there's one thing, I've never been in much conflict with Hunter from the physical standpoint, but I do know what he's about, and I know he's one of the most witty dudes on the face of the planet. I've been known to get my little war of the words down, so best believe, if I know something is going to go down on the mic, I need to make sure I'm at the top of my game. And a lot of that stuff you see on Raw is very real, it's very spur of the moment, and it's very impromptu as Hunter is so famous for, and I like that. That's when I'm at my best.
IGN Sports: Is that where your freestyle rapping comes into play, enabling you to come up with lines so quick?
John Cena: I think so. It's different when you're spitting freestyle because you need to make it hook and rhyme and a lot of the stuff is projected at how the person looks or carries themselves, whereas Hunter is so well known for so many things that he does, there's a lot more material, but it's not so up front and in your face. This is a very important deal for me. I'm not just trying to earn the respect of the fans, but I'm trying to throw a few shots his way. You might hear a few things that I say to him and see a little twinkle in his eye, but nobody else is going to get it. It's something I'm saying specifically to him. To me, though, this is all great because for a while, it's like they took the mic out of my hands. They want to make me go out there and earn it, and I totally don't mind that because I love being in the ring, but a lot of people remember me for the entertainment aspect of the business. In fact, they remember the entertainment aspect so much, that when I gave The Big Show the F-U the other night or when I caught Edge over my head in mid-air, a lot of cats were like 'Dude, the kid is strong'. When I started, I was showcased as the strong guy, but I've been talking so much and the way I carry myself with the baggy clothes, a lot of people sleep on that.
IGN Sports: You mentioned The Big Show. I didn't think there was any way you were getting him up, let alone holding him like you did.
John Cena: You and everybody else. I'm begging anybody to watch that back and tell me that I didn't lift him and hold him on my back. I honestly didn't know it was going to go down like that. Show is legitimately 550 pounds of human. That's not squat weight, that's human weight. I didn't know if I was going to be able to lift him like that, but once I lifted him, I wanted to hold him to let everyone know, don't sleep on your boy as an athlete. I can talk the talk, but best believe, I can walk the walk
Wrestlemania, Triple H, and Smackdown vs. Raw 2007.
by Jon Robinson
March 30, 2006 -
"John Cena is somebody who can help keep the art form alive and can carry the football for 15-20 years."
Those were the words of The Immortal Hulk Hogan when talking about passing the torch to the next generation. When I told Cena what Hogan said, the champ actually seemed choked up at the flattering words of his idol, then started laughing. "I just hope he told Vince that," Cena said. "Maybe they could hook me up with a 20 year contract."
We both laugh for a second, then Cena starts to reflect back on Hogan's words.
"To come from a guy who I totally, totally idolized and looked up to, not only as a role model, but as a superhero, that's some amazing stuff to hear. Five years ago when I was working at Gold's Gym 90 hours a week, I never would've imagined any of this."
And the stage just keeps getting bigger and bigger for Cena as he prepares for the biggest match of his career so far, wrestling in the main event against another living legend, Triple H.
Can Cena live up to the potential, the hype, and the belt around his waist?
Find out this Sunday at Wrestlemania. Until then, read on to find the champ's thoughts on his main event, getting booed, and the new game, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007.
IGN Sports: Last year at Wrestlemania, you beat Bradshaw for the title. This year you're defending the belt against Triple H. What has the year-long ride up to this point been like for you?
John Cena: Busy, absolutely busy…but I've enjoyed every moment of it. You talk to a lot of guys who have never had the chance to be a champion, and when they win a championship, they don't know exactly what they're in for. You talk to a lot of guys, and some guys will even tell you it was a breath of fresh air when they finally lose the title because they finally get to rest and get a little time off. But Jon, I have to tell you, I welcome this with open arms. This is what I've been waiting for my entire life. I love traveling the world, meeting new people, and letting WWE fans know that the champ is out doing his thing and trying to spread the good word of WWE. I love the feeling of being the ambassador for the company.
IGN Sports: You've had a lot of trash talking episodes with Triple H leading up to your match. Do you ever leave the ring feeling like George Costanza and the jerk store, kicking yourself about the comeback you should've said but didn't think about in time?
John Cena: No because if there's one thing, I've never been in much conflict with Hunter from the physical standpoint, but I do know what he's about, and I know he's one of the most witty dudes on the face of the planet. I've been known to get my little war of the words down, so best believe, if I know something is going to go down on the mic, I need to make sure I'm at the top of my game. And a lot of that stuff you see on Raw is very real, it's very spur of the moment, and it's very impromptu as Hunter is so famous for, and I like that. That's when I'm at my best.
IGN Sports: Is that where your freestyle rapping comes into play, enabling you to come up with lines so quick?
John Cena: I think so. It's different when you're spitting freestyle because you need to make it hook and rhyme and a lot of the stuff is projected at how the person looks or carries themselves, whereas Hunter is so well known for so many things that he does, there's a lot more material, but it's not so up front and in your face. This is a very important deal for me. I'm not just trying to earn the respect of the fans, but I'm trying to throw a few shots his way. You might hear a few things that I say to him and see a little twinkle in his eye, but nobody else is going to get it. It's something I'm saying specifically to him. To me, though, this is all great because for a while, it's like they took the mic out of my hands. They want to make me go out there and earn it, and I totally don't mind that because I love being in the ring, but a lot of people remember me for the entertainment aspect of the business. In fact, they remember the entertainment aspect so much, that when I gave The Big Show the F-U the other night or when I caught Edge over my head in mid-air, a lot of cats were like 'Dude, the kid is strong'. When I started, I was showcased as the strong guy, but I've been talking so much and the way I carry myself with the baggy clothes, a lot of people sleep on that.
IGN Sports: You mentioned The Big Show. I didn't think there was any way you were getting him up, let alone holding him like you did.
John Cena: You and everybody else. I'm begging anybody to watch that back and tell me that I didn't lift him and hold him on my back. I honestly didn't know it was going to go down like that. Show is legitimately 550 pounds of human. That's not squat weight, that's human weight. I didn't know if I was going to be able to lift him like that, but once I lifted him, I wanted to hold him to let everyone know, don't sleep on your boy as an athlete. I can talk the talk, but best believe, I can walk the walk
