John Cena Buries His Reputation for Burying Other WWE Talent

I usually write my own headline when posting news from other sources, but goddamn that one was too good not to use.

John Cena spoke to The Wrap and when they asked him about the promo battle between himself and The Miz in the lead up to Wrestlemania, he had this to say:

If you look at my existence in WWE, I have never asked anyone and will never ask anyone to pull any punches. I believe that it’s a ‘Strong Survive’ environment, and accept nothing less. I think people forget my [history] in WWE sometimes and the fact that I truly had to earn every inch. There is this overwhelming perception that I am protected and coddled — that couldn’t be father from the truth.

…

This is why I have the reputation of quote-unquote “burying younger talent,” because I will let them do whatever they want with me — and then after they get done, they’re not as motivated. So, it’s not that I sink their ship, it’s that they fail to operate at an elite level. And I’m on to the next person, [to] whom I say, “Hey man, bring your best punch and I’m gonna punch back” — and they don’t take that attitude beyond me.

I take that approach to everyone. The Miz story couldn’t be a better example of that, because when that story started … no one wanted to see that match. No one. I made it a point to have everyone work as hard as they could to change everyone’s mind. And now here you are, months after the fact, saying that was one of the most entertaining things done on television. That just goes to show you that it’s all just about how much you’re willing to invest and how strongly you believe in what you want to do.

I mean, Miz was on fire before the Cena feud, so it might not be the best example. But it does sound like Cena wants to correct the record on some of his reputation, so we could hear more about this in the future.