WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) recently revealed what he told former chairman Vince McMahon about John Cena during the 16-time World Champion’s early days in the company.
The Leader of the Nation made his main roster debut on SmackDown in 2002. Over the next few years, he shared the ring with several heavyweights including Kurt Angle, The Big Show, and Eddie Guerrero. In early 2005, Cena feuded with JBL before defeating him at WrestleMania 21 to capture his first WWE Championship.
During the latest episode of Table for 3 with JBL, Booker T and Rey Mysterio, JBL addressed working with Cena, saying that he was comfortable from day one.
“You know Cena from day one, you know, it’s a different match going from eight minutes to 30 minutes. Thirty minutes is tough. You have to play your part and some guys can never make that transition yes, i think he could have a longer match first with kurt angle, one of the greatest of all time, but if not i was the second guy to take on cena for 30 minutes. that first day from the start It was easy.” [1:14- 1:35]
The Hall of Famer recalled Vince McMahon asking him about Cena, revealing that he told the former chairman that the leader of the Sensation was “amazingly awful”.
“I remember Vince asking me, he goes, ‘How’s he?’ I said, ‘That kid is amazing.’ I mean he’s great. And he was from the beginning. He went into deep water and a lot of people drowned,” he said [1:36 – 1:47]
A former superstar recently explained why John Cena always got “violently ill” on tour. See his comment here.
Booker T on how John Cena was in his early WWE days
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T also spoke about John Cena’s rise to stardom during the same episode of Table for 3. The former World Heavyweight Champion revealed that Cena usually listens to more experienced superstars.
The Hall of Famer also believes that Cena became successful because he worked with legends like himself.
“John was so easy to work with because one of the things I loved most about John was how well he listened. He wasn’t the guy who wanted to say anything. He just wanted to listen so that He could get better. It was as if he was mentally writing down everything you were saying and storing it. And we saw what John Cena became. I thought it was the tree of learning It’s part of sitting down. You know, working with yourself, working with people like me,” Booker T said. [0:36 – 1:14]
Some women of WWE have admitted to having crushes on John Cena. View the list here.