"All earned, nothing given" - Top AEW star sends heartfelt message to WWE legend John Cena while recalling their decades-old match
AEW star Frankie Kazarian recently took a trip down memory lane to talk about his match against WWE legend John Cena.
Kazarian may not have reached superstardom throughout his career, but he is a 24-year wrestling veteran in the industry. Having carved an unmatched legacy in TNA, now known as IMPACT Wrestling, Kaz has stood toe-to-toe against some of the best stars of his generation. John Cena, who many people call the epitome of sports entertainment, once faced the AEW star.
Earlier today, a Twitter user posted a throwback photo of the match between Kazarian and Cena, dating back to their time in Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) in 2003. The former SCU member came across the tweet and retweeted it with a heartfelt message for The Cenation Leader.
Kazarian called Cena a "consummate professional" who had risen through the ranks to earn everything in his career:
"Since day one, @JohnCena was a consummate professional. Very early on, and still to this day, nobody worked harder than John. On everything. All earned, nothing given," Kazarian tweeted.
πΌ twitter.com/khalafsammy/stβ¦
Since day one, @JohnCena was a consummate professional. Very early on, and still to this day, nobody worked harder than John. On everything. All earned, nothing given.ππΌ twitter.com/khalafsammy/stβ¦
In one of the rare matches between the two men that night, Kazarian defeated Cena by disqualification.
Since their last and only match, the two veterans have never crossed each other's paths. After a brief stint with WWE, Kazarian thrived under TNA's umbrella and became the company's mainstay for years.
Meanwhile, The Franchise Player's popularity continued to rise in WWE as he became the poster boy for the promotion.
Now that the 45-year-old legend has made the jump to Hollywood, subsequently becoming a part-time WWE star, it is unlikely that fans will see a rematch between the two men anytime soon.
What does John Cena think about AEW?
@JohnCena
Happy Birthday to my Goat, the reason I watch wrestling my childhood hero π @JohnCena https://t.co/piOiJthLT9
John Cena has always been very outspoken. He recently didn't mince words when asked about his thoughts on the emergence of AEW.
The Cenation Leader stated that while he doesn't watch AEW, he does think competition is healthy for the wrestling business:
"I haven't watched AEW. Do I think competition is good? I think competition is great... Whenever there is more buzz around the industry, it's good for the industry. It forces all of us to be at our best because if you're not, your segment is not good or your performance is not good, you may not have a future with the company and repeated bad segments from the group means the company isn't going to be good, which means the competition must succeed. Competition brings out the best in us," Cena said.
John Cena recently missed WrestleMania 38, citing his busy schedule in Hollywood. The veteran's last match came at SummerSlam 2021, where he failed to dethrone WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
What do you make of Frankie Kazarian's tweet? Sound off in the comments section below.