"He beat the hell out of me" – When John Cena learned a harsh lesson from former WWE Champion
John Cena burst onto the WWE scene as a member of the SmackDown roster in 2002. Despite his undeniable talent and bright future, it took several years for the Ruthless Aggression era star to earn the respect of his co-workers.
One of Cena's biggest career moments occurred in 2005 when he captured his first WWE Championship from John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) at WrestleMania 21. A month later, he retained the title against the same opponent in a brutal "I Quit" match at Judgment Day.
Cena appeared on the June 6, 2005, episode of Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. He discussed the brutal Judgment Day encounter with JBL, which caused him to lose a lot of blood:
"If you've seen us go at it before, we've gone at it a bunch, he beat the hell out of me," Cena said. "And it's one of those things where he's a traditionalist and I'm not. I take things the other way. It p****d off a lot of people, and JBL's one of the people who protects wrestling and he just wants to make sure I'm not in it for a quick fix."
It's been 16 years since John Cena introduced this belt.
I was.never a big fan of it but I know a generation of fans it's *the* WWE Championship design they think of.
What were your feelings on the Spinner WWE Championship? https://t.co/IDS6AGmZke
Cena picked up his WWE spinner title to highlight how he wanted to take wrestling in a different direction. He also referenced the fact that he did not plan to grow long hair or wear classic wrestling attire, such as boots and tights.
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John Cena wanted to win over his doubters
After two decades in the wrestling business, John Cena is widely regarded as one of the best WWE Superstars in history. The company even markets the 45-year-old as "the greatest of all time."
April 3rd 2005, WrestleMania 21. John Cena beat JBL to win the WWE Title. @JohnCena #WWENetwork #WWE http://t.co/13boxHpNW1
Cena also acknowledged in the interview that many legends of the industry disliked his approach to wrestling:
"I bring a lot different to the table than the traditional wrestler, and I get judged by the people before me who built this business, who respect this business, and they see me as wanting to change everything they built for the worse. I believe I'm changing it for the better, so I've gotta take my lumps along that process. And once I pass each one of those levels, I get a new-found respect from people."
It is fair to say that a lot of legends have changed their minds about John Cena, including JBL. The WWE Hall of Famer said in 2022 that he wants his former opponent to break Ric Flair's record of 16 world title victories.
Do you think John Cena changed wrestling for the better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Please credit Off the Record and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.