Ex-WWE star opens up on pinning John Cena multiple times
WWE gave John Cena some of the biggest matches and rivalries during his prime. Anyone who managed to go over Cena received a massive push by simply pinning the 16-time champion. Former WWE star PJ Black (aka Justin Gabriel) was one of the few lucky stars to have pinned John Cena in the ring.
In 2010, the Nexus came to life and destroyed everything in its path to make a statement. Cena was the biggest hurdle in the faction’s way, and PJ Black benefited from competing against him occasionally.
While the 16-time champion was almost undefeatable in the ring at the time, the company gave members of the Nexus a few wins over him. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the storyline was PJ Black.
Speaking to PWMania.com's Ari Barkan, Black revealed that he enjoyed pinning John Cena multiple times in the ring.
"Oh, that was pretty cool. I think I believe that happened more than once. Especially at live events, that happened for like six months straight up. I got to write and I got to work with John, you know, like for months, and that was really, really cool. You know, regardless of what people say about him, he is a master at his craft. He knows this business inside and out. Like I learned so much from him. And it was an honor to be there with him," Black said.
The company released PJ Black in 2015 after he worked against John Cena a few times. He has since competed in many different promotions, especially IMPACT Wrestling and Ring of Honor, but hasn’t had a memorable run after departing WWE.
PJ Black's South African roots may have played a part in him pinning John Cena in WWE
WWE has always welcomed wrestlers from around the globe to perform in the company. This has allowed many international stars like Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and Asuka to make it big in the promotion.
In the same interview, PJ Black added that he was probably more capable in the ring than many others, and that’s why he got a chance to pin John Cena. The fact that he was the only South African Superstar may have added to his resume.
"You know, and, and I don’t know why I got so many chances. I guess I was, for lack of a better term, more capable than anyone else in my group to have those kinds of matches…it was a fun time," he said. "It was really cool. And, you know, coming from South Africa, I was the only South African who’s ever made it. You know, I remember being a kid and my mom was like, 'No one from South Africa has ever made it' and I was like 'Great, then I’ll be the first.' So wrestling is incredibly big in South Africa right now it’s the third biggest market in the world. Many people don’t know this."
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We can't ignore the fact that South Africa produced some of the best wrestlers in WWE who wrestled among the elites such as Roman Reigns and John Cena 👍😀. 🇿🇦🇿🇦. Proudly South African .Adam Rose, Justin Gabriel. @WWE @darewolf333 @MATTHARDYBRAND @WWENXT https://t.co/8iNMjF9MAP
It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for PJ Black. He could return to WWE sometime down the road as he still has a few years of wrestling left in him.
Do you think John Cena helped PJ Black's career? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.