"Vince hated anybody being compared to John Cena," reveals former WWE star; Roman Reigns was an exception (Exclusive)
Roman Reigns' initial rise in WWE happened under Vince McMahon's watch, and it seems like The Tribal Chief was among the select few seen as the heir to John Cena. EC3 has revealed that McMahon hated it when anyone was compared to the Franchise Player.
Vince McMahon pushed several superstars in the WWE who defined eras and carried the company through important phases. John Cena probably had one of the most significant impacts on World Wrestling Entertainment's business.
For years, it was said that WWE would never actively present someone in the same vein as John Cena, but that perception may have changed with the way Roman Reigns' career has panned out.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws, Ethan Carter III recalled how Vince McMahon disliked anybody being compared to John Cena. Carter, however, found it oddly funny that Roman Reigns might have been the only wrestling star to have been compared to Cena by the promotion's former CEO.
"Vince also hated, to my recollection, anybody being compared to John Cena. So, it's funny that he would compare Roman to him. Roman obviously was the next 'The guy,' but I do remember," EC3 revealed. [From 8:20 onwards]
Vince Russo comments on Vince McMahon and Bryan Danielson's WWE title reign
Apart from Roman Reigns, there was also a time when Bryan Danielson (fka Daniel Bryan) was seen as the natural successor to John Cena due to their strong babyface connection with the fans.
Daniel Bryan became World Champion after the fanbase forced the company to pull the trigger on a well-deserved moment at WrestleMania 30. However, Danielson's reign went nowhere, as he recently revealed Vince McMahon actually planned on making Roman Reigns the top guy, a role John Cena had previously held for years.
Vince Russo was shocked that McMahon would outrightly tell Danielson that he wasn't going to be champion for long and that their real goal was to prepare Roman Reigns for the spot left vacant by Cena. Russo explained from a psychological standpoint:
"Think about this and the psychology of that, too. That makes absolutely no sense because you would think Vince would be a master psychologist. Why would you tell somebody you're going to take the belt off of them? Now they've got no incentive. If Daniel Bryan didn't know, now he is working his a** off for them to keep the belt on him. From a psychological standpoint, that makes zero sense." [From 11:58 to 12:16]
Roman Reigns and Bryan Danielson are currently top names in WWE and AEW, respectively, while John Cena, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, prepares for an epic retirement tour in 2025.
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