WWE officials compared former star to John Cena; he confirms: "That's one thing that really hampered me" (Exclusive)
Many pro wrestlers have been likened to the man who WWE refers to as the Greatest of All Time, John Cena. EC3 recently recalled being compared to the Franchise Player and Vince McMahon's reaction during a production meeting.
John Cena's debut coincided with the beginning of the Ruthless Aggression era, and, after a meteoric rise, he became WWE's main event player for more than a decade.
While WWE has produced multiple talents who've turned into big draws since then, the promotion might not have found an outright heir to Cena. EC3, who had multiple stints in the WWE, revealed that he had qualities similar to those of Cena during his NXT stint.
While speaking on The Wrestling Outlaws, Ethan Carter III stated that he was told about the comparisons to the wrestler-turned-actor, to which Vince McMahon had a rather predictable response.
Carter also believed the people in WWE drawing parallels between him and Cena hindered his rise. The former WWE star recalled:
"Even I had John Cena comparisons when I was coming up from NXT. I think that's one thing that really hampered me. Handsome, short-haired, good-looking, hard-worker, great worker, but also, you know, I kind of moved weird sometimes, and I get it. So, I had those comparisons, and I remember in a production meeting, I was being told, 'Yeah, someone compared you to Cena.' And Vince went, 'Nobody is going to be John Cena. Nobody.'" [8:35 - 9:17]
Details of John Cena's retirement tour in WWE
There is still some time left until it commences, but Cena's last year in wrestling will inarguably be the biggest story in the business.
During a recent interview with Collider, the former WWE World Champion revealed that his much-hyped retirement tour will begin in January 2025 and end in December, during which he will commit to 36 dates.
The Cenation Leader plans on traveling the globe with WWE one last time before he hangs up his boots for good, and fans are salivating at the long list of dream matches in store for him.
While he might be considered the GOAT, another in-ring chapter is bound to have some historic surprises.
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