When John Cena won hearts for his reaction to Shinsuke Nakamura's character-breaking apology after scary botch, Vince McMahon was furious!
There is a reason why John Cena is one of the most universally respected performers in professional wrestling. He showed exactly why during his first-ever singles match against Shinsuke Nakamura back in 2017.
Despite having little to no build-up to the dream showdown, fans were still quite excited to see the Japanese legend square off against The Cenation Leader. The match was held on the August 1st episode of SmackDown nearly six years ago. The bout, as expected, was a compelling affair as both men brought their A-game, with Shinsuke Nakamura getting one of the biggest wins of his career with a Kinshasa.
The match, however, is remembered for an entirely different reason. During the match, John Cena was close to suffering a potentially serious injury after getting dropped on his head by Nakamura. The King of Strong Style countered an Attitude Adjustment into a back suplex, which unfortunately ended with Cena taking a scary bump.
As reported by Sports Illustrated at the time, Vince McMahon was "furious" backstage. The Executive Chairman could not stand seeing the 16-time world champion almost breaking his neck from an unforeseen mishap.
Shinsuke Nakamura was in the midst of a massive push in 2017, and thankfully for him, McMahon did not wholly give up the superstar's main event run.
In an attempt to put his rival over after the match, Cena offered a handshake after the finish to Nakamura, who was visibly remorseful about the botched back suplex. The former NJPW star was seemingly heard apologizing for the apparent mistake, and John Cena responded by telling Nakamura that he had no reason to be sorry.
"I'm Sorry"
"Don't be sorry"
Class act 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/2585tKDfVo
The post-match exchange increased Cena's reputation for being one of the nicest guys in the wrestling industry. Many other wrestlers would have ideally been angry about being involved in unsafe spots. Ask Roman Reigns about it, who was reportedly pretty annoyed after a botch in a major match.
Cena carried on as if nothing had happened. Although Nakamura himself is a well-admired veteran of the business, he would have breathed a sigh of relief over the Hollywood star's reassuring response.
What's in store for John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura during WrestleMania 39 season?
A WrestleMania in Hollywood could not be booked without John Cena's presence, and it's no surprise that he will kick off the main card action on night one.
The 45-year-old superstar will challenge Austin Theory for the United States title, and most fans have high hopes for the long-awaited clash. While the young star might be the favorite to retain, a sixth US Championship reign should not be ruled out for Cena if he decides to stick around on WWE TV. Given his hectic schedule, John Cena is expected to lose to Theory before going on another hiatus.
The former WWE Champion is a major player heading into the biggest wrestling show of the year. But the same can't be said about Shinsuke Nakamura, who last wrestled for the company at a live event at the end of January.
His absence, however, should not raise concerns amongst fans about his WWE future, as Triple H might have big plans for the 43-year-old after WrestleMania. Nakamura could be in line for a much-needed career resurgence post-Mania. Few reports have stated that The Game wishes to "revitalize" the superstar during a phase when fresh storylines are introduced to WWE programming.