WWE Slammy winner reveals the dark side of John Cena
In a recent interview with WrestlingInc, former WWE star Michael Tarver opened up about his ongoing war with John Cena which traces it roots back several years, stemming from an incident involving Cena fracturing Tarver’s arm with a chair during a pay per view and then laughing about thing incident backstage – which was highlighted by Tarver on his Facebook account.
On his issues with Cena, Tarver said: "We got along, but we didn't get along. I didn't take back what I said. It was true. The way I said it came off the wrong way and wrestling fans are not the most honest people in the world. They basically took it and ran with it and made it whatever they wanted to be, so it became 'Michael Tarver accuses John Cena of trying to hurt him.' I was going through a bad personal situation, went to social media, mentioned John Cena, but the whole thing was about my ex"
Tarver noted that Cena’s recklessness and not the injury is what initially caused the beef.
"I wasn't accusing him of doing it on purpose, he was being reckless and took liberties, but he didn't pick up a chair to fracture my arm. It happened because he wasn't careful. Outside of that, it was business, we weren't great friends," said the former Nexus member.
The 38-year-old hypothesised that Cena may have perceived him as a threat.
"I could tell he saw something in me, saw some talent," Tarver said. "Every time he came to FCW he'd pull me aside, and point that out to me. When the top dog sees something in you, it's either good for you or bad for you.
“He can either choose to work with you, or chop your legs from under you to keep you from taking his spot. Not to say I could or would ever take John Cena's spot. I definitely had something way more to offer than the wrestling fans got to see, because people in WWE knew it and confirmed it on a weekly basis. I'm happy with knowing that this man and Dusty Rhodes, bless his soul, knew. Who better to know?"
In his three-year stint with WWE, Tarver made his name on the debut season of NXT, while a part of the Nexus, and even won a Slammy Award for the Shocker of The Year, courtesy of his debut with the group.