The GENRE ONLINE Interview - WWE Superstar John Cena

The GENRE ONLINE Interview – WWE Superstar John Cena

By Mark Rivera

At a time when World Wrestling Entertainment began to feel rather generic because of a lack of new and electrifying talent along the lines of such WWE greats as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker, John Cena lit up the ring as a standout with a mix of legitimate stage presence, charisma, and fighting skill. His character would often enter the ring and cut promos in rhyme. His gimmick was that of a street rapper free styling rhymes he would make up on the spot and then start brawling against his opponents. Personally I felt at the time that John Cena was one of the few Professional Wrestlers that were actively in the WWE that was interesting and funny during this era. He is a natural talent in the field with the title of three time WWE Champion, which he held the third time for 380 days, making it the sixth longest reign in the title’s history. Mr. Cena is also a three-time United States Champion and a One-Time World Tag Team Champion.

Mr. Cena starred in the WWE Twentieth Century Fox Co-Production, The Marine and has appeared in numerous television programs outside of the WWE’s own weekly programming that include Manhunt, Deal Or No Deal, MADTV, and Punk’D. He also released a rap album entitled You Can’t See Me that debuted at number 15 on the Billboard US Top 200 chart. Mr. Cena has a new three-disc DVD set entitled John Cena: My Life, which is being distributed through Genius Products and will street on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. Taking some time out before going to physical therapy for an injury in he received in the ring that will leave him inactive for a few weeks, John Cena was gracious, down to Earth and honest in a roundtable conference call interview where several journalists, including myself were free to ask him questions and he openly and honestly answered every single question asked directly and with humility too. I have not watched the WWE’s programs in a few years quite honestly so my questions are more general than some of the wrestling publications present, but regardless of who he spoke to, I was truly impressed by his honesty and character.

Mark Rivera) As a professional wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment we know there is entertainment value that is preconceived before anyone enters the ring and yet we all know that you guys really do take some bumps and sometimes and unfortunately whether it is meant to be exhibition or a title match, sometimes the wrestlers or athletes wrestle hard. How do you deal with this when you’re in the ring and you can be either with a newcomer or a seasoned professional and they start becoming more aggressive in the ring during the match than perhaps was expected?

John Cena) There are so many styles of wrestling and everyone has their talents. There are some that do tricks in the ring that are acrobatic and there are some people that are just really good at beating people up. I can’t say I’ve met too many people who are as physical in the ring as I am. I’m not known for my high flying. So I guess I would be one of the more rough guys to get in the ring with. You have to understand when you get involved in our business, I make a lot of comparisons to what we do to what occurs in the NFL Some Defensive Backs are known for their coverage and some Defensive Backs are known as hard hitters and it is all part of the game. You’ll go up against guys who will bring it to you and you’ll go up against guys who have a different sort of style. You should know full well before you get in the ring that something can happen. I mean right now I’m nursing back to health a torn pectoral muscle and I still have about five more months of rehab before I can get back in the ring. I don’t blame anyone. I don’t flip the finger at who I was in the ring with or even myself because it’s one of those things that happen in our industry.

Rivera) I used to watch the WWE a lot and I have to say that the introduction of your character was probably one of the most dynamic introductions because you came in at a time after the brand extensions where they made some characters go to RAW and some characters go to Smackdown and the characters started to become too generic and you came out and brought something fresh and new. At the time you were introduced there were wrestlers that put out that hip-hop image or persona and people knew them. How did the decision come about for you personally to show the world that not only are you a great wrestler, but also use my talent as a free style rapper to make myself even better known in the ring?

Cena) Like you said for lack of a better term, it was a very generic time for the WWE. The company was in transition. There’s a lot of waiting in our industry and one of the thing I do to pass the time is just rap. The creative department got wind of this and it just became an exploitation of a hobby. It gave me some identity and it started as a complete joke, but they let me run with it.

Rivera) Well that is what made me like you personally I used to watch the show with friends and we caught you right away as being a guy who was good and interesting and you brought humor to it. At this point do they consider you a “Face” or hero character or a “Heel” or villain character? Sometimes when they experiment switching people over to being the heel or whatnot it doesn’t always work and also in your film The Marine you played a hero character and there was a lot of humor in that. Do you have any say to how your character is developed now that you have become more of an established star?

Cena) No matter how established you are, you do have a lot of say, but the problem with our industry that occurs in any industry that showcases talent is people are afraid to take risks. They work hard to make it to a certain level so I’m never, never satisfied with just staying in one place even as the WWE becomes more and more successful, I believe there’s always a place where we can go, where we can grow, where I personally can go to another level so I’m constantly trying to redefine myself whether it be through actions or just how I speak or the type of character. The hip-hop thing is just one facet of my personality. Right now it’s really easy to develop my character because I started with a very one-dimensional character. I dressed the part, I looked the part, and I was the part. Now after three or four years of acclimating, I’ve been able to walk out there and just be me and have a great time.

Rivera) With regard to WWE: John Cena: My Life that streets Tuesday, November 13, 2007, if there is one thing you want to get across to your fans for both the kids as well as your adult fans what would that be with regard to this new video that they do not already know or any special message you’d like to get across to your fans?

Cena) Well I think the WWE does a good job of creating characters and identities. The DVD gives a lot of testimonials. It’s not just me sitting in a chair. The great thing of the format of the DVD is that I don’t say anything. You get testimony from six of my college friends, my peers, people I’m in business with, It’s not me talking about my life, it’s others talking about my life. The people I grew up around.

Rivera) While you are out of the ring, are their any other creative endeavors you are going to be working on? Do you think you might write a book? Not necessarily about your personal life. I mean Mick Foley does children’s books.

Cena) I’m not sure about books. I’m really a better talker than I am a writer. As for creative endeavors right now? I’m actually in the process of reviewing scripts for a couple of feature projects that could start as soon as February.

Big thanks to John Cena and the WWE as well as Genius Products and the folks who made this interview possible.

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