While WrestleMania 34 will always be remembered as Ronda Rousey’s event, one of the lasting images will be John Cena sitting amongst the crowd. And according to Cena, this was an idea he had to fight for.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the 16-time World Champion lifted the curtain behind WWE’s creative process.
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“There were reservations about me in the audience. Originally, they wanted me to go out in the crowd for 10 minutes. I said, ‘Absolutely not. I need a ticket, a physical ticket, I need a real seat, and I am going out in that arena when the doors open.
Cena says that by him infiltrating the real world of a WWE audience, this helped him tell a better story with The Undertaker.
“It was rewarding to make an unbelievable moment believable. I also thought it was a great way to reintroduce an iconic character and let the audience know that character still exists and thrives, erasing all speculative activity that this character is gone,” he said.
Cena and Undertaker’s match was expected to be short, but the 2:46 runtime came as a surprise. As with most big WWE matches, Cena and Taker’s Superdome tussle drew criticism. However, Cena is paying the negativity no mind.
“I did not do well in this match. My ‘WrestleMania Moment’ was to spend the time in the crowd and not do well in a very short performance, but I loved it because it got the job done,” said Cena.
Cena went on the elaborate on the goals of his and Taker’s tale. For Cena, it was never about him, instead, the drama was supposed to center around The Deadman’s return.
“The focus was not me, the focus was someone else. Often times, we look at things so selfishly, asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ Well, what was in it for me was the chance to reintroduce a WWE icon. I had to stretch the suspension of disbelief to its breaking point to do it, but it was awesome. Every single week, the crowd would chant at the top of its lungs and no one thought I would be sitting in the crowd at WrestleMania, but I was able to do that. I was able to go out and be handily defeated in three minutes and bring back an icon,” explained Cena.
Both Cena and The Undertaker appeared three weeks later at the Greatest Royal Rumble. But we have yet to lay eyes on them since. Cena has been vocal about his lifelong commitment to WWE, but expect him to stay out o the ring for a while—likley until SummerSlam.
For Taker, rumors have him competing up to five times in 2018. However, his return is even harder to project and mystery has always been a crucial part of his character.
