In a move very few professional wrestling fans had on their 2023 bingo cards, John Cena and MJF appeared together at the premiere for the latter's film The Iron Claw, looking buddy-buddy and even shaking hands as the duo celebrate transcending the squared-circle to become legitimate movie stars.
Discussing what it was like to not only meet but befriend MJF at The Iron Claw premier, Cena celebrated the maturity of the former AEW World Champion, hoping that one day, they can share an on-screen relationship in the same way they have become friendly offscreen, as he explained to Chris Van Vliet on Insight.
“The whole totality of the thing is, I knew he was going to be there. I don't think the old me would have associated with him just because of how WWE I was. I still am WWE, but there is room for competition, and competition is great. Just because I wear the company brand, doesn't mean you're a bad performer. Sports entertainment is a finicky business, and there is a lot of chances to make moments. This is one of their top performers from AEW and I don't know if I'm going to be the target of a moment, I'm just going to support a friend in a movie. He couldn't have been nicer or more cordial. We meet each other, I got pulled away to take some pictures, and then we got pulled away to do everything else before I even got to him. I said, ‘Hold on, give me two minutes.' I shook his hand, I said, ‘Man, I'm so sorry. Excuse my ignorance, I didn't know what to expect from you today. You are a class act. I can't believe you're as professional as you are, that's just my ignorance, I'm sorry I had that judgment. I want to thank you for being so special. Thanks for making my night,'” John Cena told Chris Van Vliet via Fightful.
“Then, we got back, and I was able to talk to him more. ‘Maybe we can get you to play for the right team one day,' and all that. There is no denying the fact that he's doing good work. I don't think I should ignore that. Honestly, I was floored by his professionalism. It would have been an easy target, at a wrestling movie premiere, to have yourself a moment. We did have a moment, and it was one the internet paid attention to, and it was one where I was hoping that this person I met, I could once bet on. ‘If we just get you over here, that'd be awesome,' but it was great. It was great to meet a professional, classy, driven young man.”
Fortunately for Cena, MJF is technically a free agent following the end of his AEW contract at Worlds End. While he may secretly have something worked out with Tony Khan regarding the future, as far as the general wrestling-loving population is concerned, he could theoretically sign with any company, WWE, TNA, or even back to MLW if he wants to. Will that happen? Only time will tell, but hey, if you're on the open market, there are a lot worse pitchmen a promotion can deploy than “The Face That Runs the Place,” as he remains incredibly engaging even into his mid-40s.
Watch: @JohnCena talks about meeting @The_MJF for the first time at The Iron Claw premiere pic.twitter.com/dpMWzID0ir
— Chris Van Vliet (@ChrisVanVliet) March 5, 2024
John Cena never felt like “The Guy” in WWE.
Elsewhere in his conversation with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, John Cena was asked if he ever felt like he was “The Guy” in WWE during his decade-plus tenure at the top of the promotion.
Shockingly, Cena said no, as he was too in the weeds to see the bigger picture.
“Never. Never, and I think that's a perspective that has gotten muddled, again, just my opinion. You just used to want the championship,” John Cena explained via Wrestling News. “Now, as the area has become gray, people want to be, the term like locker room leader is thrown around, and the guy is thrown around like, the championship should be on an identifiable instrument of that, and I think it helps the believability of the championship, either one or any championship. The importance of that is, you channel whatever you want to say on inside industry terms through the props that we give you. Again, that's just my perspective”
Alright, while Cena's point is fair enough, how could he seriously believe that he wasn't “The Guy” in WWE, as he was booked like the promotion's top star, sold an incredible amount of merch, and was featured in the vast majority of the company's marketing during the post-Attitude Era. Oh well, maybe it's like that old saying, “You don't know what you've got until it's gone.”
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