AJ Francis says he was turned down by John Cena for a rap song collaboration because the former Undisputed WWE Champion believed he couldn’t keep up with Hit Row.
Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling for a new interview, Francis revealed that he pitched a rap collaboration to Cena during his Hit Row days in WWE, but the veteran declined the offer, saying he “can’t do that anymore.”
“John Cena himself told me that he couldn’t rap with me and that he would be doing a disservice to himself if he tried,” AJ Francis recalled. “I asked John to get on a song with me when I was still in WWE. He was like, ‘Bro, I can’t. I can’t do that anymore. It would be a disservice. I’ve heard the things that you do and I wouldn’t be able to hang with you guys.’ I was trying to get him on a song with all of Hit Row and he was like, ‘Nah, I can’t do it.’” [H/T Fightful]
WWE briefly revisited John Cena’s rapper gimmick during the GOAT’s program with CM Punk in the lead-up to Night of Champions 2025. The segment featured Punk teaching Cena about “Punkanomics” by dressing as his rival’s former persona and even dropping some bars to a huge pop from the Saudi crowd.
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