Vince McMahon once paid a huge fine so that John Cena’s fans could get their money’s worth.
McMahon and Cena’s close relationship is well-documented. In 2022, Cena and his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, attended Vince’s 77th birthday celebration at the Waverly Inn restaurant. Despite facing online criticism earlier this year amid the Janel Grant lawsuit, Cena doubled down on his admiration for his former boss.
In a new interview with KVIA ABC-7, former WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler (Nic Nemeth) revealed that Vince McMahon once paid a hefty fine just to ensure Cena’s fans got their money’s worth at Madison Square Garden. The non-televised match headlined WWE’s annual tour of MSG on December 27, 2012, and featured Nemeth facing Cena inside a steel cage.
“One of my absolute favorite matches I’ve ever had was with him was at Madison Square Garden in a steel cage, not televised,” Nemeth recalled. “Here’s the best part. There is a curfew with MSG and if you don’t hit that curfew, the building becomes a half of a million dollars more. We’re down to the main event with the steel cage and there’s eight minutes until — after this, it’s a half of a million dollars on Vince’s tab. I’m like, ‘What are we doing, we can’t shortchange these guys?’ He went, ‘Absolutely not, we’re going.’ Talked to the boss, boss goes, ‘Give them their money’s worth.’ We went out there for 30 minutes.” [H/T Fightful]
Also read: Tony Khan Comments On John Cena’s Legacy In Pro Wrestling
