John Cena says WWE fans had to process a lot of information when he announced a new WWE tournament named in his honor. Despite early criticism, he says that wins and losses still matter in the end.
Cena recently sat down for an interview with Zack Heydorn on The Takedown on SI. During the conversation, Cena spoke about the criticism levied at the format of the John Cena Classic tournament. Cena said that fans would be able to vote for the winner, who could come out victorious, even if they lost a match.
Fans claimed that the idea lacked logic, but Cena says that the tournament is still a work in progress, and they are still figuring out the best way to do the voting so it doesn’t get sabotaged.
“[It’s] a night where NXT Superstars and WWE Superstars compete with each other. They could be paired on a team. They could be facing off against each other. The possibilities are endless. It’s a chance to get those who are proven on our program to give a great event for the fans, because I want to be able to have our fans excited about something. So, they want to see their favorites,” John Cena went on.
“We did this at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Introduce some new talent. You know, we saw Je’Von, we saw Sol Ruca, we saw Oba, and people were like, ‘What the f?’ Give them a taste of what’s to come, and give them the power after we figure out how to do it so we can do it fair. Give them the power to be like, ‘This person was great.’
John Cena says winning does matter in the tournament
Addressing the concept of a wrestler winning the tournament despite losing the final match, John Cena said that winning creates a loud crowd moment, and eventually sways the odds towards the winner to get the most fan votes to walk home with the championship. However, he wanted to respect the fans’ sentiments, saying they could vote for the loser because of his hustle.
“Now, let’s lean into your question of wins and losses don’t matter. That’s a great perspective. I hear you. People can vote for the winner. They can. And a lot of times, if you win a match, there’s a loud crowd moment, and there’s a reaction. So winning could sway your odds of winning the vote. Winning does matter because it could help,” John Cena said.
“You being a fan of the business, hopefully, I can connect with you on this. There have been matches in wrestling where Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels didn’t win that, but God, he was great. John Cena vs. The Nexus, there was a lot of crowd sentiment for the other guys. Me vs. Cesaro, me and Dolph Ziggler, a couple of the square-offs I’ve had with Punk. Where the sentiment from the audience was like, ‘That son of a b***h did great.’
“This is why the weirdness of like all applicants qualify. That’s shock value. ‘What are we going to do? Nothing matters anymore.’ That’s not true. But there are those rare instances in the business, and you being a fan, you know, where one guy goes over, and you’re like, ‘Man, the other guy effing rocked.’ All it is is if you have a vote and you feel that strongly about Taker won, but HBK tore it up. That’s all I’m saying,” John Cena continued.
John Cena wants the tournament to represent everything he stands for
“Wins and losses do matter. The structure of storytelling does matter, but this one night is an exhibition. You don’t have to lead up. It doesn’t need to be like we don’t have to get any involvement. I’m going to personally invite these people into the event, and we’re going to have the event, and it’s literally a standalone thing.
“And like I said, we still have some details to work out. And I know by us having this interview, you’re gonna get some good clicks and some good opinions because people are gonna be like, ‘No.’ I get everybody’s perspective,” John Cena continued.
“I know that there’s this or at least I feel there’s a clamoring for new and wanting new, and gosh, I’m just trying new. And again, with the goal of, like, how can I use the respect that the John Cena name has and put forth an event that’s everything I stand for. I love meritocracy. If you’re good, man, get out there and get a chance. If you do the math, the best person should win. Our champions should win.
He says it’s a great way for fans to tell WWE corporate to give a certain star an opportunity
“But maybe, just maybe, keep in mind, I was WWE’s last pick. They were supposed to fire me. I wasn’t supposed to do anything, and look at me, I wasn’t supposed to be here. And it took me so long to get that snowball rolling downhill.
“But maybe we make Oba Femi in one night. Maybe some kid comes on the scene and just wows you. Win, lose, or draw, and you’re like, ‘That dude’s got it,’ or, ‘That gal’s got it.’ What a great way as a fan to tell corporate essentially, ‘Put your chips in this direction, you know, let’s give this person an opportunity,'” John Cena concluded.
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