John Cena Misses WWE Era of Blood and Profanity
The most recent "WrestleMania" set an all-time attendance record of 101,763 and also rated as the highest grossing live event in the sports history. But John Cena wants more.
The man now synonymous with his "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect" motto can remember a time when attitude and swagger went as far as wins and losses. The 39-year-old Cena began to rise right around the time of the close of the WWE's "Attitude Era," a time highlighted by raised violence and salty words all in the name of unadulterated shock value.
Cena a Fan of How Things Once Were
Think Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and D-Generation X. Since then, the game has changed to create a more family-friendly product, sans all the blood and profanity. But Cena admits a part of him longs for those good old days.
"I'm a 38-year man," he said. "I'd much rather it be a program geared toward me, whether that's TV-14 or sometimes even more graphic than that, which is what I like."
In Cena's view, profanity elicited fire and passion, bringing out more of the personality of all the characters and leading to more impassioned encounters.
"And now, if someone starts to bleed, the referee intervenes to stop the bleeding," Cena said. "But before, you'd let it fly. Blood is one of the things that made fights cool. Like, you knew it had gotten serious."
Cena maintains he understands what's happening now is best for the game and insists he has no problem with WWE CEO Vince McMahon taking things to the next level.
"But, yeah, the blood is one thing I miss," he said.
And he's not alone; in fact he may not even be overwhelmingly in the minority. But, in the end, business is business. And the WWE of yesteryear simply would not go over well with corporate sponsors or the parents of children thinking of bringing their kids to a high-priced event.
Cena Still Relishes Being Face of WWE
And after some 100 rehab sessions in the last year for a rotator cuff injury and being a world champion at least 15-times, John Cena still relishes being viewed as the face of the WWE.
His thriving acting career aside, he's more than committed to his latest comeback. And through it all, he remains adored by kids all across the globe, though it hasn't moved him to dream of having any of his own.
"Look, I know I cannot handle raising a child," he told Rolling Stone. "It's like with the dog. My biggest thing to Nicole about the dog was: Love dogs, but I can't contribute to taking care of one. I don't have the time. And just because everyone else is happy with children doesn't mean that's how I have to live. I've been upfront about this. I just have things I need to get done. It's not negotiable."
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