John Cena Talks About His Time Away From WWE Creating Opportunity For Others

John Cena recently spoke to Zap2It.com about his decision to take extended time off from WWE to film American Grit, a military-themed reality competition that will air on the Fox network in 2016. Despite the fact that he’s put over countless people over the years, his perennial spot at the top of WWE has led to strong backlash from fans who feel he overshadows everyone else. Cena says his absence has created an opportunity for today’s young talent:

“I’ve been a cornerstone of WWE programming since 2002. That’s a long time, it’s more than 10 years. So much so that a portion of our audience has direct complacency with me. ‘Man, Cena holds everybody down. He doesn’t give the new guys a chance.’”

“From a company perspective, as you know I hold it very near and dear to my heart, the dance floor is open, boys,” he explains. “I’m gone, let’s see who steps up. And I like that. As much as I want to try to distance myself or as much as someone who views me would try to distance myself from WWE, I’m never going to go.”

He added that his time away from the ring “gives our young thoroughbreds a chance to run on the track a little bit, but also lets them know I’m hot on their heels.”