The latest episode of the Steve Austin Show podcast is now online with Stone Cold’s special guest, John Cena. Here are some highlights of what Cena talked about:
– He turns 37 in April and still feels like he can keep up with anyone in WWE.
“I’m doing the best I can. I feel great. I’ll be turning 37 in April. In your plea for longevity, you can’t be young in the ring all the time. So, I still feel as if I can keep up with anyone who comes through the door. I have a certain amount of stuff I do on a television basis, but every once in a while, I try to do some stuff that’s unique.”
– He admitted that WWE officials have created a “walking on eggshells” environment and wishes there was more positive reinforcement from management.
“A lot of this business is false motivation. They’ll pat you on the butt and go, ‘Oh, good match.’ Right when you come through Gorilla. I wish there was more motivational reinforcement. It’s just lack of confidence. The amazing thing is a lot of these guys are so confident once they’re in that box and the bell rings doing their thing. I’ve talked to a lot of guys – they have such great personalities.”
– Many WWE superstars are fearful for their jobs and are “not willing” to take the next step with their careers.
“It’s not that what we have isn’t good. I think we have a locker room full of very, very talented Superstars. But, I also think we have a locker room full of Superstars who are fearful for their employment. And, they’re not willing to take that one step. I don’t get a mad at a lot nowadays. What really frustrates me is when I see a guy with all of the tools or next to all of the tools who is afraid to take that leap of faith.”
– WWE is on the cusp of having a true all-star roster for the first time in a long time.
“I wish – and right now I’m very excited – we are on the cusp of getting a true All-Star line-up for the first time in a long time. I think you’ll see that (the chants) go away. And I’m objectively looking at it because when you have one dude and you’re trying to make Superstars off that dude, a majority of the audience only recognizes that one guy. It’s why when you have a feud with Daniel Bryan or The Rock, you don’t hear the ‘Let’s Go Cena / Cena Sucks’ as much. It’s cheer for one guy, boo the other guy. But, when it’s a one-man party out there, often times, the crowd gets attached to the one man.”
– There are big changes going on behind the scenes with how WWE will be presenting the product, moving towards more action and less talk.
– Cena talked about recently working with Cesaro at the Performance Center for a Muscle & Fitness photo shoot. Cena said he likes to get to know talents on a personal basis when WWE is ready to push them to the main event.
There’s much more to the interview, which you should absolutely go out of your way to listen at PodcastOne.com.
