Here is a recap of the premiere episode of Live! With Chris Jericho featuring John Cena:
– Jericho said Cena is accused of being the guy with the 5 Moves of Doom. Tonight on RAW, we saw the springboard stunner and a Michinoku driver. Jericho joked if they’re allowed to name the moves that Cena used. Cena defined the Five Moves of Doom as two shoulder tackles, the “whirly bird special,” Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment.
– They spoke about elevating the US title. Cena said WWE has a lot of gifted guys in the locker room (he named Dean Ambrose, Cody Rhodes) and said he’s very happy to help elevate the US title. Cena said some fans might get ‘complacent’ with all the content WWE puts out and there is the risk of overexposure. He doesn’t care if he’s in the last match, the first match or in the middle of the card, he’s having fun. He’s bringing a mystique back to the belt.
– Cena talked about when he first broke into WWE, he rode with the Bashams, Funaki, Ultimo Dragon and Tajiri. He joked about the language barrier with the Japanese guys.
– Cena said he and Vince share the same vision, even if they have disagreements regarding creative matters. Some guys get into the business to be World Champion. He wants to take the business places it’s never been before. He wants to help WWE get into China & India.
– Cena’s early days in WWE. Cena wrestled his first PPV match against Jericho. Jericho was told he was going over but he urged Vince that Cena should win. Cena’s WWE debut match against Kurt Angle happened because The Undertaker couldn’t show up for SmackDown and they put Cena in the match. They talked about Vince’s ‘brass ring’ motto and Cena talked about the importance of connecting with the crowd, going out there and doing your thing. Jericho joked about dubbing Cena “wacky roll-up guy” because that’s how he won a lot of his early matches.
– They spoke about the stacked OVW roster with Cena, Lesnar, Orton, Batista, Shelton Benjamin. Cena puts each guy over huge and said he questioned if he’d be able to hang with them. Cena wasn’t the first, second or third hottest prospect there. Jericho asked how he set himself apart for the rest, Cena said he just works his ass off, show up early, leaves late and won’t give up.
– Cena said the hip hop gimmick really gave him his first big break. He was on a bus in Europe and sitting in the front when he heard the other guys freestyle rapping in the back. There ‘may have been’ some big decision makers who overheard him rapping and it got their attention. Cena wanted to be a wrestler when he was a kid and had to figure out how to break into the business, which was much more protected back in the day. Cena joked about being the first and only ‘reverse 2nd generation wrestler’ since his father got into the business after he did.
– Jericho complimented Cena’s physique and asked him if he’s ever taken performance enhancing substances. Cena said absolutely not and said he’s been very lucky to be surrounded by other highly motivated people. They showed photos from Cena’s bodybuilding days and Cena said every competition he ever did was drug-free. Cena’s been 250 pounds since he graduated high school. Jericho said Lance Storm is the same way, he knows Storm has never taken anything and he’s always been muscular and lean.
– They spoke about Cena showing up to a WWE show the same day he had neck surgery. Cena said he hates being away from WWE.
– Jericho said Cena is one of the few guys to ever drink him under the table. Jericho told a story of being in a hotel with Cena, going to the bar and Cena saw a couple that was arguing. It turned out they were about to get divorced, but Cena counseled them for a while and they decided to stay together. They went upstairs to drink more beers. Jericho passed out. When he woke up, Cena had tucked him into bed. Jericho was very scared when he woke up to see a guy in the room – it was Cena drinking beer and listening to Jericho’s iPod.
– Jericho said Hogan, Rock, Austin and Cena are on the Mount Rushmore of the industry since the mid 80’s. Cena said its a tough climate these days. He spoke about the audience rejecting Roman Reigns, who was a new, packaged company guy. He puts Reigns over as a star. Cena said “it’s going to be weird” from here on out. The industry has changed and Jericho questioned if there’s going to be another top guy again. Cena said there absolutely will be. Jericho said it’s hard for guys to take chances these days, but Cena said you’ve got to take risks. Its tough for him to talk to the locker room now, because he didn’t start with them. They’ve come up when it was harder to take chances on TV. Cena encouraged them to ‘go for it.’
– Cena tries to watch NXT as much as he can. The brand is picking up a lot of steam and that’s a great thing for the talent.
– They talked about his match against The Rock at WrestleMania 28. Cena said he wanted Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James. He talked about luring Rock back to WWE by saying he doesn’t love the business. Their promos were legit and he didn’t know what The Rock was going to say. The Rock was ‘protected’ in the sense that he couldn’t fully take the gloves off against Rock early on. They talked about Cena calling out The Rock for having notes written on his arm for one of his promos. Backstage before they went out, a referee asked Cena, “What’s that on his arm?” and Cena knew he struck gold. The Rock was pissed backstage after Cena called him out for that and their heat escalated to another level. He said The Rock is a great guy and even though they had legitimate beef, Rock was always a complete professional. Jericho and Cena agreed rivalries are always better when the guys are legitimately ticked off at each other.
– Jericho asked about the ‘Lets Go Cena, Cena Sucks’ chants. It never bothered Cena. Cena said he loved working in OVW as a heel but was just happy to hear the crowd was into the show. The fans who chant ‘Cena Sucks’ want something different, want something more but its also an intangible. Jericho said he can’t stand the “Poopie” John Cena (ie. his lame humor, playing to kids). Cena said you need to try different stuff, he’s not afraid to try different things, even though some things miss.
– Jericho asked Cena if he’s ever going to turn heel. “He’s stagnant, he’s stale.” Turning him heel was discussed briefly during his program with The Rock. They recorded new theme music, got new gear made, but it was still a casual thing under consideration. Cena was ready thought it would be great if he could have shown a different side. At the same time, he loves being an aspirational hero character. The 8 year old kid in the front row is lit up, the Make A Wish work he does is what it’s all about. Smart fans and adults want him to be a bad guy, but he would be letting down all the kids who look up to him. You get to a point in your career where you think about what he wants to do out there. There is a photo of Cena giving a high five to a sick child backstage at a WWE show and Cena doesn’t care if anybody anyone else is cheering for him but the child, because that makes it all worth it.
– Cena said right now, the future for WWE is up for grabs and there is no clear next top guy.
– Jericho asked him about his “ok” hand gesture. Cena said it started as a joke amongst him and some of the WWE crew but he’s proud that it now stands for Hustle, Loyalty & Respect.
– Cena said his favorite match is his next one. He named the first match with Rock at WrestleMania 28 after a full year of hype as a highlight of his career. A lot of the build was on his shoulders since Rock appeared occasionally, but The Rock brought it. He and The Rock have a great relationship now and Rock gives him valuable career advice.
– Cena doesn’t know when he will retire but says he’ll keep doing this until he can’t.
End of show, overall it was great.
coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.