– Former WWE Champion John Cena did a media interview today to promote the My Life DVD. Here are some of the highlights from it:
Cena comparing WWE to NASCAR: ”It’s like NASCAR, A lot of people don’t understand NASCAR, but it is a huge, huge entity like WWE. When you get involved with it, you realize it is a serious business and a profitable business. Maybe it’s not your cup of tea, but it deserves respect. We’re [WWE] caught in between. The sports media doesn’t respect us. The entertainment business doesn’t respect us. We don’t get any respect. Just shut up and recognize what we do. It holds a place. We are sports, and we are entertainment.”
Cena on connecting with the fans: ”It is who I am, but it wasn’t my decision for me to become who I became in WWE,” he said. ”When I got there, I was dressed and wrestled like the other wrestlers, and it was a generic time in WWE. The company was caught in a transition, following The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. One of the things I did to pass the time backstage was rap. Creative got wind of it and decided to use it with me. It is an extension of who I am. It is my hobby. With that, it was up to me to see how serious I was with it and how far I wanted to take it. This is my way to identify with the fans.”
On his My Life DVD: ”The DVD is great,” said Cena, who is rehabbing his injured pectoral muscle he suffered in the ring. ”I really think some of my best stories are yet to be told, and I didn’t want to do a career retro. This was a different way of doing it.”
On acting: ”I’d like to do more movies, but it depends on the ticket buyers,” he said. ”I don’t know if I’ll follow in The Rock’s footsteps. I don’t see myself leaving WWE anytime soon, and I want to stay with WWE.”
On the creative aspect of his character: ”You really do have a lot of say with your character,” Cena said. ”The problem with our industry is people are afraid to take risks. They make it and then get into a comfort zone. I wanted to redefine myself, and it is easier for me because I get to by myself. Not being afraid to fail is important. I tried so many things that didn’t work. The ability to accept failure and be humble are important. A lot of people work so had to reach their goal, and once they reach it, that’s the end of their ladder. My ladder doesn’t have an end to it. I want to achieve more. I’ve always been open and honest with people, and this is what I want to do.”
On the WWE Wellness policy and the CNN special: ”I thought the CNN piece was exactly what it was – with the title Death Grip. It was very slanted and one-sided. I’m trying to get WWE to air the whole interview I did with CNN. I spent 50 minutes discussing, state of the union, wrestling. I was not satisfied. I knew it was going to be a bad spin. I see nothing but good things ahead in WWE. The company is offering to pay expenses for past wrestlers with drug problems who want to go to rehab. Our current drug policy tests randomly at least four times a year. During the [CNN] show, the rep from the [International Olympic Committee] said the WWE policy has many holes in the penalty system. In the IOC, if you’re caught, you are suspended two years. An athlete like Marion Jones admits after all these years she was able to get by the IOC’s drug policy. WWE is doing all it can and more than expected. People who have a preconceived notion about us are the most ignorant.”