WWE legend addresses whether John Cena named finisher after him

The AA is John Cena's main finishing move.
The AA is John Cena's main finishing move.

WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has admitted he is unsure if John Cena’s AA (Attitude Adjustment) finisher was named after him.

Anderson, a WWE producer from 2001 to 2019, produced the majority of Cena’s WWE matches during that period of time. The wrestling legend goes by the nickname AA, which happens to be the name of Cena’s finishing move.

Speaking on his ARN podcast, Anderson recalled how the 16-time World Champion came up with the AA name after initially calling his finisher The F-U.

“I don’t know if John ever, without even telling me, if that was like a tribute. I never asked him and he never said. There were a lot of things unsaid between John and I. I did everything I could to teach him everything I knew about the business, and try to evolve in my thinking, too, to fit him and help him along the way. There was a mutual respect between John and I, I think, for a very long time.”

Despite being a big fan of John Cena’s work, Arn Anderson has often questioned how the WWE Superstar was booked. He previously said on his podcast that Cena overpowered too many opponents, including The Nexus, during his career.

Arn Anderson discusses his relationship with John Cena

Arn Anderson now works for AEW.
Arn Anderson now works for AEW.

Although the majority of WWE Superstars work with various producers for their matches, John Cena worked with Arn Anderson “95 percent of the time.”

Anderson said he did not have as much influence over Cena’s matches in later years, but he still offered help when needed.

“Of course, he went a separate route. No ill will to him about that, but when he started doing acting and he was gone a lot more and would come back, I wasn’t 100 percent but still 95 percent of the time I had all of his matches. Probably not the influence that I once had over him when he was younger. I would think for a long time, pretty much most of his career, I had about 95 percent of his matches.”

Anderson left his job as a WWE producer in February 2019. John Cena's only match since then took place at WrestleMania 36 when he participated in a Firefly Fun House match against Bray Wyatt.

Please credit ARN and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.