Former WWE referee compliments the hard work of John Cena

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda recently credited John Cena and various other legends as some of the hardest workers in the industry.

Mike Chioda worked as a WWE official from 1989 to 2020. Chioda witnessed several stars rise to the top during his tenure, including Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock. However, the 55-year-old was released from the company in 2020.

During a recent episode of Monday Mailbag, Chioda claimed Cena and the three previously mentioned performers were WWE's hardest workers during their respective eras.

"John Cena, way back in the day it was Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the big boys,” Chioda said. “People would not leave until they walked out and went behind the curtain. When Stone Cold was finished, people would wait for every little thing, he said. Rock, Stone Cold, Cena, those guys were on top of course." (H/T Wrestling Inc)

John Cena has not appeared in WWE since SummerSlam 2021 due to the star's movie commitments in Hollywood.

Mike Chioda on how John Cena felt after losing to The Rock in 2012

At WrestleMania 28 in Miami, John Cena faced off against The Rock in one of the most iconic matches of the current era.

After a year-long build-up, the two superstars who defined their generation did battle on The Grandest Stage Of Them All. Although Cena was a full-time performer at the time, The Great One would pick up the win over the Cenation leader.

Speaking on Monday Mailbag, Mike Chioda stated that Cena may have had a problem losing to The Rock at WrestleMania.

"I think Cena had a little bit of a problem doing the job because here’s Cena carrying the torch for the last 10 years at that time. He was busting his a*s, day in and day out. Here comes the Rock back after so many years of being in Hollywood and he’s got to job out to the Rock? Of course, the show is in Miami. The Rock is a big Hollywood superstar now. There was a little heat there." (H/T 411Mania)

A year later, however, Cena would exact his revenge as he was able to defeat The Rock at WrestleMania 29 in New York with the WWE Championship on the line.

It will be interesting to see if Cena returns to WWE programming later this year, given the fact that he is always open to a potential comeback.

What are your thoughts on John's work ethic? Sound off in the comments below.