Sgt. Slaughter reveals one thing he taught John Cena in WWE (Exclusive)

John Cena has cemented his status as one of the greatest babyfaces in WWE history. In an exclusive interview, Sgt. Slaughter recalled how he gave the 48-year-old advice on posing as a fan favorite.

Slaughter became a good guy in 1984 when he proudly represented America and feuded with The Iron Sheik. The WWE Hall of Famer used to raise his right hand to the side of his head and salute fans before and after his matches.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Senior Editor Bill Apter, Slaughter revealed that former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told him to teach his signature salute to Cena.

"I taught him [John Cena] how to salute. Vince told me, 'Take John into a back room over there and teach him to salute because I want him to salute when he comes out,' and I said, 'Okay, okay.' And he salutes better than I do. To see him and talk to him and see his success, and he doesn't have a big head. I mean, he's just the same as he was when he came in the first night."

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Watch the video above to hear Sgt. Slaughter tell more stories about John Cena's legacy in the wrestling business.

Sgt. Slaughter on John Cena's rise to babyface stardom

In 2002, John Cena debuted on WWE's main roster with a match against Kurt Angle on SmackDown. Despite an impressive first performance, he lost momentum before reinventing himself as The Doctor of Thuganomics.

Sgt. Slaughter believes Cena's run as a villainous rapper set him up for future success as a good guy.

"What did they call it [The Doctor of Thuganomics]? He had the chains on. He was a rapper, and then people hated him. Parents hated him because he was rapping to the kids, and they didn't want that. He was an instant villain, so it took a long time to get him to where he was. It just takes the right moment, as what will happen with Logan Paul. It just takes that one moment, but you've gotta give him some time."

In the same interview, Slaughter revealed why he initially had doubts about Cena's ability to be WWE's top star.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart