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According to John Cena, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told him to cut his hair in their first meeting.
Cena has been a key part of the promotion since his debut 20 years ago in 2002. The 16-time world champion worked in the company's developmental territory OVW before he made his main roster debut in June 2002.
Cena, in a recent WWE Playback video, looked back on how his first interaction with McMahon resulted in the Chairman ordering him to cut his hair:
“I found out at 2:45 in the afternoon that I’d be wrestling Kurt Angle," said Cena. "I had one meeting with Mr. McMahon before this. I was pushed into his office and Michael Hayes asked, like, ‘What do we do with this?’ Mr. McMahon’s first sentence to me, it was a short meeting. He said, ‘Cut his f*cking hair.’ Then I was out of the office.” (H/T: SEScoops)
In his debut, John Cena faced Kurt Angle and lost to the Olympic gold medalist on SmackDown, but he got a handshake from The Undertaker backstage.
John Cena on what he would have done differently in his WWE debut
In the same video, Cena said he would have changed a few things in his debut match against Angle. The 16-time world champion feels he should not have acted like a fan in his debut:
"I’m grateful I debuted in such a historic arena with such an amazing performer [in Angle], but I’m also grateful it didn’t go well cause it taught me, especially when ‘The Doctor of Thuganomics’ character was introduced, I was neither ruthless nor aggressive. I was quite submissive, and passive, and acted like a fan, and I was," Cena said.
John Cena noted if he were to do it again, he wouldn't offer to shake Angle's hand or look intimidated while he was shaking The Undertaker's hand backstage. His fortunes changed a few months later with The Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick, which transformed his career and eventually helped him become the star he is today.
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