WWE Hall of Famer admits he didn’t see John Cena’s success coming at first - "He wasn't the only one" (Exclusive)

WWE legend and Hall of Famer Arn Anderson recently spoke about his first impression of John Cena. He worked closely with the star during his initial years in the company.

John Cena will go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In a career spanning over two decades, he became the first ever man to win 17 World Championships in WWE. The 48-year-old star is currently on his farewell tour and is expected to hang up his boots in December this year.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Senior Editor, Bill Apter, Anderson noted that Cena rubbed shoulders with a talented lot in WWE at that time. He noted how the roster had established stars with huge physical stature, like Kane and The Big Show, while newcomers such as Batista and Randy Orton were making a name for themselves. The legend felt John Cena got his success when he started listening and taking advice.

"Once he started listening and taking advice, more or less just picking it up, I think. Not right away, I didn't know." Arn said. "A lot of guys looked pretty good. There was Batista, Randy Orton. Think of all the body guys there were around when John came along. He wasn't the only one. So you didn't necessarily say, 'That guy looks better than everybody. He's gonna be a big star.' You've got Kane walking around, Big Show, and all those kinds of guys. It's not a gimme that he's going to be a big star. He needed to learn how to sell, and he did. And that's why he's still relative today." [From 4:56 onwards]

In the aftermath of SummerSlam, Logan Paul called out John Cena, asking for a match. The two stars are set to collide in a generational matchup at Clash in Paris this month.

---

While using the quotes from this article, remember to embed the video and credit Sportskeeda for the transcript.

---

Sportskeeda also thanks The Gathering, hosted by T-Mart Promotions, for providing the perfect venue for this interview.