'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It was Extreme Rules 2011, and John Cena had just reclaimed the WWE Championship. The Rock cost him the WWE title against The Miz at WrestleMania 27, but luck was by The Champ's side at the following PPV.
In the main event of Extreme Rules, John Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison to win the title. But what he said post-match made bigger headlines. It was May 1st, 2011, and the news had just broken that Al-Qaeda's founding member Osama bin Laden had been killed by the U.S. troops.
John Cena, post-match, announced to the live WWE crowd that Osama bin Laden had, in fact, been killed. You can watch him say it in the most PG way possible below - "caught and compromised to a permanent end":
To the fans attending live, this was breaking news. You can experience the fervor in the environment by the reaction they provided as soon as the Champ uttered those words.
The following night on RAW, WWE replayed John Cena's message and former announcer Lilian Garcia sang the United States' national anthem.
It's a bit bizarre looking back at it, but at the time, it was the biggest news in the world and seemed like it was something that had to be done.
Arn Anderson on why WWE selected John Cena to make the Osama bin Laden announcement
Arn Anderson said the company was on the road when 9/11 happened. WWE put out a beautiful tribute post-that, and Arn Anderson admitted that he doesn't remember anything that shook him to the core the way 9/11 did.
It was something that everybody felt strongly about, and it was Vince McMahon's call to have the Cenation leader provide a sense of acknowledgement, post such an incident, as odd as it was to do so in a wrestling show.
Arn Anderson also hinted that it might have had to do with Vince McMahon's push towards making John Cena the ultimate babyface. As a result, it only felt fitting that he should be the one to make that announcement.
