"Who are you?" - John Cena's frequent question to up-and-coming WWE Superstar

Apollo Crews has revealed that John Cena repeatedly used to ask him to explain the mindset behind his WWE character.

When Crews moved from NXT to the main roster in April 2016, John Cena was still among the top full-time Superstars in WWE. While Cena had spent over 10 years portraying a character that WWE’s audience could connect with, Crews’ WWE persona still needed a lot of work.

The former Titus Worldwide member spoke about his WWE career on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. He said he felt embarrassed when John Cena asked him to explain his babyface WWE character. At the time, Crews did not know what his own gimmick was supposed to be.

“When I first got to the main roster at the top John Cena was still working and he would always pull me aside and be like, ‘Who is Apollo Crews? We gotta figure this out. Who is Apollo Crews?’ At the time, I’m just like the most generic… it’s so embarrassing to even think about it. It’s like, ‘I’m this guy, I work hard, dah dah dah.’ He’s like, ‘Well, everybody works hard, but who are you?’”

Wealth. Dominance. Power.#SmackDown @WWEApollo pic.twitter.com/qh8a8gvP1x

— WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2021

Crews recently debuted a new character based on his Nigerian heritage. He also turned heel by attacking Intercontinental Champion Big E on WWE SmackDown.

Apollo Crews avoided talking to John Cena

Apollo Crews is now a heel on SmackDown

Although John Cena is one of WWE’s most experienced Superstars, Apollo Crews said he tried to avoid the 16-time World Champion backstage. He explained that he knew Cena would ask the question every time they spoke, but he never had an answer for him.

“I couldn’t answer him to save my life. It literally took me six years, I’m trying to figure out who is Apollo Crews. I didn’t know. I felt so embarrassed, to the point where I’d avoid trying to have conversations with him because I’m like, ‘I know he’s gonna ask me again today and I don’t have an answer for him.’”

While Crews continues to appear on SmackDown, John Cena’s WWE future remains uncertain. He recently said he will not be part of WrestleMania 37 due to his current filming commitments in Canada.

Please credit Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast and give a H/T to SK Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.