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What’s the story?
Speaking to TMZ Sports, John Cena opened up on a myriad of topics.
Cena was probed about his take on inter-gender matches in WWE and spoke about competing in one alongside his fiancée, Nikki Bella. He also said that WWE was ready for its first transgender Superstar.
In case you didn’t know…
The professional wrestling industry, including top promotions such as the WWE, generally catered to the adult male (18-35) demographic during the Attitude Era and all through the Ruthless Aggression Era until the advent of the PG Era in WWE from 2008.
It was during the Attitude & Ruthless Aggression eras that the WWE put forth edgy content that included suggestive gimmicks and angles that may be considered risqué by today’s standards of sports-entertainment.
The heart of the matter
Several pro-wrestling promotions have featured transgender characters, but WWE is truly yet to have one on its roster. Upon being questioned as to whether WWE is ready for a transgender Superstar, John Cena stated:
"I'm a storyteller my friend, and that's what we do in WWE…And it's not segregated to sex, race, creed, religion, any of that. So as long as the story is good, it belongs in WWE."
Additionally, Cena asserted that he’s indeed a fan of inter-gender matches, and any story is a good story if it’s presented in a decent light.
Furthermore, upon being asked if he’d like to see more inter-gender matches in WWE, Cena pointed out his recent win alongside Nikki Bella over Elias & Sonya Deville in a Mixed Tag Team Match at a house show in Madison Square Garden — emphasizing that if he can do it, so can others.
Cena also weighed in on combat sports icons Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor working in the WWE, in response to which he stated that Mayweather has already worked and done pretty well in the WWE whereas McGregor would also do quite well.
What’s next?
The vast majority of professional wrestling experts believe that John Cena is set to compete against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 on April 8th—with said matchup yet to be confirmed by WWE.
Author’s take
Honestly speaking, John Cena is spot-on with his take on a transgender performer competing as a WWE Superstar.
Storytelling is an art, irrespective of sex, race, creed and other variables.
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