Prior to his return to action on SmackDown Live this week, WWE superstar John Cena appeared on an interview with ESPN where he discussed a possible match against The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 33, how SmackDown has evolved over the years and the emergence of new stars in the WWE among other things.
On the prospect of a Wrestlemania encounter between him and The Undertaker, he said that battling the iconic wrestler would be like competing against Andre The Giant for him as the two of them are similar in terms of the respect they have earned.
Also Read: WWE Rumours : John Cena vs Undertaker match still being discussed
In addition, Cena also said that if he was being questioned whether he would want to be in a match with arguably the greatest WWE superstar ever, his answer would be ‘yes’. This is what the 15-time WWE world champion was quoted as saying:
“Undertaker certainly is a cornerstone of WWE, and just as I say to myself that I really would have liked to been able to get to know and certainly get in the ring with Andre the Giant, just because of all the respect and folklore that went around with Andre, I think The Undertaker has that same sort of respect and folklore around him. If you're asking if I'd want to be in a high-profile match with one of the most legendary superstars in the industry, my answer is yes.”
‘The Cenation Leader’ also spoke about how the SmackDown brand has evolved from being a one-man show (referring to The Rock) to a multitiered show wherein multiple superstars are able to display their skills. Here’s what Cena said about the blue brand’s evolution:
“I've always said we need to put forth the best product we can, and it seems like we're doing our best to do that. It seems like the dynamic itself is changing. Many years ago, you could look at the brand essentially as a one-man show with one man leading the way and him being held up by a cast of supportive players. I think Attitude Era was a bit of a segue into this [modern era]. Now you see more of a multitiered show, where it's a lot of talented superstars being able to showcase their talents.”
Talking about the new superstars that have emerged in recent times such as AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins among others, John Cena opined that they have greater athletic ability compared to past stars and have brought a certain amount of freshness to the company. Cena said:
“Everybody knows the stars resonate so heavily that they tend to have long and successful careers. But in the process, I've seen a bunch of guys come and a bunch of guys go. It seems like now we do have more able-bodied guys, and more of them than ever before. I think it's certainly a fresh look for our universe, and I'm certainly not opposed to it.”
The two-time PWI Wrestler of the Year reckoned that his pursuit of Ric Flair’s record of 16 world titles is not the only angle which can be worked around him. He cited his U.S. championship run in 2015 as an example of other ways for him to stay in the thick of things.
“I reflect back to 2015 and what happened with the United States championship. There's a lot that can be done without that [world] championship match and that record hanging over the balance. It's only present when it's present, if that's a good way to say it. It's not something that I'm focusing on if it's not right in front of me,” John Cena explained.
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