Add as a preferred source on Google John Cena has opened up again about one of the ideas that defined his WWE career: the need to turn every match into a story, rather than just a series of impressive moves.
During an interview with The Collection alongside Eric André to promote Little Brother, which premieres on Netflix on June 26, Cena looked back on the period when Booker T helped guide him in WWE.
“Booker was a mentor and teaching me how to find my way as I got a little bit of steam behind my character. We would trade the term ‘Shakespeare’ between each other, because those were the pauses and the ability for us to tell a story.”
Cena explained that the word became a kind of mantra between them. To him, physical moves do not have the same impact on the audience if there is no clear reason behind them.
“Booker T would always be, ‘Shakespeare baby, Shakespeare.’ It would be a mantra to say before we go out to make sure your ‘why’ is in order, do not rush, let everybody absorb the story.”
Cena made the comparison while discussing Little Brother, the comedy in which he stars opposite André. According to Netflix’s official synopsis, the film follows a famous real estate agent whose carefully managed life is turned upside down when his former “little brother” suddenly reappears.
Cena said the same logic applies there. No joke should exist just for the sake of it. Everything has to serve the relationship between the characters.
“If you can do physically great things, excellent. If you do them without meaning, it is worthless.”
Though Cena is retired from in-ring competition, he continues to appear for WWE as a host.