John Cena has once again addressed whether wrestling is fake, a question that has followed him since his WWE days.
In a new interview, Cena explained why he does not get upset when someone questions the legitimacy of sports entertainment.
Appearing on The Romesh Ranganathan Show alongside Jessica Biel, Cena said he views that kind of comment as a sign that the person doesn’t understand the work wrestlers do.
“People come up to me all the time like, ‘You know wrestling’s fake, right?’”
The subject came up while Cena was defending London’s restaurants. In his view, people who say the city does not have good food probably don’t know what it has to offer. He compared that bias to the way wrestling is treated.
Cena said he knows he has to start explaining from scratch whenever someone makes that comment. Instead of arguing, he tries to show the person how pro wrestling really works.
He also pushed back on the idea that wrestling still works the same way it did decades ago, and he explained how he usually responds.
“It’s not the ’70s anymore. Come on, let’s talk.”
The remarks come just 18 days after Cena addressed the same subject on October 8 in an interview on What Now? with Trevor Noah.
In that interview, he said wrestling spent many years trying to convince audiences that its rivalries were real. Wrestlers had to maintain kayfabe by staying in character even outside the ring.
Cena said one of the most important changes came when pro wrestling started admitting publicly that it was entertainment rather than a traditional athletic competition.