John Cena spent years dodging one of the most obvious questions a wrestling legend can get — what was his favorite match? Now that his in-ring career is over, Cena finally gave a real answer, and it wasn’t one of his WrestleMania classics or a showdown with one of WWE’s biggest names.
Cena opened up during an appearance at the Tampa Bay Comic Convention when a fan asked him to name his favorite match. The question immediately forced Cena to admit that retirement ruined the answer he had been using for years. While he was still wrestling, Cena could always say his favorite match was going to be the next one.
“What was my favorite match? Yeah. That’s a good question. You know, I used to have a trick to get around this question that I no longer can use.”
Cena then explained the little cheat code he used whenever fans asked him the same question during his active WWE career.
“So, while I wasn’t retired, if I would hear a question like yours, like ask your question — ‘What were your favorite match?’ — I would easily be like, ‘No problem. That’s my next one.’ That was my cheat code. But now I have to actually answer your question.”
With that escape route gone, Cena said he has actually been thinking about the answer. His career gave him countless major matches and opponents, but he realized none of those moments would have existed without the one that started everything.
“And I’ve been thinking about this cuz this is a serious question, right? I think I’ve had a bunch of fun with a bunch of matches and a bunch of opponents. But I don’t think any of those matches happen if I don’t have the first one.”
That led Cena to finally name his favorite match of all time — his very first wrestling match.
“So, as much as I’ve had wonderful moments I think my first match is my favorite match because you can’t have any of the rest of them without the first one, right?”
It’s a pretty wild answer considering Cena’s résumé includes some of the biggest matches in WWE history, but he didn’t go with the biggest stadium, the biggest opponent or the biggest championship win. After spending years saying his best match was still ahead of him, retirement has Cena looking all the way back to where the whole ride started.
Do you think Cena picked the right match, or is there another match from his career that should sit at the top of the list? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
