John Cena Reveals Who Pitched Brutal Survivor Series Attack

John Cena’s legacy has never been defined by championships or main events, even though he’s had a ton of those in the past.

Before his retirement, John Cena built a reputation backstage as someone who understood the responsibility that comes with being the guy who carries the company as the face. This is a role that he has taken seriously for well over a decade.

While speaking on the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast with Cody Rhodes, John Cena confirmed that the decision for all four members of Judgment Day to systematically dismantle him during their tag team match at WWE Survivor Series wasn’t just approved by him, because it was his idea from the start.

“I came up with the idea in that match in Saudi where they tagged me and Seth together. I said, ‘What if all four of Judgment Day just kicked the sh*t out of me and everybody got a finisher and we made sure we had time to acknowledge every member? I’ll take JD’s, I’ll take Finn’s, I’ll take Dom’s, I’ll take Priest’s, and just have them leave me laying.’ And I’m like, ‘We’re in Saudi, this is the perfect time to do it, let’s go.’ And I had to push. I had to push a lot to do it because they were worried that it sends the wrong message.”

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“But I was like, ‘Man, we have to be able to do stuff like this. These guys are great. They need moments. I don’t mind, and we can do it in a way where I’m okay. We’ll be okay.’ So then that snowballed into them allowing me to do it again at Survivor Series and really give those guys individual moments in front of a massive crowd.”

John Cena knew there were concerns the segment could hurt his image or send the wrong message. That never took over entirely or affected his belief in creating meaningful moments for younger talent. After all, this is why his retirement night was filled with NXT Superstars, to honor a promise he made talent.

John Cena wanted to make sure that the Judgment Day members received a spotlight. This was something that meant a lot to him, and he certainly left the business better than he found it.

What’s your take on John Cena’s retirement tour? Do you think that he went out the right way? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

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