John Cena has had his share of rough fan encounters—but these days, the WWE legend is trying to approach them with patience, not anger.
During his chat on The Breakfast Club, Cena explained how his approach to autograph hounds and overzealous fans has changed.
“There are some days I wake up grumpy, and there are some days I am short on patience. But if there’s one thing I’m really trying to hit the throttle on, it is just have a second of empathy for everyone.”
That includes the people trying to cash in on his fame by flipping signed memorabilia. Even though it used to irritate him, Cena now sees it differently.
“There’s a difference between fans and memorabilia hounds. Memorabilia is… it’s a business. But even those people that are doing that, they don’t necessarily care about you or for you. Your thing is going to help them financially. I used to look at that as a way of like, ‘Man, you’re signing this and you’re going to sell it.’ But yo, my work can be a vehicle to help someone, and maybe that’s my give-back. Maybe one signature at a time, I can help give someone resources to have a better life.”
It’s wild to hear Cena admit even the autograph scalpers don’t get under his skin like they used to — but that’s growth. Instead of fighting it, he’s flipping the script and seeing it as helping someone’s hustle.
What about you — would you have the patience to handle it like John Cena, or would you be done signing? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.