Maybe you can’t see John Cena but it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the accusations of battery and trafficking against former WWE head Vince McMahon that ultimately saw him resigning from his position at TKO. And while Cena may not be outright ignoring the alleged incidents, he is still showing his support for his former boss.
Speaking with Howard Stern this week, Cena said of the McMahon situation, “I don’t think it’s complicated to talk about…I think it’s complicated to listen to. That’s kinda why I don’t necessarily put a lot of time and equity into it. Again, there’s still a long ways to go. I can say this, I’m a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty and communication. But in the same breath, I’m also a big advocate of accountability.” Adding to this, Cena expressed his genuine love for McMahon while definitive answers remain untold. “If someone’s behavior lies so far outside your value system, that the balance shifts, of like, man, I can’t operate in a world where this works. That’s the end result of being accountable. Right now, what I’m gonna do is love the person I love, be their friend, and by that, it means like, hey, I love you. You got a hill to climb.”
While it may seem a bit concerning that John Cena hasn’t outright condemned Vince McMahon, we do have to remember that McMahon was the man who helped nurture Cena’s career as an eventual 16-champ world champ and one of the biggest pro wrestling superstars in the industry’s history, up there with Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Cena also saw McMahon as a father figure throughout, so it may not be terribly surprising that he doesn’t want to make a final judgment at this moment.
Cena’s statements on McMahon aren’t that far off from another WWE superstar, Randy Orton, who said he doesn’t want to believe in the accusations because of his contributions to his own career. Still, he did also add that McMahon is indeed fallible.
Outside of McMahon, Cena had some other thoughts on the squared circle, saying retirement may have him at a two-count, pointing to 50 as being perhaps the sweet spot to hang up the sweatbands. With 47 just around the corner and no WrestleMania match on the card for this year, the number of matches left for Cena is much lower than many hope.
What do you make of John Cena’s statements on Vince McMahon? Is he leaning more towards denial, support or objectivity? Give us your thoughts below.