Bull Buchanan Reflects On Working Alongside John Cena As B2 In Final Days Of WWE Run
Bull Buchanan went through the whole nine yards of wrestling gimmicks during his six-year run with the WWE. After starting out as a serious tag team wrestler as part of The Truth Commission, Buchanan quickly moved to the role of the on-screen protégé of The Big Boss Man, before ultimately joining the ultra-conservative stable Right to Censor.
Once Right to Censor disbanded, Buchanan, clearly lost in the shuffle, was sent back to WWE's developmental system to fine-tune his skills and possibly unearth a new character. When Buchanan returned to WWE television in August 2002, however, he went through a series of matches without any discernable character or purpose. All that changed on the November 21, 2002, episode of "WWE SmackDown" where Buchanan, going by the name B-2, aligned himself with John Cena, a brash superstar known to diss opponents with his freestyle rap.
In a recent interview with the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast, Buchanan reflected on his versatility as a performer and his ability to portray various gimmicks.
"You've got to be able to adapt because sometimes things don't work," Buchanan said. "The thing with the Boss Man wasn't a stretch, it was easy to really be myself. With Right to Censor, I always had the idea in mind of a Southern Baptist preacher. With John, that was just purely fun. It was really cool because I knew John from OVW, and I'd actually met him during his tryout matches."
Bull Buchanan thinks B-2 storyline could have lasted longer
Reflecting further on his time as B-2, Buchanan emphasized that Vince McMahon saw no downside in him showing a different side to his personality. "For me, it was something new," Buchanan said. "I wouldn't say it was comical, but it got people to go, 'Oh that's a stretch. I don't know if that fits him.' It was my job to make it work."
As Buchanan got more comfortable in his new role, he began finishing Cena's freestyles with a "Boo-yah!" While Buchanan does not remember where his "Boo-yah!" catchphrase came from, he admits he was more than happy playing the "comedy sidekick guy" to Cena.
Like many storylines in wrestling history, the pairing did not last long, as Cena blamed B-2 for a loss in January 2003 and proceeded to attack his enforcer. Buchanan was released from WWE on January 26, 2003.
"I was surprised when they broke me and John off," Buchanan admitted. "That was a bit of a writing on the wall moment [for my WWE future]. I figured they had nothing else for me and this might be drawing to an end. I thought John and I had a good thing going. John didn't really need me, he was about to blow up anyway. But I thought we could have milked it [the storyline] a little more."