WWE HOFer Mark Henry Reflects On John Cena & Brock Lesnar's Journey

Brock Lesnar and John Cena had their final match against each other at "Wrestlepalooza," with Lesnar dominating Cena in a similar fashion to their match at SummerSlam 2014. 

One person who was there to see both superstars during their first days in the business was WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry. He speaks on "Busted Open After Dark" about Cena and Lesnar's parallels. 

"I got to be in Louisville in 2002 to be there to watch the future of the business, and what made the future were four guys, and two of those guys we're talking about today, and that's Brock Lesnar and John Cena," Henry said. "We got to see the struggles of John Cena, we got to see the struggles of Brock Lesnar. And it's not an accident that when you struggle, you need someone to lean on. That's what John Cena and Brock Lesnar were able to do. They both wanted the same thing and that was to be the WWE Champion."

Henry talks about a "SmackDown" segment where they aired the official match promo for "Wrestlepalooza" in the arena, and the fans' reaction to it. 

"I saw the fans watching the screen like it was a movie. They were watching so intently, leaning forward. And even I was like, oh I remember that, when they showed the videos of them in Louisville, at OVW, when they showed behind the scenes of Brock getting aggravated, I remember those days. When they showed Cena and he was not really getting over with the fans, because people didn't know how to take him, I remember those days."

Cena's retirement run has been full of ups and downs, with many annoyed at how it has played out following an epic heel turn at Elimination Chamber in February, which could've sparked an amazing final storyline for one of the greatest of all time. 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Busted Open After Dark" podcast and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.