Natalya Explains What WWE Legend John Cena Meant To Her

WWE legend John Cena is nearing the end of his career, as his retirement tour is winding up. Because of this, many fans have begun to share emotional stories about Cena and the impact of his career has been made clearer with every week, but "The Champ" did more than just inspire his fans, as he also touched the hearts of his fellow pro wrestlers.

During an appearance on the "Busted Open Radio" podcast, Natalya explained how respectful it is for another pro wrestler to take the time to watch other people's matches, and claimed that Cena always made sure to give this sign of respect to those around him. "The first match would be starting, and ... whatever match he wasn't in, he'd be watching the show," she said. "And the person would come back, and John would talk with them." She then expressed that Cena would give his time and energy to the talent, which Natalya explained is the most valuable thing you can give anyone.

While Cena's role in "Total Divas" is often referenced in memes online, Natalya only has good things to say about his involvement in the reality show. "John wanted to help us girls make that show a success, to the point where like, he even put himself out there." she claimed. "He was a huge part of that show's success. ... When [Tyson Kidd] got injured, John – one thing that John did that was amazing for us and TJ's morale, is – after TJ got out of the hospital – John took us out for dinner. ... He made TJ feel seen and heard and like he wasn't forgotten."

Outside of her personal experiences with Cena, Natalya also looked back at when he quickly rose to the top in WWE, noting that it was just after the Benoit tragedy. She explained that Cena not only did great things for WWE, but brought positivity to the promotion and the industry right after it experienced one of its worst moments. "It's not something that we talk about often, and I don't – personally, because of how tragic it all was, because it's a very hard topic, but John really helped WWE in such a massive way," she recalled. "He's just somebody that I'm so proud to have worked with him through the years. I'm so proud to have been on tours with John, I'm so proud to have known him as a friend." 

Although Cena is getting ready to wrap up his in-ring career, Natalya doesn't believe he'll disappear from the industry. "WWE and wrestling in general – all around the world – and I've been around every walk of life in this industry; it's like Hotel California: you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave it," Natalya expressed, adding that despite how Cena might be gearing up for retirement, he will never truly be able to separate himself from the pro wrestling industry. "He's embedded in it. He's always going to be a big part of it, he's very special to it," she added.

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