Former WWE Star David Otunga Reveals Dark Side Of John Cena Behind The Scenes

As his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event highlighted, John Cena has grown into one of the most beloved pro wrestlers of recent memory, both in and out of the ring. But no one is  perfect, Cena hasn't been immune to those questioning some of his behavior. He has drawn controversy for his positive remarks towards former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, even as McMahon continues to be embroiled in a sex trafficking lawsuit. And some former WWE talents, such as Gabbi Tuft, have described less than stellar experiences with Cena, suggesting he had a bit of a dark side.

Add former WWE star Dave Otunga, who worked with Cena closely during the Nexus storyline, to the list of people who have not always had great experiences with Cena. Earlier in December, Otunga posted a nearly hour long video titled "What John Cena Was REALLY Like." And while Otunga had positive things to say about Cena, he also had plenty of negative stories, including one from right after he was called up to the main roster.

"As soon as I get backstage, my good friend Ezequiel Jackson comes up to me," Otunga said. "I know him from FCW. And he's just been on the road for a little bit, he's new up on the main roster. And he goes up to me, puts his arm around me. He says 'Otunga. Man, Cena sent me over here to tell you you got kicked out of the locker room.' I'm like 'Wait, what?' 'Yeah. Cena found your bag in the locker room, and told me to tell you you got kicked out.'"

Otunga admitted he was perplexed by the whole situation, particularly how Cena knew which bag was Otunga's given that Cena hardly ever entered the locker room, preferring to change privately on his bus. He revealed he was forced to change with the extras, and it was only when his then fiancee, actress/singer Jennifer Hudson, visited him backstage that the mood changed towards him.

Then there was the case of a match Otunga had where he teamed with Wade Barrett against Cena and Evan Bourne during a Paris, France live event on September 24, 2010. During the match, Otunga and Cena had a spot where Cena was draped on the ropes, and Otunga would pull back on them,  allowing Cena to bump onto his back. According to Otunga, Cena bumped too early on the spot, resulting in it looking bad, and subsequently launched into a mid-match tirade on Otunga.

"I turned around, boy Cena is p****d," Otunga said. "He's kicking my ass in there for real and cussing me out, telling me how terrible I am, how awful, I live in fantasy, this is over, I'm going back to FCW, like, this is it for me. In the middle of the match! And I'm...I don't even know what to do with myself at this point, because I didn't mess that up. But yet this is John Cena, and he's cussing me out, like, he's getting disrespectful. He's stepping over the line pretty much. So I have to go on with this. And I remember being so embarrassed because like, people can hear this. Now I know we're in France, but still, Evan Bourne is in there, and he's like snickering at me across the ring. And Wade's in there, and he's not really saying anything. It's awful."

Otunga says Cena continued his tirade once they got to the back, cussing Otunga out in front of the locker room, with only Dustin Rhodes coming to his defense after. Though they worked together and had good experiences after, Otugna admits the experience had a profound effect on him, and that he briefly considered leaving wrestling.

"If I'm being honest, that changed the way that I saw John Cena forever," Otunga said. "It actually changed the way I saw the company too, like, cause nobody ever did anything about it. I think Goldust said something to him, but like, there was never an apology."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "David Otunga" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription