Ken Jeong Reveals Which WWE Legends Were Major Influences On His Comedy

Known for his witty humor out in Hollywood, Ken Jeong knows how to get all the laughs from afar. Before he made it big, he found himself juggling a career both in the medical world and in theater. In order for him to gain traction in comedy, he turned to his love for pro-wrestling, which inspired him to portray WWE Superstars Bobby Heenan and Kurt Angle. In his interview with WWE's The Bump, Jeong mentions how influential those two stars were to his career, and how if it weren't for them, his comedy wouldn't have picked up the way it did.

"I think Bobby Heenan is literally the sharpest comedic mind in history, not just in sports entertainment, but in history," Jeong praised. "WWE is a huge influence on my comedy.

"Even Superstars like Kurt Angle was a huge influence [on me] because... actually, I never told anyone this in any interview, but when I first started doing stand up comedy, I would tailor my material much like Kurt Angle did, where he was an Olympic gold medalist and making fun of his image. I never saw anyone do that in WWE before, where literally, a world-class athlete isn't taking himself seriously. That's what comedy is all about; it's all about not taking yourself seriously."

Back in 2009, Jeong hosted RAW and found himself in the ring with the former 13-time WWE Champion, John Cena. To this day, he admits that their feud is far from over.

"You know what? There's still beef between me and Cena. I told WWE not to show this footage," he jokingly stated. "John Cena, although he's more famous and richer than me, I still hate him, ok! Cena, if I ever see you in a RAW or SmackDown ring, I've got some famous friends now. That's all I'm saying."

When he gets his chance to face "The Champ," he says he's going to let three big and bright Superstars do his dirty work for him in a handicap match.

"I have it all mapped out," he began. "John Cena will take on three current active WWE Superstars at the same time of my choice. John can have nobody [help him]. I will be in a plexiglass box, you know, ringside, just managing my three Superstars. I want the biggest and brightest Superstars to take down John Cena."

Before he concluded his interview, Jeong complimented Cena, Batista, and The Rock for how far they have come from being just in-ring opponents to now becoming some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

"In all seriousness, I grew up a long time wrestling fan... The first match I ever saw as a kid was Ric Flair versus Ricky Steamboat. You know, just to rub elbows and do a movie with Batista, and do an angle with John Cena – I was in a movie with Dwayne Johnson – just to have met all three of the biggest Superstars of all-time, I get choked up. I think that in comedy and sports entertainment, there's totally a lot of parallels that go hand and hand."

You can watch Ken Jeong's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.