John Cena On What He Would Have Done Differently With WWE Debut
John Cena's first two words in WWE were "ruthless aggression," but looking back he believes he could have shown that a little more in his WWE debut. It's nearing 20 years since Cena stepped out on "WWE SmackDown" to accept Kurt Angle's challenge, and as a means to celebrate the moment, WWE had Cena rewatch that episode.
"I think I would embody the words 'ruthless aggression' more," Cena said as he watched his exchange with Angle. "I don't think like I came out looking like a normal person doing normal stuff. The beginning of the match though seems to be pretty aggressive, and ruthless, and fast. Thank you to Kurt for making me look so good, so quick."
Once the match got physical, Cena noted how the fundamentals of wrestling didn't come to him as organically as they did to a bonafide athlete like Angle.
"I've always had to work a little bit harder on my fundamentals, as they weren't as natural as some of the other performers," Cena said, "But I don't know, for a first effort where it's obvious that Kurt is out there showing his speed, it all went so fast."
Next up was the backstage segment where the WWE Champion Undertaker approached a young Cena for a handshake. Cena clearly isn't a fan of his then demeanor with the Deadman.
"But here I am intimidated by the Undertaker. If I am aggressive and ruthless, I wouldn't be really intimidated by anybody, right? And I might not ask to shake Kurt's hand or anything like that. Here I am, marveling at my own hand as Undertaker shook my hand. If I really embodied ruthless aggression, I would have kicked him in the nuts or bowed up to him and said, 'Hey, I'm going to take that championship in a week or so.'"
.@JohnCena breaks down his unforgettable WWE debut against @RealKurtAngle from 20 years ago on #SmackDown in this #CenaMonth edition of WWE Playback. pic.twitter.com/7NMVdZeZ1U
— WWE (@WWE) June 9, 2022
Cena is set to return to WWE on the June 27 episode of "WWE Raw," twenty years to the day when he got his debut win against Angle. Cena expressed his excitement for his return after the announcement was made this past Monday on "Raw."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.