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John Cena Says WWE Superstars Should Take More Risks, But Is That Realistic?

By Kevin Parvizi

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When John Cena speaks about the business, we listen. And why wouldn’t we? Cena is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in history as a 16-time champion and global icon.

In “shoot” interviews, John Cena has made it no secret that his main goal when working with other wrestlers is to push them, particularly on the microphone. He’ll highlight their strengths in the ring during their matches, but most of the focus is on the selling of the match when Cena is involved.

One of the best talkers in the history of the WWE, Cena can make any match must-see, and he’s willing to let his opponent take some heavy-handed shots at him. Just look at his feuds with The Miz and Roman Reigns this year as examples of him allowing other superstars to have free reign at insulting him.

On a recent episode of Edge and Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness, Cena spoke candidly about the wide array of opportunities available for WWE Superstars in today’s climate. He chastised the “complacency” in the locker room, juxtaposing that with praise for the sheer amount of talent, particularly when it comes to the caliber of work inside the squared circle, in the company.

Fans immediately criticized this aspect of Cena’s interview, astutely pointing out that Cena is coming from a much more comfortable position than many other superstars. He came up during an era when it was easier for superstars to take risks, and he’s been in a pole position in the WWE for as long as anyone can remember. From his first segments with the company onward, the promotion always had big plans for him.

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But Cena’s statements about risk-taking and complacency aren’t unique to him. We’ve heard it before from Paul Heyman in an interview that was specifically about Shinsuke Nakamura. Heyman is currently Brock Lesnar’s advocate, but he used to be CM Punk’s manager.

Punk is the best example of a superstar who rose to the top, eventually working a five-star program with Cena, by taking massive risks. He could have been fired, but he forced people to pay attention to him.

Last year on an episode of Talking Smack, we saw how risk-taking can pay off for a superstar. The Miz cut a scathing promo on Daniel Bryan, calling him a coward for not wrestling, blasting the fans, and boasting about his own ability to consistently fight in the ring.

It is perhaps the greatest promo of the last three years in wrestling, and it immediately made The Miz the biggest star on SmackDown Live. That feud also featured Dolph Ziggler taking a risk, putting his career on the line to make their match at No Mercy one of the greatest in the Pay Per View’s history. That feud aptly reflected SmackDown‘s theme song “Take A Chance”, and memories of it are already nostalgic for some fans.

However, “taking a chance” hasn’t quite worked out for everyone, and Baron Corbin is an example of this. Corbin reportedly spoke out against Dr. Joseph Maroon for downplaying the effects of CTE, and this apparently upset backstage officials who wished Corbin called out Maroon privately. Corbin is a former NFL offensive lineman and is involved in a lawsuit against the league for misleading the serious effects that concussions and repeated head trauma have on long-term health.

Corbin also received some “heat” for extending his heel persona to Twitter, which definitely constitutes as taking a risk with your character. The result led to him losing his Money in the Bank briefcase in embarrassing fashion, getting rolled up by Jinder Mahal within seconds of his failed cash-in attempt. It was a complete 180-turn for Corbin, who was in a position to potentially win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam after defeating AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler for the briefcase.

When it comes to taking risks, not every wrestler is given an opportunity to do so. Someone like Owens has been given plenty of chances to shine following his feud with Cena. Triple H literally handed him the Universal Championship, he got to work with Chris Jericho extensively in promos as his “best friend”, he’s been in a feud with AJ Styles for the United States Championship, and now he has a chance to feud with both Shane and Vince McMahon.

If a superstar decided to take their own risks, like Punk once did, they could run the risk of being fired. Not everyone has the job security Cena does, and even Vince’s favorites aren’t immune to losing a push. Corbin, for example, is someone Vince is high on, which is why he remains in the U.S. Title picture despite his loss of the MITB briefcase. But imagine how someone like, say, Gran Metalik or Sami Zayn might feel about taking a risk, because it feels like most performers are walking on egg shells.

Even when a wrestler like Sasha Banks rightfully speaks out about stalkers (no, these people are not fans, they are creeps), other wrestlers (mostly men who fail to realize the challenges of being a female celebrity) will send their own retorts back. If that’s how Banks is received when she speaks about an important issue that occurs outside of the ring, just think about how the company could react to a performer expressing themselves differently on the show.

To his credit, Cena completely understands the fear that his fellow independent contractors in the WWE feel about their lack of job security, but he downplayed the risks of being fired.

"“Man, I don’t understand the nervewracking of it all. So the Titanic is you get fired, that’s the worst scenario, but we are in the business right now of holding onto a lot of guys. So like I said, and I mean this, there’s never been a better chance for someone to be a WWE Superstar, a WWE megastar, than right now. It is wide open, throttle wide open, foot to the floor. If you ever thought you could do it, step up right now.And I don’t know… I think these guys just feel a piece of the system rather than this creative force that… man, you guys both know there’s not a better feeling than being out there when everything clicks and everything goes right. And no one can write that for you, no one can produce that for you, no one can create that behind a curtain for you. That deals with gut decisions and passion and YOUR creativity. It has to come from the individual. And I’m not, once again, I’m not saying that we don’t have great talent — as a matter of fact, I’ve said that guys have more talent now than I’ve ever seen. I just think it’s the ability to apply creativity to their skillset. I think that’s what’s missing.”"

From my vantage point, it seems quite striking for Cena to dismiss the fears that wrestlers have about being fired. We’ve seen the WWE axe superstars before, and while they don’t do this frequently, there are plenty of superstars who don’t get a “push” no matter how hard they try. Ever heard of Zack Ryder? Or Dolph Ziggler? How about Emma, I hear she’s getting the credit she deserves for his top-notch in-ring work and social media presence?

These superstars worked hard to climb to where they are in the WWE, because just getting here is hard enough. Thousands upon thousands of people try to become professional wrestlers, get paid nothing, put their bodies on the line, and never get that big break. I think it is myopic and slightly insulting to fault wrestlers for being afraid of losing it all.

Despite my criticisms of Cena, he’s actually correct. Let’s go back to Banks, who is one of the elite wrestlers in the world today and a prodigious mover of merchandise. On the Sam Roberts Podcast, Banks spoke about her frustration with her role in the company, the way storylines are quickly thrown at the talent, and admitted she is afraid of talking to Vince. That last admission is rather jarring, because how can she expect to get what she wants out of the business without having an open dialogue with the man in charge?

When you listen to other wrestlers talk about Jericho, for example, what always comes up in conversation was how often “Y2J” would be in Vince’s ear with ideas and ways to sell himself better. It’s why he became such a big deal in WWE from his first entrance with the countdown clock onward. And if you don’t think Jericho has taken risks with his character, well, I got something to tell you.

Legends of the WWE like Chris Jericho, Edge, Cena, and Styles (yeah, he’s already a legend) talk about how important it is to cultivate a relationship with Vince. Even Fandango and Tyler Breeze discussed Vince’s acumen as a writer on Talk is Jericho. Nia Jax once spoke about how Vince told her to protect her aura as a dominant monster, which is sound advice indeed.

It doesn’t work out for every superstar, because Dolph Ziggler once said on Unfiltered With Renee Young that he’s done everything possible to get a singles match at WrestleMania (nope, hasn’t happened), including speaking to Vince and doing whatever he can to make others look better.

I bristle at Cena’s willingness to call other wrestlers in the WWE complacent or to admonish them for being fearful of being fired, but it’s hard to disagree with him about taking calculated risks. From Miz’s promo to The New Day’s risque shenanigans, these small risks often pay off and resonate with the crowd, which means Vince will eventually come to trust the talent in bigger spots. Who hosted WrestleMania this year? The New Day. Who was asked to go out there and try to make something happen with LaVar Ball? The Miz.

Next: Ranking The 10 Greatest No Mercy Matches In WWE History

Not everyone can become a multiple-time world champion in the WWE, especially given how much talent exists on every brand right now. But superstars can still find their ways to make themselves must-see and branch out, lending credence to Cena’s assertion that it would behoove superstars to take reasonable gambles.

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