During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show”, John Cena commented on the importance of fans in pro wrestling, hanging out with the fans prior to his match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34, and more. You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On the importance of the wrestling fanbase: “When we tune into sporting events, why are we on the edge of our seats? Because the audience is going crazy, there is tension in the air that’s palpable and you can feel it. So I just always wanted the arena to be rocking. And everyone expects and shows up with high energy and for me to go out there apathetic or wanting to be somewhere else isn’t fair to all those fans. Hell, I’ve been a fan. I was crushing beers before I got whacked down by The Undertaker. So I’ve been a fan. That was one of my favorite experiences of all time.”
On hanging with fans in the audience before his match with Undertaker at WrestleMania 34: “I remember when they were like, ‘Yeah, we want to put you out there from like, 8:06 to 8:17’ and I was like, ‘No. I’m going when doors open. I went out at 3:00. And I watched like three hours of WrestleMania. And they were like, ‘You’re going to get mobbed,’ and I was like, ‘I’m going to get mobbed only for as long as it takes to meet everybody.’ And I literally met like three sections of people, and then everybody chilled.
“I made great friends with some people who traveled from Australia, people who traveled across the U.S., buying each other beers, literally, I crushed like three tall drafts before they told me Undertaker was there and I had to hop the barricade and go wrestle The Undertaker. That was a great experience for me because I got to be something I admire and something that I am. I got to be a fan, I got to watch it from the seats.”
