“We knew that backstage”: John Cena Owes His WWE Career to Stephanie McMahon After Vince McMahon Almost Fired Him

In the first decade of the 21^st century, John Cena reigned supreme as the primary poster boy of WWE. No matter how many good storylines prevailed, Cena would mainly take the main event, considering his run as the primed baby face and his terrific promotional ability.

Known as the golden goose from the Stamford-based company’s business perspective, Cena got them a full house at all times. One of Cena’s greatest rivals during that particular era, John Bradshaw Layfield, revealed that despite all the pomp and vigor, the leader of Cenation was not exempt from Vince McMahon’s rage.

There was a time when McMahon almost fired him, and it was Stephanie McMahon who stepped in and saved him his job. Thankfully, that intervention happened as it petered out finely, providing the company the face they desperately needed while keeping the fans happy.

How did Stephanie McMahon save John Cena’s job?

When John Cena debuted, he definitely did grab a few eyeballs. However, things went haywire for the big man who came in the wake of some serious underperformances on the main roster in 2002. Vince’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon, who was a part of the creative team back then, saw Cena rapping on a bus and eventually decided to use this as a part of his schtick.

Despite being unimpressed by Cena’s in-ring performance, once Vince McMahon heard Cena’s rap after being tipped by Steph, he changed his mind. He realized the greatness of John Cena and used that same gimmick for him during his promos, which turned out to be a game-changer for the big man. JBL said on Something to Wrestle that the rap proved crucial in Cena turning into the Doctor of Thuganomics.

Vince said, ‘How long did it take him to memorize that?’ They said, ‘That was all on the fly,’ and that’s when Vince realized, ‘This is a brilliant kid.’ That’s the one thing that got him the huge push. We knew that backstage. We knew how entertaining he was.

It was Cena’s urge to find new gimmicks for himself while turning them into a long-standing storyline that set the tone for his greatness. According to John, Cena was always building his character arcs and he came a long way in getting himself to the part where he eventually dished out the tag line of “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect.”

What is next for John Cena from here?

At the 2024 Money in the Bank PLE, John Cena made a surprise appearance and eventually announced that he was going to bid adieu to wrestling at the end of 2025 once and for all with a Farewell tour. Moreover, there are rumors among the WWE Universe that Cena might be facing Logan Paul as his adversary in his last WWE match at WrestleMania 41.

John Cena is currently scheduled to be a part of the 2025 Elimination Chamber, where he will be battling it out with five other superstars. He will have CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Damien Priest, and Seth Rollins as his adversaries.

The winner of the match will receive a World Championship match against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. Cena didn’t participate in any qualification matches but claimed that his two-decade-long run is a testimony solid enough to earn him the place.

It will be interesting to see how WWE places Cena for WrestleMania. With the kind of unparalleled legacy that Cena comes in with, the storyline will have to feature a massive superstar to give it the befitting finish that it deserves. Only time shall reveal whether Cena will lift his 17^th world championship, or is it only going to be a storyline epic enough to make the fans bow down to him one last time.

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