John Cena

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and All Elite Wrestling.

Big Cass Makes Impact Debut

Big Cass, now known as W. Morrissey, made his Impact Wrestling debut at Sunday's Rebellion pay-per-view. Morrissey took the place of an injured Eric Young in his Violent by Design faction's matchup against Chris Sabin, Eddie Edwards, James Storm and Willie Mack.

Young had to bow out of the event because of a torn ACL.

It's unclear if Morrissey signed a contract with Impact or if this is a one-off appearance. Morrissey previously made an appearance at an Impact live event in February but did not appear on television until two months later.

After being fired by WWE in 2018 amid personal issues, Morrissey made occasional appearances on the independent scene before going into rehab for substance abuse problems and depression. 

Morrissey looked to be in excellent shape in the match, helping Violent by Design to victory. Hopefully this was the beginning of a turnaround story for the former tag team star.

Cena Praises Miz

Peacock debuted the WWE 24 episode about The Miz over the weekend, and the program earned the highest of compliments from John Cena:

The documentary includes an in-depth look at Miz's WrestleMania main event against Cena at WrestleMania 27. While the match is considered a crowning achievement in Miz's career, he said he doesn't remember much of what happened after suffering a concussion.

What's clear from the documentary is that the WWE locker room has done a complete 180-degree turn on Miz as his career has progressed. He came to the company as a reality TV star who earned his contract through another reality show. There was no cutting his teeth in the indies or any of the hardships that many of the other talents went through to make the WWE.

That naturally led to some resentment, both in the locker room and among fans, before Miz ultimately started breaking through with his commitment to the craft and hard work. Now he's one of the most respected veterans in the WWE locker room today and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. 

Sin Cara Not a Fan of Vince McMahon's Treatment of Employees

Few have not heard much of Sin Cara since his release from WWE in 2019, but the luchador recently opened up on his time with the company in an interview with Gary Cassidy of Inside the Ropes. 

Sin Cara said he hardly had any communication with Vince McMahon after signing with WWE, in large part because he did not feel the boss was open in his interaction with employees. He said he wished McMahon would have reached out more, rather than forcing talent to wait outside his door: 

"I never went to his office and knocked on the door. Never. I never waited outside his office trying to see if he'd talk to me. Why would I do that? You know, like I work for your company. If I work for your company and I'm putting my life on the line every time, I think we should have the time to be able to talk to our boss and communicate what we want and how we feel, and I don't think it was something that I was going to do—just wait there for two or three hours to see if he could talk to me."

Of course, given the sheer number of employees within WWE, it's hard to expect McMahon to individually meet with every wrestler on a regular basis to discuss their storylines. It's also fair to note that McMahon likely does meet with Superstars he feels are main event talent and leaves those on the midcards and lower to other executives.

This is a case when Sin Cara is probably fair in his feeling of being slighted, while it's also best to acknowledge it'd be unrealistic for McMahon to be as available as most wrestlers would like. 

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Jericho Praises Mike Tyson, Recent Celebrity-Wrestling Crossovers

Between Bad Bunny, Shaquille O'Neal and others, this has been a banner time for celebrities hopping in the wrestling ring. Bad Bunny's WrestleMania match was arguably the greatest celebrity showing in history, and Shaq's bump through a table on AEW Dynamite was a meme that kept on memeing.

Chris Jericho said the key to the success of Bad Bunny and Shaq is that they came in and took the wrestling part of things seriously. They weren't just popping in for a check. He said the same mindset applies to Mike Tyson, who has made three appearances on AEW in the last year.

Jericho told Jason Brow and Russ Weakland of Hollywood Life:

"I don't think these recent celebrities want to come in there and embarrass themselves or, more importantly, embarrass the sport with all the respect that they have for it. It's the same thing with Mike Tyson. He loves being around the business and respects the business, and he has since he has been a kid. All he wants to do is his best. And at the end of the day, he is Mike Tyson, so there is always that element of what he is going to do. But if he didn't want to be there for the right reasons, he wouldn't be there."

Tyson is yet to have his oft-rumored debut match, but he proved last Wednesday he can throw an incredible worked punch.

If Iron Mike does eventually find himself inside the squared circle, odds are he'll join Bad Bunny and O'Neal as a crossover star who put on a fun match. 

Karrion Kross Wants to Retire Cena

While Karrion Kross recently recaptured his NXT Championship, he's apparently already got his sights set on bigger heights. Responding to a fan suggestion that he's the one who eventually retires John Cena, Kross seemed more than up for the challenge.

Cena, for his part, responded in his typically cryptic way on Instagram.

Cena has not been on WWE programming since his Firefly Funhouse match against The Fiend at WrestleMania 36. There has been no timetable for his return, with the COVID-19 pandemic and Cena's film schedule creating near-constant conflict.

The idea of Cena ever coming back on a full-time basis can be thrown out the window. He described himself as "not active" but refused to call himself retired in an appearance on The Tonight Show last year. At age 43, Cena would have likely been winding himself into part-timer status even if he weren't a crossover star.

As it stands, we'll be lucky to get one extended legacy run from Cena, but Kross could be headed to Raw or SmackDown by the time that happens.

Updates on Released WWE Stars

Here is a look at some of the latest updates from stars released from their WWE contracts last week:

• Mickie James: "If you wondering what I'm doing next... The answer is simple. Everything they said I couldn't."
• Chelsea Green says she is accepting bookings.
• Peyton Royce returns to former ring name of Cassie Lee.
• Billie Kay is now going by her real name, Jessica McKay. 
• Kalisto: "I'm about to blow up on all your favorite Indies... well that is only if I'm not locked down somewhere else first!"

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio on how WWE decided who to cut (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News): 

"They are people that they're not using in some cases. There are a couple of people that got cut because, how do I say it? I heard this about two different people, about one person was pouting that they were not on WrestleMania. That did not help them. Another person kinda complained about their booking. When you're a marginal talent that's not used and you complain about it, it's you know, it's not like you're a top guy and that didn't help their cause either. That was some of it as far as like, whatever. They're all people that they're not using and they'll all be able to get work whether it was names just coming off [WWE]."

WWE legend John Cena was heavily featured Wednesday in a trailer that was released for the upcoming Fast & Furious movie entitled F9.

As seen in the trailer, Cena plays a villainous character named Jakob Toretto, who has a major link to two of the franchise's main stars:

Cena's character is the brother of Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto and Jordana Brewster's Mia Toretto.

The Fast & Furious franchise debuted in 2001 and is on the verge of its ninth film release in the series and 10th overall when taking into account the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff.

It has developed into one of the most successful action movie franchises of all time, and the addition of Cena brings even more star power to the table.

Along with being one of the greatest and most accomplished WWE Superstars of all time, as evidenced by his record-tying 16 world title wins, Cena is a rising star in Hollywood as well.

In addition to his role in F9, the 43-year-old Cena is set to star in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie and the Peacemaker series on HBO Max.

WWE has had a significant presence in the Fast & Furious franchise over the years, as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has starred in several Fast & Furious movies, including Hobbs & Shaw.

The Rock's cousin, Universal champion Roman Reigns, was part of the Hobbs & Shaw cast as well.

Cena's Fast & Furious debut in F9 is set for theatrical release in the United States on June 25.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Roman Reigns wrote a masterpiece at WrestleMania 37. 

The Tribal Chief, accompanied by Paul Heyman and Jey Uso, closed out the first event with fans in the stands in more than a year with a classic match against Edge and Daniel Bryan and a retention of his universal title that only makes the coming days, weeks and months must-see material. 

In the process, Reigns boosted his legacy so much more. This was the capper to a stunning heel turn, long wished for by fans but feared for naught, as Reigns seemed destined to go the John Cena route and never actually do it. 

He did and managed to exceed even the loftiest of expectations in the process—and one could argue there haven't been higher expectations in modern wrestling history in terms of fantasy-booking something. 

So what, did anyone really expect him to lose? 

No chance. If onlookers haven't noticed, Reigns is in the Brock Lesnar role right now. The fact that Heyman is right there is a little on the nose. But if folks haven't noticed it, there it is. He's the big bad final boss who doesn't always get the squeaky-clean win, but that's part of the game. 

Meaning, the universal champion is going to get that Lesnar-type booking, if not more so. 

And he deserves it. 

Reigns came back after another extended absence, turned heel and then used the audience-less arenas to his advantage in a way almost no other Superstar could during the pandemic era. He shook free of the silly Shield vest, added Heyman, mixed up his move set and sadistically talked down to the opponents he pulverized—which caused a big churn of the stomach when it was his own family members. 

And fans cheered it, too. The guy who couldn't seem to shake free of his prior stable, even after one of them had outright left WWE, had been shoved down the collective throats of fans for years. Yet when permitted to flip the switch, he did just that, showing a degree of range to his character work most would've never guessed he could make work. 

So, of course Reigns was going to take down the fan-favorite Bryan, who deserved to be in the match but always felt like he was just there to eat the pin so the other two guys were left looking strong. Of course, he was going to get the best of Edge, whose return from injury only to win the men's Royal Rumble always felt a little off. 

It helps that this was one of the most memorable main events in a long time. Structurally speaking, this was an amazing Triple Threat match. It was smartly plotted like a must-read New York Times bestseller. Each Superstar had some one-on-one time with each other while the odd man out was smartly discarded. Weapons came into play., and it dealt with the interference of Uso early. 

And some of the spots were about as stunning as it gets, all neatly wrapped in strong storytelling. The double-crossface where Bryan wouldn't let Reigns tap out to Edge—then joined in on the submission—before they started headbutting each other was...something else. Ditto for the ending, which featured the titleholder stacking his fallen adversaries and pinning them both. 

Sure, we could nitpick. Uso playing a pretty big role in his cousin getting the win is worth an eye roll. But that's sort of the point—unlike plenty of matches—this wasn't an ending. Consider this a speed bump for this story, with Reigns still top dog but also still a despicable heel who will flaunt like he conquered both guys. Fans know better—there's an asterisk on it. And this man had the audacity to pin two guys at once in the main event of a WrestleMania, for goodness sake. 

The best part? Everybody comes out of the match looking strong. Reigns is set up to keep fulfilling that Lesnar-type role on the SmackDown roster. Thanks to this new character work, even old feuds fans have seen rehashed plenty of times will feel fresh. 

And here's the kicker—this run by Reigns, capped off by his win Sunday night, has the potential to recolorize his past a bit. He's going to end up getting the big benefit of the doubt that his past booking, which was him using the same moves over and over and winning all the time while occupying main event spots was forced on him by WWE itself. It won't sting fans too much to rewatch some of those bleh bumps along the way knowing this is where Reigns ends up. 

Not to say that this is the end. It only feels like the beginning for this version of Reigns. He's finally reached the apex WWE so wished for him long ago, beloved by fans no matter what deeds he might commit and against whom. Ironically enough, it took WWE listening to the fans to reach this point. 

Just think, this was the first time heel Reigns performed in front of a live crowd. It's only going to get wilder from here. He's already flirting with having a run that rivals modern greats such as Cena and CM Punk in terms of fan adoration.

Cena, notably, was adored and earned the right to have endless big moments until fans soured on him. Reigns is the inverse, having just earned the right.

And in terms of having merely a run of dominance, it doesn't get more dominant than the double pin of two surefire Hall of Famers in a WrestleMania main event. Lesnar was dominant. Guys like Triple H have been. But this is a whole different level, which is deserved and should be looked back on fondly, especially if the guy to finally upend him is a critical part of the future of WWE.

Played right—and there hasn't been any indication this will go wrong—we could be throwing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's name in there soon enough. Throw in The Rock too, as one Dwayne Johnson could be one of the big returning guys with a familiar connection who hopes to take down Reigns. 

So, if we're talking legacies, Sunday night was a critical building block for Reigns. He had already been so accomplished that it's downright jaw-dropping he's able to etch something else so positive in his legacy at this stage of his career, all while it feels like a launching-off point. 

The ability to dynamically shift now, of all times, after battling the out-of-ring issues he's encountered and doing it during the pandemic era, is downright stunning. If this hasn't put Reigns in the greatest-of-all-time discussion, the talk is pointless.

Ali Abdelaziz, the manager for Khabib Nurmagomedov, said the former UFC lightweight champion would make easy work of any potential WWE opponent, including John Cena.

"Let's be real, [if] any of these soft steroid freaks wanted to go ahead and have a wrestling match with Khabib and they wanna get beat up for real, they know who they need to call," Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports in an interview released Sunday. "He'll go there and he'll smash John Cena's face. No problem."

Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC in October after successfully defending his lightweight title with a submission victory over Justin Gaethje, which moved his career record to 29-0.

UFC President Dana White had tried to convince the Russian superstar to return, but in March, he confirmed on Twitter the retirement was official:

Khabib hasn't disclosed any future plans, though Abdelaziz explained to TMZ he's spent some time coaching to follow in the footsteps of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who died in July.

"He got no egos, he loves his friends, he loves his peers and he's there for them," Abdelaziz said. "You're gonna see a lot of new generation coming from his team. They're probably going to dominate the UFC or MMA in general."

A move to WWE would make a lot of sense. There's been plenty of crossovers in the past, including Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and Bobby Lashley, and the company can provide him with a flexible schedule.

Lesnar typically made very sporadic appearances surrounding the company's biggest events, which would allow Khabib to remained focused on coaching. But there's also a route to a full-time role like Lashley, who defended his WWE Championship by beating Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 37 on Saturday night.

It's unclear whether Cena, who's mostly transitioned to a full-time acting role at this stage, would return for a Nurmagomedov encounter, but there are no shortage of potential opponents if he does make the jump to professional wrestling.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Christian Talks WWE Return

Christian Cage appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast last week to discuss his long-awaited return to the ring. Christian said his motivation came after seeing Edge being cleared after nearly a decade out of the business.

While their injuries were not the same—Edge retired because of spinal stenosis and Christian because of concussions—he said he hoped his seven-year layoff would be enough to allow him to "finish [his] career on [his] own terms." After being independently cleared by his own doctor, Christian said he contacted WWE, and the company sent him to Pittsburgh for further evaluation.

WWE's doctors cleared Christian for a return, but he then went months without hearing from the company until it was looking for a Royal Rumble surprise.

"I legit hadn't been in the ring since June when I was at Edge's place, and before that, it had been seven years. I go, hopefully, it's like riding a bike, and I'll just pick it right back. They obviously have rings backstage. I was like, maybe I'll be able to sneak in a ring and just hit the ropes, but there was people in those rings all day, so I couldn't even do it because I'm the surprise. Legit, I didn't get changed till the match before the Rumble was in, and I got changed, walked down.

"Everybody in the hall is like, 'Oh my gosh!' I was just there hanging out for the day. It's not out of the realm of possibility for me to be around. I was there three weeks previous doing some stuff for The Network. It's not like I'm not around, so people are used to seeing me around. 'Oh, we see another guy,' and then I kind of laugh it off and then walk out. When the match actually started, I knew I would have about 40–45 minutes before I had to be in there. I got in the ring, hit the ropes about five times, took about five bumps just to get that initial shock in your system. I was like, all right, that's gonna have to do it."

Christian's appearance in WWE wound up being a one-off, as he didn't ink a new deal and ultimately signed in AEW. His match with Frankie Kazarian on Wednesday's Dynamite was his first singles competition in seven years.

Moxley Challenges Yuji Nagata for IWGP US Title

Fresh off his some would say surprising win over Kenta at NJPW Strong to retain his IWGP United States championship, Jon Moxley now has his sights set on Yuji Nagata. Mox cut a promo on the 52-year-old Japanese wrestling legend, saying he's "big-game hunting" for a dream match against Nagata.

The former AEW champion has held the IWGP U.S. title for more than a year, becoming the longest-reigning champion in that belt's history. The COVID-19 pandemic left Mox unable to defend the championship for most of 2020, so it's likely he's ticking off some of the boxes he wanted to uncheck last year.

Nagata held the IWGP heavyweight championship on two occasions and was the 2001 winner of G1. 

It's likely Moxley will eventually lose the championship at some point this year, but he is a strong bet to defeat Nagata, who is at a point in his legacy where titles aren't particularly necessary. It'll be interesting to see how NJPW handles the feud because Mox's match against Kenta was one of the most anticipated of 2021.

Rollins Tweets at Cena

Apparently, Seth Rollins is very into astrology.

Rollins responded to one of John Cena's motivational tweets Sunday, citing his Gemini nature as a reason he likes change:

It's not entirely clear if this tweet was sent in kayfabe or in earnest. All caps typically is meant to convey some level of sarcasm, but you never truly know with Rollins' social media game.

Regardless, it was all in good fun, and hopefully we'll see Rollins and Cena in a WWE ring at some point together in 2021. 

John Cena might be able to call himself a doctor in more than "Thuganomics" now. 

Amanda Eustice of WNEP spoke to an eight-year-old in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, who used a technique he saw demonstrated by Cena on an episode of The Substitute to help his sister as he was choking.

"We were driving to my haircut, and I noticed she was starting to choke from a chicken nugget from McDonald's," Jaxson Dempsey said. "I told my dad to pull over. Then I was starting to pat her back, and it got out."

On the show, Cena explained demonstrated how to perform CPR and other first-aid techniques.

Matt Dempsey told Eustice he wasn't sure whether his daughter, Lelia, would've made it had Jaxson not been in the car and acted quickly.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

John Cena Sr. Talks Son's WWE Future

John Cena is primarily focused on his acting career in Hollywood right now, but his father has little doubt that Cena's relationship with WWE will continue for a long time to come.

During an appearance on the UnSKripted podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), John Cena Sr. had the following to say about his son's future with the company:

"I think that John Cena will always be connected with the WWE or professional wrestling in some form or manner. Managing, backstage, NXT, whatever. He'll always be part of that business. I think you see already, and it's just me, less and less the other side that he's doing now. Doesn't mean he's finished. I hope nobody believes he's finished because my prediction...only my prediction, I have not spoken to him...he will be back."

Cena is one of the biggest stars in the history of the business, as his 16 world title reigns are equaled only by Ric Flair. For well over a decade, Cena was the face of WWE and was essentially always the company's go-to guy.

That hasn't really been the case in recent years, though, as Cena has focused more on acting and made only periodic appearances for WWE.

Cena wrestled only twice in 2019 and did not compete at WrestleMania 35, although he did appear to interrupt Elias' musical performance with a rap.

Last year, he wrestled only one match, that being the Firefly Funhouse Match against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.

Cena is not being advertised for WrestleMania 37 on April 10 and 11, and he has made it clear that he won't be able to attend the show because of the fact that he is shooting for the Peacemaker HBO Max series in Vancouver.

Since Cena has been part of WrestleMania in some way essentially every year since his debut in 2002, it will be an odd sight if he doesn't show up at WrestleMania 37.

Even so, Cena's father seems confident that Cena is far from done in professional wrestling, meaning his fans still have plenty to look forward to in the coming years.

Andrade Says He Turned Down Return to NXT

Andrade has provided some interesting information in recent days regarding what led to the end of his WWE run, including an opportunity he turned down.

The Mexican star divulged on a media call (h/t Phillip Hendrix of Ringside News) that Triple H tried to get him back on television by offering him a spot in NXT:

"He then told me, 'How about a run on NXT?' I told him that I wanted an opportunity on SmackDown or Raw. I didn't want to be someone who stayed in the back complaining, but complaining among the wrestlers. I don't want to complain to the wrestlers, but talk to the office and say I want an opportunity. I don't want to be four or five years doing nothing and just receiving a check. I was asked for maybe a year in NXT, then return to the [main roster] and see how things change."

Andrade first rose to prominence in WWE as a member of the NXT roster, as he overcame a slow start as a babyface by turning heel and aligning himself with Zelina Vega.

That led to instant success, with Andrade beating Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship in 2017 and holding it for nearly five months.

Andrade got called up to the main roster in 2018, and while he accomplished some good things, such as feuding with Rey Mysterio and winning the United States Championship, he never reached the heights most expected.

His stable with Vega and Angel Garza never really got off the ground, either, and it came to screeching halt on the Oct. 12 episode of Raw when Andrade faced Garza in a match.

That ended up being Andrade's final appearance on WWE programming, and after several months of not being used, he was granted his release in March.

One can't help but wonder what could have been had Andrade accepted Triple H's offer and built himself back up in NXT, but it is understandable if Andrade was in search of a new opportunity.

Cody Reveals His Favorite Match

AEW star Cody Rhodes gave a unique answer Tuesday when asked to name his favorite match he has been involved in.

As part of a Twitter Q&A, Rhodes named his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match against Nick Aldis at All In because of how loud the crowd was.

Cody also mentioned his first match against Darby Allin, a match against Kenny Omega in ROH, Legacy vs. D-Generation X in WWE and his recent tag match with Red Velvet against Shaquille O'Neal and Jade Cargill.

However, Rhodes ultimately concluded that his "true favorite has yet to happen."

That suggests Cody plans for his matches to get even bigger and better in the coming years, which isn't particularly surprising since he is one of AEW's top stars.

He has already battled it out with many of the biggest names AEW has to offer, including Chris Jericho, MJF and Allin to name a few, but there are plenty of dream matches still available to him.

The fact that Cody was willing to take a chance by starting AEW in the first place shows how ambitious he is, and his answer to the question of his favorite match further drives home that point.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).