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Vince McMahon Attempted to “Motivate” 54-Year-Old WWE Legend by Comparing Him to John Cena

Published 11/02/2023, 12:00 PM EDT

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John Cena is one of the biggest superstars that the WWE has ever produced to date. His unmatched positivity, charisma and in-ring skills have helped him stay a fan favorite for almost 2 decades. And during this time, he has had multiple feuds. But fans cherish his rivalry with one superstar as his most iconic one. This sentiment doesn’t just emanate from the wrestling faithful themselves, but also from Vince McMahon himself.

So much so that Mr McMahon once even compared that star to John Cena just to pump him up.

Vince McMahon compared Batista to John Cena

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For people who don’t know, John Cena and Batista were called from OVW to the main roster around the same time in 2002. That was also the time when Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar arrived on the scene to the main roster. Thus making Cena and Batista an equal when it comes to experience in the WWE.

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Yet in spite of coming into the WWE at the same time, Cena gained more popularity with the fans than Batista. He connected really well with the fans in the PG era. This obviously caught the attention of McMahon, who had high hopes for Batista. And so, in order to invigorate him, the 78-year-old once even compared Batista to Cena.

This came to light when Cena sat down to look back at his most memorable matches in the WWE. One of those matches was the last man standing match at Extreme Rules in 2010 against Batista for the WWE Championship. Cena went on to praise Batista for his perseverance and also talked about McMahon comparing the two stars.

John Cena Heaps Praises on 43-Year-Old Arch-Rival While Comparing Him With Another Former Nemesis: “Makes Difficult Look Simple”

He said, “Dave’s biggest attribute I think is his perseverance, and I think all of the hurdles he put in front of himself, learning about his perspective, his ability not to cave under those hurdles. I didn’t know Vince was comparing the two of us to try and motivate him. I didn’t know there was any resentment to opportunities one would receive. But he didn’t cave. It made it harder. But I think it’s his perseverance that has got him where he is today”.

It should be noted that in spite of such camaraderie between the two stars, Batista has clearly refused to work with John Cena in Hollywood for personal reasons.

But going back to Extreme Rules in 2010, what exactly happened at that match?

John Cena beat Batista in the last man standing match by utilizing his creativity

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Cena and Batista were involved in a heated rivalry at that time. Cena had just defeated Batista at WrestleMania 26 to become the new WWE Champion.

Hence Batista challenged him to a brutal last man standing match to regain his title. Both stars put each other through hell that night. Cena put Batista through the announcer’s table with an Attitude Adjustment while Batista drove Cena right through a table in the ring.

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Eventually, Cena cunningly taped Batista’s legs to the ring pole, thus making it difficult for him to stand up in time for the count. Hence Batista succumbed to a defeat at the hands of the Cenation leader. Both superstars now enjoy their success in their respective Hollywood careers and now the comparisons from their in-ring career carry on to their film career. But what are your opinions on Vince McMahon comparing the two superstars to each other?

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Written by:

Christopher Lazarus

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I still vividly remember the time when WWE VHS's used to be played on cable movie channels every Sunday(early 90s in India). And that's where my love for the WWE began. My love and passion for pro wrestling only grew over the years in the form of a mini collection of cards, stickers, tees, action figures and even a WWE Championship belt signed by the 'Big Red Machine' Kane himself (talk about getting lucky).
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce