John Cena returned to the ring for the first time in 2023 at WrestleMania 39.
The short match against Austin Theory opened night one of the show and saw Cena fail to win the United States Title. The contest was Cena’s first since December 30th and only his second since September 2021.
Cena’s matches have become few and far between in recent years as the star begins to rise the ranks in Hollywood. However, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has claimed that this has come at the expense of his enthusiasm for wrestling. Speaking on The Wrestling Time Machine with Bill Apter and host Mac Davis, Long said that he believes Cena’s heart is no longer in the squared circle.
“I’m just old school and I just always believe in doing business, and I just don’t think Cena did business. I don’t know this, but I feel that Cena is basically going to spend the rest of his career on Hollywood doing movies and stuff. I don’t know. I don’t want to say this, but I don’t think his heart is in wrestling like it used to be. He’s thinking ahead to the movies and stuff now.”
Long added that while he supports Cena furthering his career, he suggested he could have delivered a better performance against Theory.
“If you want to go and do something else, nothing’s wrong with that. Further your career, do better, I’m for that all the way. But, don’t forget where you come from. Back in the day, a guy that was in the territory, if he was going to leave for a good bit, then he would always leave the guy that’s left in the territory strong. I think he could have had a way better match with the kid than he did because I’ve seen him work in the ring before.”
John Cena Involved In New WWE Docuseries
John Cena is set to produce a new docuseries titled “WWE: Recruits” which will premiere on Roku. The eight-part series will follow a group of would-be Superstars as they attempt to launch careers with WWE.
The series will include appearances from Cena as well as Triple H, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Bianca Belair. Filming has already begun, including some content shot at WrestleMania 39.
H/t to Sportskeeda