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John Cena's iconic backstage interaction with a WWE legend left a veteran impressed and he had called for it to be put on TV. This segment has been looked at favorably by the WWE Universe over time as the first sign of Cena's impending stardom. The veteran who made the call was Bruce Prichard.
Cena made his main roster debut in mid-2002 on an episode of WWE SmackDown. He came very close to defeating Kurt Angle that night. After the loss, Cena was involved in a backstage segment where The Undertaker approached him and shook hands with him.
On the latest edition of Chris Van Vliet's podcast, John Cena opened up about the segment in question. The veteran revealed that Bruce Prichard was impressed with the same and said that it should be put on TV.
"No one is going to get that reaction when they come out, no one is going to get the glass break, no one is going to get the gong. That takes a lot of time, but you hear this stuff and immediately, you're like, 'Who's this person?' So I get it, and I didn't live up to the hype. But I think I didn't do anything wrong, hit all my spots, my timing was okay admittedly, Kurt's like, 'Man, I tried to run him ragged.' I made it through, just barely, I made it through and I think he [The Undertaker] was impressed, so he gave me a handshake, and Bruce Prichard was like, 'We need to put that on TV!" [3:04-3:38]
John Cena went on to become a top heel on WWE SmackDown
Soon after, Cena donned the gimmick of a rapper and it became a big hit with the WWE Universe. He spent about a year working as a heel on the blue brand and feuded with some of the biggest names on the brand, including Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker.
Cena finally turned babyface a few months before WrestleMania XX and never looked back. He won the US Title from Big Show at The Show of Shows and went on to become one of WWE's all-time greats over the next decade or so.
What did you think of John Cena's debut in 2002? Discuss.
Please credit CVV and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use Cena's quotes!
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