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John Cena is one of the most iconic names in the wrestling world. He has been a mainstay in WWE for over two decades and is now in his final stretch.
He is the talk of the town after recently turning heel for the first time in a long time after attacking Cody Rhodes and aligning with The Rock at the Elimination Chamber. He will now take on Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41.
During his time as a full-time wrestler in WWE, John Cena trained many wrestlers who are now with AEW. In this list, we will look at five such stars who trained with John Cena early on in their careers.
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#5. Bryan Danielson trained with John Cena
Bryan Danielson is now an established star and has carved his own niche in wrestling. However, there was a time when he was an up-and-coming star and was having tryouts in WWE.
One of Danielson’s first run-ins with John Cena occurred at WWE Velocity in 2003, where the two stars took on each other in a match. The match ended up with Cena picking up the win. After that, the two stars once again crossed paths in the early 2010s during Cena’s rivalry with the Nexus.
#4. Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli was known as Cesaro during his time in WWE and he was billed as an unstoppable star early on in his career. He went on to have a decent time there and also ended up winning some titles.
John Cena and Claudio Castagnoli came together for a muscle and fitness shoot, and the two were seen training together. They had some matches during their time in the company, but it just goes to show how many AEW stars Cena has interacted with.
#3. MJF
MJF is one of the most recognizable stars in AEW right now, and that is because of his wrestling style and his promo skills. What many do not know is that MJF once had a tryout in WWE.
During that time, he interacted with John Cena, who was present as a coach. MJF has recounted in many interviews how the WWE star gave him feedback and reportedly praised his promo skills. It is no wonder he does so well with the microphone these days.
#2. Brian Cage
Brian Cage is known to be a physical specimen right now. His impressive showings in AEW have been there for all to see. However, there was a time when he was an up-and-coming wrestler at the Florida Championship Wrestling in 2008, which was one of WWE’s developmental territories.
It was then that John Cena became an established star and would frequently go and have some tryouts with the FCW stars. Cage has mentioned how Cena’s guidance was crucial during his time.
#1. Buddy Matthews
Buddy Matthews was known as Buddy Murphy during his time in WWE. He was an up-and-coming star who held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and the RAW and NXT tag team titles.
He made a splash in 205 Live, where he interacted with John Cena. Given Cena’s attribute of helping younger talent, the current AEW star was one of them to receive it. Murphy received feedback on his game and went on to become a successful wrestler.
