While many consider John Cena the greatest superstar in WWE history, the 16-time World Champion believes otherwise. He recently named a current top superstar as "the greatest of all time."
The superstar in question is none other than Roman Reigns. The Original Tribal Chief has been an active main roster competitor in the Stamford-based company for nearly 12 years. While he held several titles throughout his career, his four-year Undisputed WWE Universal Championship reign is considered one of the greatest title runs in history.
In a recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Cena was asked to name who he believed was the greatest superstar of all time. The 16-time World Champion claimed that he respects Ric Flair for his contribution to the industry, however, he thinks Roman Reigns is number one:
"I'm also enamored by the business side. And I don't think there's a better breathing example of what the best the business has ever been than Roman Reigns. And it's amazing that I'm saying a still active talent with years in front of him is the greatest of all time, but he's been in it since 2012. I had to work my way up. I started on the bench then got on to the Saturday program, and then just lost every match. He came in with The Shield in a really high-level spot and never wavered. Even when the fans didn't like him, he was still in a main event spot," he said. [From 47:05 to 47:42]
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
Cena also pointed out that Reigns has massively contributed to the company's stock value increase from 2012 to 2024, expressing his respect for the 39-year-old's accomplishments.
Check out the podcast below:
The WWE legend showered Roman Reigns with praise
John Cena shared the ring with Roman Reigns several times during the past decade. Their last square-off came in 2021 when The Leader of the Cenation lost to The Original Tribal Chief in a title match at SummerSlam.
In his interview with the Club Shay Shay podcast, Cena continued to shower his former WWE opponent with praise, dubbing him a "multi-generational athlete."
"Joe's smart, passionate about the business, multi-generational athlete, has respect for his family, has respect for the locker room, has respect for the business. He's a very very smart performer and somebody I respect. He'd be my greatest of all time," he added. [From 48:16 to 48:33]
Cena will retire in 2025 after having a Retirement Tour in WWE. It would be interesting to see if Roman Reigns would cross paths with The Franchise Player once again before the latter hangs up his boots.
Please credit Club Shay Shay and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use the above transcription.