John Cena tips his hat to former WWE rival for overcoming initial struggles at connecting with the crowd

John Cena has transitioned from being a WWE star into a full-time acting career in Hollywood. Before making the big move, he wrestled many up-and-coming stars during his 2015 "US Title Open Challenge."

On the May 4th edition of Monday Night RAW in 2015, Bret Hart introduced Sami Zayn to the main roster as Cena's challenger. The now 38-year-old Canadian star received a raucous reaction from the crowd, as he was already a former NXT Champion and a popular name among fans who followed NXT at the time.

However, as Zayn moved on to a more regular role on the main roster, he struggled to connect with the crowd. That has changed now as he is currently renowned for his character work since joining The Bloodline as an "Honorary Uce," beloved by fans.

Speaking to Andrew Santino on Whiskey Ginger, John Cena showered praise on the former three-time Intercontinental Champion. He described the latter's popularity as something that came from working hard for over three years and even "reconstructing" his character:

“I gotta give Sami his comeuppance. Here’s a guy who’s been in the business a long time and worked really hard in circuits outside the WWE and made a great name for himself, then got in WWE in the NXT program and made a great name for himself, and then got into WWE and kind of struggled to connect with the audience." [h/t: Fightful]

Cena continued:

Everyone now, because he’s very popular now, thinks it’s like [snaps fingers], alright, it clicked. His character went through a major reconstruction just about three years ago, maybe even a little more than that. It’s taken him three and a half years, and now all that hard work, and I can see it, I can see how hard he works, and I see how he’s invested in connecting with the audience. It’s paid off. Everybody loves him because they know who he is."

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champions The Usos at WrestleMania 39.

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John Cena vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE United States Championship

Both John Cena and Sami Zayn were widely praised for their performances in their first-ever encounter on Monday Night RAW back in 2015.

Despite Zayn's loss and subsequent injury, he made a mark with this match. Upon his return at the 2016 Royal Rumble, he kick-started a lengthy feud with Kevin Owens on the main roster.

Meanwhile, you can read more about John Cena's childhood story of being bullied for having a peculiar interest here.

Do you think Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will dethrone The Usos at WrestleMania 39? Will John Cena win his sixth United States Championship by defeating Austin Theory? Sound off in the comments section below.