WWE legend details how he helped save John Cena's career 21 years ago

John Cena recently surprised every pro wrestling fan by announcing his retirement tour at the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event on July 6, 2024. Beginning his WWE career on June 27, 2002, Cena became the face of the company for more than a decade. However, there was a time when his career could have come to a premature end and a WWE legend recently detailed how he helped him save it.

WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has always been lauded for both his in-ring as well as behind-the-scenes contributions. While speaking on his RIKISHI FATU OFF THE TOP podcast, The Samoan Stinker described how he was the one behind introducing John Cena’s rapper gimmick. Interestingly, Rikishi also noted that he knew The Champ's rapping skills would be a hit when he saw him rap and later asked him to freestyle in front of the WWE crew on a bus.

"So, I brought him in the back... Oh, you guys got to hear John do this, blah blah blah. So, he was like a young rookie just starting, and I thought he was gonna freeze up. But, no man, he came in the back, and he just freestyled everybody. He's seen in the back, you know, I believe Macho Man was there, and then he just freestyled and called everybody's name, finish, I mean his flow was crazy," Rikishi said. [50:09 - 50:38]

You can watch the podcast below:

Rikishi detailed that he ran the idea of Cena showing his rapping skills on TV with the main office. This was also the time when The Cenation Leader received a wardrobe makeover and got his signature Denim shorts and a chain.

The freestyle rapper gimmick was an instant hit with the audience who was either looking for something fresh or still not over the 1990s WWE.

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The character that provided John Cena with an opportunity to become a WWE legend

In August 2021, BuzzFeedVideo uploaded a video on its official YouTube channel featuring John Cena titled I Accidentally Became A Meme: You Can't See John Cena. The video detailed the career of the 16-time World Champion in a humorous way with the ‘You Can’t See Me’ trope as the central theme. Interestingly, a section of The Champ's lines saw him revealing how he was on the brink of getting fired once and how his rapper gimmick saved his career.

"So I debuted as John Cena, the most stale, unentertaining character you can imagine, and was just about to be fired after a year and a half of me trying to connect with the audience. On what was supposed to be one of my last tours – when we go overseas we all travel together – and in the back of the bus, people were freestyling. I remember I just went back and joined in and in the front of the bus, the creative department was like, 'Hey, how did you remember all that?'" [H/T TJR Wrestling]

Cena further said that following this, he received a breather and the space to experiment with new styles and catchphrases. This was also the time when he reinvented his costume and his mannerisms and fans just started liking him more and more. It would be interesting to see if the WWE Universe would get to see Cena the rapper in his final days with the Stamford-based promotion.