"Who is he to say this guy is not believable?" - WWE legend rips into John Cena for criticizing Austin Theory (Exclusive)

Despite being considered one of the best young talents in WWE, Austin Theory has his fair share of critics, including his former rival John Cena. Teddy Long, however, fired back at The Cenation Leader during the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine.

During an interview, the 16-time World Champion recently revealed that he wasn't convinced about Austin Theory being a believable top guy.

John Cena's comments garnered attention as he inadvertently buried Theory's much-hyped potential and claimed he wasn't ready to carry a massive program alone.

Teddy Long countered Cena's arguments and believes that Austin Theory has all the tools to become a dependable WWE Superstar. The former General Manager of SmackDown surprisingly went on the offensive against The Franchise Player and stated that many fans didn't buy into Cena's "rapper gimmick" from his early days.

While Teddy Long admitted that John Cena was a "nice guy," he disagreed with his views on Theory:

"I don't think Austin is missing something. John Cena may be missing something. John Cena, I mean, who is he to say this guy is not believable? A lot of people watched his matches and didn't believe in him. They didn't believe him when he was out there rapping. They didn't buy that! I don't know; Cena just gets caught up in it sometimes. Nice guy, man, and everything, but come on, man!" [From 1:02 to 1:28]

Check out the video below:

What did John Cena tell Austin Theory backstage in WWE?

The Hollywood star pulled no punches during his promo battle with Austin Theory leading up to WrestleMania, where he lost in the show-opening match. He also had some brutally honest opinions about the United States Champion's work that he shared with him privately before they got into the ring.

While speaking on Notsam Wrestling, John Cena said that he told Theory "he didn't believe" what the star did when performing in front of the cameras.

Cena wasn't confident in Theory's abilities to cut a high-profile WrestleMania promo by himself and felt he needed to return to ensure their feud wasn't wasted.

The former WWE Champion also claimed that fans, too, could see right through the "BS" as he proceeded to pan Austin's underwhelming persona.

Do you support John Cena's opinion on Theory, or are you on Teddy Long's side? Let us know in the comments section below.

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