Top WWE Star Calls John Cena Their "Mentor"

The WWE WrestleMania 39 card is beginning to take shape. While only two bouts are official, a number of marquee matches are reportedly locked in internally for the showcase of the immortals. Among those are Seth Rollins taking on Logan Paul and Austin Theory battling John Cena, possibly with his WWE United States Championship on the line if he successfully defends it at WWE Elimination Chamber. Considering his most recent WrestleMania appearances have been segment-based, this would be Cena's first legitimate WrestleMania singles match since his brief WWE WrestleMania 34 contest against The Undertaker.

That's due to Cena's acting career keeping him significantly preoccupied. The 16-time world champion has still made the odd appearance for WWE here and there, with the company especially emphasizing him as a WWE legend rather than an active member of the roster.

While some fans and talent pushed back on Cena when he was a full-time wrestler, Big Match John is now largely embraced by the entire professional wrestling world. Former rival Seth Rollins praised Cena at a recent WWE 2K23 event, calling him the greatest of all time.

"John's the GOAT, man. John's the best. John is incredible," Rollins told Pro Wrestling Illustrated. "I'm a footnote in his career. John influenced so many talents over the years. He was a generational guy."

Rollins and Cena feuded in 2015, facing one another at WWE SummerSlam and WWE Night of Champions. The Visionary noted that his time with Cena both inside and outside of the ring helped craft who he is as a wrestler.

"John influenced what I do so heavily. I took a ton of inspiration from John," Rollins continued. "I learned a lot being in the ring with John, and I learned a lot watching John behind the scenes. John still is a mentor to me, even now that he's not around that often."

Cena's most recent WWE appearance came on the final WWE SmackDown of 2022. At that show, Cena teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Sami Zayn and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. That match allowed Cena to keep his match streak going, as he has wrestled at least one contest every year since his debut in 2002.