On December 13, the wrestling world paid their respects to John Cena as his in-ring profession officially got here to an end at WWE Saturday Night’s Most important Event. Behind-the-scenes, industry veteran William Regal also paid Cena an enormous compliment, which Cena describes as “a 25-year callback.”
While appearing on “No-Contest Wrestling” podcast, Cena recalled feedback he received from Regal, then-WWE commissioner, following one in all his early WWE dark matches. “I actually idolized William Regal, that European Fit Finlay, that catch-as-catch-can style,” Cena said. “I loved the kinesthetic awareness of it. I loved the way it was similar to physical poetry. He was there and I asked him like, ‘Hey, did you see my match?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘How was it?’ His feedback was, ‘Lad, in the event you get yourself a pair of shoes, not less than you may seem like a correct wrestler.’ But here’s the thing, perception is reality. I used to be like ‘All I want is a pair of shoes.’ That is how I took it. But obviously, he was being very polite, very stiff upper lip. It was the s***s. He was honest, but thank goodness he didn’t tell me it was bad, because I used to be wrestling in bodybuilding Otomix shoes, and I’m like, ‘Yo, I just got to get boots.'”
Greater than twenty years after hearing Regal insist that he put money into a pair of wrestling boots, Cena still sported his signature sneakers for his final match against GUNTHER at WWE SNME. In accordance with Cena, this earned him a full-circle piece of praise, with Regal telling him “Even without boots, you are still a correct wrestler.”
Despite his final night as an lively competitor expectedly being a busy one, Cena noted that Regal’s one sentence particularly stood out. For years, the England native would only comment on how awful Cena’s dark match was when reflecting on it. That point, though, Regal gave Cena the “nugget” of praise he had long yearned for.
Should you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “No-Contest Wrestling” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.