Ex-WWE writer Vince Russo thinks that the sports entertainment juggernaut owes John Cena big time because of a major botched moment in 2023. It was the way things were handled by the Triple H regime that left a sour taste in the mouth of Russo.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda’s The Wrestling Outlaws, host Dr. Chris Featherstone asked Vince Russo and former TNA and NWA World Champion EC3 about John Cena’s retirement tour and whether it made sense for him to win the Royal Rumble. They also discussed the possibility of Cena capturing a record-breaking 17th World Championship.
Vince Russo told Dr. Chris Featherstone that he felt John Cena was deserving of a 17th WWE World Championship win purely because of how the company botched Austin Theory’s push after he beat The Cenation Leader at WrestleMania 39.
“Yeah, I do. Especially what they did to him the last time. Him putting Austin Theory over and then they [WWE] did nothing with Theory. They absolutely owe him and I think it would be the right thing to do.” (2:10 – 2:31)
For context, the entire Theory-Cena feud and match were considered a huge disappointment. Many believe the bout marked the start of Austin Theory’s downfall as a singles star.
You can watch the full video below.
John Cena revealed why he destroyed Austin Theory during their RAW promo
The Cenation Leader recently revealed that whatever he told Austin Theory on the microphone during their first meeting was conveyed to him face-to-face backstage. But why did he cut such a brutal promo?
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena said he saw a lot of potential in Austin Theory, and destroying him on the mic was his way of teaching the upstart.
“I was really close to the chest with Austin Theory when we were able to go back and forth verbally. I see so much potential in him, and I wanna shake him and be like, ‘You’re gonna learn all this stuff. I just wish you would learn it today,'” Cena said. [13:46 – 14:03]
In a sense, it seems to be a rite of passage that Cena puts select superstars who are on an upward trajectory through. Theory isn’t on the trajectory he was prior to 2023, but regardless, he told Chris Van Vliet in a separate interview that he has watched the promo back and believes it was simply Cena portraying his character.
To Austin Theory’s credit, despite losing his singles push in the Triple H era, he has been complimentary about the way things have changed in the new era of WWE.
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