‘He Belongs In That Ring’
If John Cena really wants to get over as a heel, praising Logan Paul is a pretty effective way to do it.
On Sunday, Cena made history after capturing his record-setting 17th world championship, defeating Cody Rhodes in the WrestleMania 41 headliner in Las Vegas.
Earlier that night, Paul scored a big win over AJ Styles, a man once regarded as the best professional wrestler on the planet.
Paul’s victory drew the ire of WWE fans and one Karrion Kross, who admonished the promotion in an absolutely killer (no pun intended) promo for allowing someone who hasn’t paid their dues to flourish so fast while others, like himself, are left sitting at home.
However, none of that matters to Cena.
John Cena Dubs Logan Paul a ‘Stud’
Less than 24 hours after his victory over ‘The American Nightmare’ at Allegiant Stadium, Cena praised Paul’s work ethic and dismissed claims that the social media star hadn’t earned his spot.
“Logan Paul’s a stud,” Cena said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I texted him right away after his match and I’m like dude, you are innovative, from his entrance to holding a drone to thinking on another level like I’m going to swing big and try something different. I thought that was dope. Then his performance, he’s doing stuff that I couldn’t do at peak physical condition. So regardless of if you like him or hate him, he’s doing athletic moves that are as good or better as any of the ‘wrestlers’ out there, any of the trained wrestlers.
“Here’s what I like most about Logan Paul—he doesn’t give two shits if ya’ll like him or not. He does it as himself. This dude is a stud. There’s going to come a time when ya’ll wake up to Logan Paul. He got here late. That shouldn’t be a penalty for him. He is a WWE Superstar, he belongs in that ring with everybody else. I know he’s always going to be himself and whether you boo him or not, you are going to pay to see that kid because he is unreal” (h/t MMA Junkie).
Furthermore, Cena recognizes that Paul has taken a considerable amount of heat for his antics over the years, but his ability to take shots on the chin and keep pushing forward will prove invaluable in the world of sports entertainment.
“He’s been hated, but he’s also been through the fire,” Cena said. “Like ‘Oh man, you’ll never work in this town again.’ He’s had that phone call 10 or 12 times. He doesn’t care. There’s a dude who never gives up. He will just keep getting up.”