Professional wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer JBL John Bradshaw Layfield who is a former WWE World champion recently talked about John Cena for the first time and explained if he saw him as a star after seeing him for the first time in WWE.
John Cena signed a professional contract with WWE back in 2000 and he started on the Ohio Valley Wrestling which was the Development Territory of WWE back in those days. He was famously known as Prototype it during his OVW days and he works in the development territory till 2002.
JBL Reveals His Reaction After He Saw John Cena For The First Time
He made his debut against Kurt Angle in an episode of Friday Night Smackdown. Kurt Angle was a huge star back in the time and Cena was really impressive on his debut against Kurt Angle. He was praised by the fans, critics and his fellow WWE wrestlers on his debut performance. A lot of fans saw a future main event star in him on that very day.
In this period of time fans got to see something about Cena which a lot of fans begged to see throughout his career after he became the face of WWE and that was a heel run. Yes, that is true, Cena worked as a heel for nearly a year in late 2002 and throughout 2003. He turned babyface in late 2003 never to turn heel again. His early run in WWE was really impressive and entertaining.
JBL John Bradshaw Layfield who is a former WWE World champion recently spoke to Busted Open where he talked about John Cena for the first time and explained if he saw him as a star after seeing him for the first time in WWE. He said;
“No doubt about it. You know, it’s a world of difference between doing an eight minute match. Anybody can do that, be trained to do that, you know, you start the match, you get heat, and you go home. To do a 30-minute match is difficult. That’s really deep water because now you have to go on a roller coaster and you’re into the unknown.
“I think maybe John had done a 30-minute before. It may have been with Kurt Angle, who’s also one of the greatest of all time like John is, but I was the first or second. Vince pulled me aside and asked me, ‘How is he?’ I said, ‘He’s your guy.’ Vince was really surprised, happily surprised.
“He had no feeling one way or the other. He said, ‘Really?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, he’s that good.’ Now I never dreamed he would be a 16-time world champion. I don’t think anybody did. But I could tell right away that this was the guy that they needed going forward.”
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription