Sports entertainment hurts
You know straight away when you get hurt bad. My worst injuries were when I tore my pec muscle right off the bone and herniated a disc in my neck. When you get hurt in the ring you have to assess the extent of the injury and decide whether
you can keep fighting. Tearing a pec hurts like hell but I knew I could carry on. I had a responsibility to. If the injury were more serious then I wouldn’t ever risk making it worse.
The fans come first
There is no better feeling than walking into an arena packed with deafening fans. I don’t care whether they are cheering or booing me – as long as they are making a noise I’m happy. The energy they bring is amazing and it makes me perform better. The crowds are always unpredictable. One night they love me, the next everything I do gets booed.
We fight to entertain
The UFC is really popular but I don’t think it’ll ever become bigger than the WWE. It’s a totally different product, and more like boxing, which I’ve never been that into. It was flattering to see that the UFC sets up its broadcasts in a very similar way to the WWE. The nuts and bolts of what we do is to entertain people. Entertaining is what motivates me.
I’m only as good as my next fight
I’m not particularly proud or pleased of any one match or performance. Once that fight is over I don’t dwell on it. My focus is to always perform better than my last match. We have to keep pushing ourselves to the limit to reach our true potential.
I’ll go out at the top
I’ve not given a thought to what I’ll do after I stop wrestling. I came into the WWE without any career goals, so everything I’ve achieved has been a bonus. All I know is that I will keep going until I know that I can no longer perform at the level that I want to. I have never been stronger than I am now.
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Catch John Cena in his latest movie 12 Rounds, available on Blu-ray and DVD from 12th October, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Click here to watch a clip from 12 Rounds.
