During a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, The Miz shared insights about his career and praised John Cena, highlighting the crucial lesson he learned from the 16-time world champion. Early in Miz’s WWE tenure, he faced Cena in non-televised live events where Cena took the time to mentor him, teaching him the importance of truly listening to the audience rather than just hearing them.
“I got in the ring with him, and he was like, ‘Listen.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m listening to the audience. I hear them chanting, you suck,’”
Miz said.
“He’s like, ‘You’re not listening. You’re not listening to them. You’re not hearing them.’ And so he taught me how to actually hear an audience and what to do with that audience. And that’s one of the biggest things that I’ve learned from John Cena.”
John Cena’s Dedication to Learning Mandarin on Tour
To exemplify Cena’s unmatched work ethic, Miz recalled a story from a WWE European tour. Cena used flashcards, reminiscent of an elementary school student, to practice Mandarin, carrying the cards on one side in Mandarin and on the other in English. This showed Cena’s deep commitment to mastering the language while on the road in Europe.
“People were like, ‘What’s one thing that you remember, that you always remember about John Cena?’ And I remember us being on a European tour, and he had flashcards, like a child in elementary school,”
Miz explained.
“And on one side was Mandarin. On the other side was the English version. So he was practicing his Mandarin on the European tour… He’s like, ‘I wanted to learn Mandarin.’… And so he knows it.”
Legacy of John Cena and Miz’s WrestleMania 27 Encounter
Their careers are forever linked by their WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 27, where Miz emerged victorious. Reflecting on that moment, Miz emphasized how significant that win was for his legacy.
“If Cena would have beaten me, it would have been forgotten,”
Miz said.
“But I won’t let you forget that. And it will go on and on and on for life.”
The Future of WWE Without John Cena’s Mentorship
With Cena now on his farewell run, Miz expressed concern about what the upcoming generation of wrestlers may lose without Cena’s presence. He believes the new talent from WWE’s Performance Center will miss the chance to learn directly from Cena’s experience and mentality.
“I got to learn from John Cena… and now these kids that are coming up from our Performance Center won’t get that opportunity,”
Miz stated. He also hopes that Cena will perform the Skull Crushing Finale move in one of his final matches as a nod to their historic rivalry.
John Cena Prepares to Face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza
John Cena is set to compete against Brock Lesnar today at Wrestlepalooza, broadcast on ESPN, as part of his final run in the WWE. This bout marks another pivotal moment as Cena’s career approaches its conclusion.
