John Cena Calls Roman Reigns a “Film Performer in Live Entertainment”, 8 Years After His Embarrassing “Suffering Succotash” Promo

As a 16-time world champion, John Cena surely knows a thing or two about being the top guy. While Cena is no longer a full-time wrestler, due to his busy schedule in Hollywood, he has, in the past, been one of the most active wrestlers for the WWE. Currently, Roman Reigns is the top guy in the promotion. In his ongoing reign, The Tribal Chief of The Bloodline has surpassed the 1000-day mark as the champion, the first for any wrestler in the new millennium.

But Reigns wasn’t always like this. He suffered from negative crowd reactions and embarrassment, mainly during promos, before being the top guy he’s now. Cena recently dissected the method behind the madness of Roman Reigns during a recent chat.

John Cena lifts the lid on Roman Reigns’ confidence

Despite making his debut in the early 2010s and a mega push from the company, Reigns had to wait for nearly a decade to become an authoritative figure in the ring. There’s no doubt that his performance, especially with the mic, has seen a growth in the last few years, and according to Cena, it took place due to a major change in the programming.

Speaking to Sam Roberts of Notsam Wrestling in May, Cena, who is also widely respected for his promo skills, said that when the audience was forced to sit at home due to the pandemic, Reigns started to blossom. “Performing without an audience, in my mind, like you could just see a different human being. And everyone watched him was like (wide eyed),” Cena said.

Cena said that the six-time world champion started to believe in what he was doing. That built credibility and it was easier for him to convince others as the performance looked convincing enough. Cena also recalled Reigns’ infamous “suffering succotash” promo from January 2015 and said the latter is now a nuanced performer, who’s “super aware” and “super smart”.

Read More: “I Love That Roman Did It His Own Way” John Cena Reflects On How Roman Reigns Has Accomplished What He Couldn’t Despite Winning 16 Titles In His Legendary WWE Career

“He’s a film performer in live entertainment,” John Cena said. While praising the current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, John Cena also shared important lessons for aspiring pro wrestlers.

Despite possible embarrassing outcomes, John Cena wants young wrestlers to stick to this routine

Not just Roman Reigns, Cena too had to wait for his turn before reaching the top of the promotion. There was a time when the crowd would boo Cena at the very sight of him. And then there was a wholesome moment when the spectators cheered so loudly for him, that it made him emotional.

The former champion wants younger wrestlers to start failing! Yes, you read that right. “When I talk to somebody like [Austin] Theory, who’s got stars in his eyes and at 25 thinks he’s got a long road in front of him, I’m like man, you really need to start now, failing,” he said.

Cena wants the upcoming wrestlers to experience several such “suffering succotash” moments before tasting success. That promo from the January 9, 2015 episode of SmackDown was instantly booed by the crowd and Reigns could feel the heat as he quickly attacked Seth Rollins and his securities.

But those failures also made Reigns the wrestler he’s today. So, do you agree with John Cena’s assessment of Roman Reigns? Let us know in the comments.

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