A controversial subject matter that revolves around the wrestling business now and then is the use of steroids by wrestlers. It still makes headlines. However, in the 90s, it was one of the most heated topics and perhaps the beloved matter to discuss by news channels. Therefore, one interview of John Cena with a renowned media company made it big in the news for the same.
Wrestling fans would know of the famous steroid scandal of the 90s that involved Vince McMahon. Since that incident came to the surface, almost all the big names in wrestling came under massive scrutiny. A question that prevailed in interviews and mainstream media was the topic of steroids. And in one such interview, The Face of the WWE became the target.
A multi-national news channel once wrongly defamed John Cena over steroids
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This dates back to the year 2007 when the $4.3 billion corporation CNN released a documentary on pro wrestling, which involved a segment of Cena’s interview with them. From a 45-minute interview, the media house took a brief part that pointed at The Champ’s use of steroids.
In the aired CNN special, one can see that the reporter asked Cena, “Have you ever taken steroids?
And in response to it, the 16-time world champion said, “This is a crazy question and it’s something that’s tough to answer just because of the way society is now. The way people conceive things, because performance-enhancing drugs have got the spotlight and it’s a hot thing to talk about. I can’t tell you that I haven’t, but you’ll never be able to prove that I have.”
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However, that wasn’t the actual case. In reality, Cena’s immediate response to the question was, “Absolutely not.” But surprisingly, this answer of The Cenation Leader didn’t make it to the documentary.
The fabricated news might have made headlines the day after, but it was soon revealed that the media company didn’t present the interview as it was taken. It edited bits and pieces to alter the context of Cena’s statement. But WWE soon showed the reality to the masses.
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WWE presented the malicious attempt of CNN
WWE marked this as their utmost concern and shortly released both the edited and unedited footage of Cena’s response on their website. This then made things clear to the audience, who were shocked by The Champ’s statement. Not only did they present the evidence, but demanded an apology from CNN for the same.
This was one popular example of how a statement of well-known personalities has been twisted to defame them by media companies. Because of these malpractices, even an inspirational bodybuilder debunked the question of Dwayne Johnson’s use of steroids recently.
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So, what do you make of this trick of CNN against John Cena? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.