Days After John Cena Copped Criticism for Poor Refereeing Skills at Payback, Backstage Video Likely Hints What Caused 16-Time Champion’s Underwhelming Performance

Megastar John Cena was the special host at WWE Payback in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week. While Cena announced himself as a host for the event, he sprung a huge surprise when he decided to get more involved in the show. As a result, he became a referee in the matchup between The Miz and LA Knight.

Though his performance wasn’t the greatest ever, with fans mocking him, his presence certainly grabbed the attention of the crowd. Now, in a recent trending video, fans found out how exactly he prepared for his role as the guest referee.

John Cena gets advice

Cena shocked the WWE Universe by returning to the promotion following a sensational 2023 at the global box office. Excitement intensified with his announcement of a tour to India, for the first time after nearly 17 years. The 16-time World Champion confirmed being the special host at Payback, adding the cherry on top of his giant return.

Trying to be a bit more hands-on in the show, he suggested making himself involved by being a referee between The Miz and Knight. And now, according to the latest video circulating on the internet, we know exactly how he prepared for the matchup.

Cena posted a video on his official TikTok account, showing the ‘training’ he got from several referees. It leads to a confused Cena looking straight at the camera in the end. This truly signifies the saying ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’. 

You can check out the video below:

While it’s certainly an amusing video to watch, he didn’t impress fans with his performance in the ring at the event. 

Cena’s questionable skills as a referee

Even though the 46-year-old inserted himself in the match for fun and games, things didn’t pan out well for him. Fans brutally trolled his performance by calling him out online for his poor referee skills.

Also Read: Cameras Catch John Cena’s Beautiful Gesture Towards The Miz After His Disappointing Loss Against LA Knight at Payback

They, however, did witness sparks of intrigue as Cena shared multiple stare-downs with both Knight and The Miz. His interaction and heated confrontation with LA Knight created quite a buzz on social media, with many hinting at a matchup down the road.

While he’s certainly not cut out for officiating a match, it was still a joy to witness Cena having a ball and appearing in WWE after months. What do you think about Cena being mobbed by a bunch of referees? Did you like his work as a referee?

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