“His Opinion Counted”- WWE Hall of Famer Reveals the Truth Behind John Cena’s “Golden Shovel”

One of the most accomplished and loved superstars in the history of WWE, John Cena had a huge influence on the Attitude era and the PG era of the organization. The 16 time WWE champion was the main attraction of countless PPVs. One of the most loved superstars in WWE also has many critiques who blamed him for using his influence to dictate the storylines.

In the past, many WWE superstars have also called out Cena for ruining other superstars’ momentum. Cena beating the up and comer, Alex Riley, Cena beating Rusev at Wrestlemania, Cena beating R-Truth, and such countless storylines have made many fans believe that it was Cena who was in control of the narratives in WWE. However, WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross does not support these accusations. In the recent episode of Grilling JR, Ross talked about the influence Cena had in backstage and whether he played a major role in the success of Bella Twins in WWE.

Jim Ross was appreciative of the good work Cena has put in outside the WWE ring. Ross said:

“Should he have had influence behind the scenes? Absolutely. You encourage your top guys who have attained that success to give back to the company in a variety of ways. One of those things is leadership, being a mentor, providing ideas, encouraging talents, coaching them up, etc., etc., and John did a great job at that.”

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Jim Ross talks about how John Cena influenced other superstars

Ross believes that it is Vince who decides whether a certain superstar needs a push to become a fan-favorite.

“If I had a girlfriend that looked like Nikki Bella, would I push for her to get her a better gig or more exposure? Hell yeah! You crazy? Of course, I would. It’s gonna be Vince’s call at the end of the day but bottom line, I never saw her in a position, and her sister, that they didn’t fit. They weren’t skilled wrestlers, they weren’t Jackie Moore or Becky Lynch or Charlotte, they were attractions.” Ross added.

Talking about Cena’s influence on other superstars’ careers in WWE, Ross stated:

“I don’t think John ever used his influence in a negative way to help somebody that didn’t deserve the help. Did he help some people? Hell yeah! But I think they all deserved the opportunity to get recognized, and all he did was say, hey, I think we could do some business with this person, or you could do some business with this person, and his opinion counted, so he utilized it, nothing wrong with that.”