Many fans consider John Cena to be a WWE legend. There are wrestlers now who look up to him. However, there was one time when he also used to admire other legends during their time inside the ring. One such WWE personality was Batista. Long before either of them became a prominent name in Hollywood, Cena used to think highly of The Animal as a wrestler.
While there could be more things that he likes about the former wrestler, he mentioned a few in a 2001 interview. Following his WWE debut, The Prototype opened up about what exactly likes about Batista.
Batista’s presence scared John Cena during his initial days in WWE
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John Cena was ‘in shape’ ever since he started with WWE. Coming from a bodybuilding background, he had been one of the in-shape men on the roster. When it came to Batista, however, Cena had caught a glimpse of him on the web. So, when it was finally time to meet him, Cena was confident that the now-Hollywood star couldn’t be shockingly big. Contrary to his confidence, Cena was left shocked when he got to meet his fellow OVW recruit in person.
In a 2001 interview with Dave Meltzer, Cena said, “And then Leviathan. He’s probably got the best look of a wrestler I have ever seen. Period. He is a true mutant. He looks like they found him from another planet.” When the interviewer said Batista looks like he was built in a lab, Cena agreed. He then went on to tell him how he hadn’t expected the former wrestler to be so big when he saw him on the internet. However, after meeting Batista, Cena couldn’t help but admire him.
“He’s just huge and with the contacts and when he gets in his gimmick, he’s a scary-looking dude,” added the WWE legend about Batista.
Batista was not the only WWE talent Cena praised in the interview. In fact, he also talked about Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin. Despite facing them as a competitor in one of the WWE tapings, Cena couldn’t hold himself back from letting out his honest thoughts.
John Cena talked highly of The Beast Incarnate
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In the same interview with Meltzer from 2001, Cena was asked about what it’s like to be in the presence of ‘big men’. By the term ‘big’, the interviewer was probably referring to their physical size. So, before arriving at Batista, Cena mentioned Brock Lesnar and Benjamin, who worked as tag team partners to defeat John Cena in a WWE taping.
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Cena mentioned the good parts of the two wrestlers. Talking about Shelton Benjamin, he appreciated his ripped physique and his ability to do flips and tricks right after munching on chips and soda. For The Beast Incarnate, John Cena appreciated how he is able to execute deadly moves despite his tall height and heavy build.
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Had you ever considered a possible scenario where John Cena would be afraid of Dave Bautista? Let us know your thoughts about the same.