Posts tagged John Cena
WWE Superstar John Cena Shines Outside The Ring
WWE Superstar John Cena has done more than his fair share of doing tremendous work in the community to give back. Don’t believe me? Well his actions speaks for themselves. This past Monday John granted his 500th wish on Monday Night Raw.
The 15-time World Champion and current United States Champion on the Today Show surprised longtime Cena fan and Make-a-Wish recipient Rocco Lanzer on the set. Rocco was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, and was too sick to interact with John on his first attempt to visit. John got to spend a few minutes talking with Rocco and gave him all of his latest gear.
With this wish he granted that made it his 500th, Cena is the first celebrity in the history of the organization to do so. “I’ll continue to be involved with Make-A-Wish as long as they’ll have me,” he said.
This is what the world needs. A role model, who is in the limelight that always goes the extra step to make it a better day for those in need. While athletes might not feel that they are a role model, kids will look up to them. You see that he is loving the moment just as much as the wish recipient is. Congrats to John Cena for making this place a little brighter with your actions.
You do say that people “can’t see you,” well my friend trust me we see you and are very proud of everything you do to make this world a better place.
Aug 25th
Watch John Cena on Tonight’s Parks and Recreation
Don’t miss WWE Superstar John Cena’s guest appearance on NBC’s award-winning show Parks and Recreation tonight at 8/7 C. John pays a visit to Pawnee where he meets up with Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope in one of the hit series’ final episodes.
Parks and Recreation, now in its seventh and final season, is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions, Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment and Universal Television. Greg Daniels, Michael Schur, Howard Klein, David Miner, Morgan Sackett and Dean Holland serve as executive producers for the series. Parks and Recreation has been Emmy Award nominated and has won the Television Critics Association Award for best comedy, AFI Award, American Comedy Award and the highly prestigious Peabody Award.
Feb 17th
John Cena Goes Hollywood!
Variety Magazine spoke with WWE SuperStar John Cena recently. He spoke with the magazine about his audition with Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer. Cena is looking to move from just action movies to trying his hand in comedic films. “These are the people who make funny,” says Cena. “I was more nervous of that than anything I’ve ever done.”
Cena sees WWE alums like Dwayne Johnson and Dave Bautista make it on the silver screen. Recent films like “Fast & Furious,” “G.I. Joe” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” help Cena see the light at the end of the tunnel.
To read the entire interview Variety had with John Cena, click here.
Oct 22nd
WWE Superstar David Otunga Interview
We all have seen some exciting athletes who excel in two sports. Bo Jackson comes quickly to the forefront when this topic is brought up. Yet what about an athlete who not only shines in the sporting world, but also makes a name for himself as a lawyer. Not that many athletes can state that claim unless you happen to be WWE Superstar David Otunga.
David attended Harvard Law School and passed the Illinois’ bar exam. Next he joined the Sidley Austin law firm. Even though he loved his job something was missing. Deep down he still wanted to follow his dreams of becoming an actor and a WWE Superstar. Growing up Otunga was a huge fan of Hulk Hogan and had visions of one day stepping into the ring.
Now he is living that dream and loving every minute of it. I was able to talk with David about his career path, the importance of Black History Month, and his favorite WWE moments.
Art Eddy: Let’s talk about your career in the WWE. What made you leave your career in law where you earned a Harvard Law degree to being a WWE Superstar?
David Otunga: Ever since I was a kid I always had really big dreams. I knew that I wanted to be in the WWE. I wanted to be an actor. I grew up looking up to guys like Hulk Hogan, who just came back to the WWE. He will host next year’s WrestleMania, which is really cool.
I grew up idolizing Hulk. I was a big Hulkamaniac. I like guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Guys who were muscular and had great physiques is what drove me into body building. I always knew that it was something that I wanted to do, but my mom told me that I needed to have a fall back career, which is actually great advice.
I was always trying to make it into entertainment, but nothing was really sticking. All the way I was still going to school and getting good grades. I eventually earned a degree and landed a job at a top law firm in Chicago. I was enjoying it. It was a great firm. I still wanted to follow my dreams. Ultimately I had to make a huge decision. If I stay at the firm I would probably be happy, but I would always regret not going after my dream and seeing what I could do.
I made the decision to leave the firm and go after it. Fortunately I made it. I was able to accomplish my dream. I am glad I decided to that. It turned out to be a great decision.
AE: Love that story. Just goes to show you that you can achieve whatever you want in life as long as you believe in yourself. What has been your favorite moment so far in your WWE career?
DO: It was one of the first big things that I did. It was when I was able to host “RAW.” Before that the hosts of “RAW” have been hugely famous people and big time celebrity names. So for me to get to be able to do that as a rookie, who had only been on NXT for a few weeks, it was a great way for me to have a debut.
I was able to host it and be in the main event with John Cena. It was crazy. That really stuck out as wow, I really made it somewhere now.
AE: Who is your favorite person to match up against in the ring?
DO: I always say that some of my favorite matches are against John Cena. One reason is because of our chemistry. I 
was always allowed to be myself. It was very comfortable. So I would say John Cena. It is always cool and always a pleasure to work with him.
AE: How long did it take you to be comfortable in front of the mic on one of the world’s biggest stages?
DO: Actually that was one of the things that became easy for me. Being a lawyer obviously I was very good at speaking. That actually prepared me. That is a question that people ask me a lot. They ask if being a lawyer, an entertainer, and a wrestler, ever intersect. I say yes. The training is similar in certain aspects. Certain things in law school prepared me for wrestling and acting. Then certain things in wrestling and acting also translate well to becoming an actor.
AE: We are almost out of the month of February and of course this month is Black History Month. What does this month mean to you?
DO: It means a lot. We come so far as a country and being together that I think the youth growing up don’t understand how things used to be. They don’t understand what people went through in the 60’s. That is always something I am trying to teach my son and my nieces and nephews and make sure that they understand. I want them to understand their African-American heroes and people who did amazing things for African-Americans. It is very important for the youth to be able to look up to people and say wow if they can do that than I can do that too.
AE: As a kid growing up who were some of your role models that you liked learning about during Black History Month?
DO: Obviously Martin Luther King Jr. because he was instrumental to all the things that was going on at that time. It is crazy when I think about that it wasn’t all that long before I was born that he was killed. My parents got together in the 60’s. My dad is from Kenya. My mom is a white American from Ohio. They were in an interracial relationship in college in the 60’s in the height of everything.
Just hearing their stories and everything that they went through is amazing to see the strength that they had. They have always been big on making sure that I know my history and that I am aware and conscious. Now I am trying to pass that along to the younger generation.
AE: I remember you being in the film “The Call” with Halle Berry. I know the WWE keeps you busy, but are you looking to be in some films in the near future?
DO: It depends if the right project comes along. I will definitely keep that open. That was always something I said I wanted to do. When I was a kid I always said I wanted to be professional wrestler and an actor.
AE: I saw a picture on your Twitter page of some Air Jordans. It was the Air Jordan V’s, the “Oreos” I think. I am a sneakerhead. Are you and if so what is your favorite shoe?
DO: I am a little bit. I am getting into it a bit more and more now. I only collect the Jordans. That is my favorite. My sister in law, Julia gets awesome Jordans for my son. I get him ready for school every day. I have so much fun going in and picking out his outfits. I pick out the shoes first. He has everything. He has Jordans. He has got cool Air Maxs.
Air Maxs are big in Chicago. I am actually wearing some right now. Anyway, I started getting jealous of his collection. So for Christmas she got us both the “Oreos.” She got a pair for me and then a smaller size for my son, which was really cool. He likes to have whatever I have.
Mar 3rd
WWE Superstar Mark Henry Interview
Whether you are a fan of the WWE, the Olympics, or the “World’s Strongest Man” contest you definitely know the name Mark Henry. Before he joined the WWE in 1996 he competed in the Olympics twice. He was recently inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack LaLanne.
Henry made his presence known at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he competed in weightlifting in the super-heavyweight division. Fast forward three years and Mark won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the Pan American Games. In 2002 he won the “World’s Strongest Man” competition at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic.
In 2011 he won the title of World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions for the WWE. Henry has accomplished so much in his career and he is still going strong. I sat down to chat with Mark about the WWE, the Olympics, and weightlifting.
Art Eddy: It is a real pleasure to chat with you. To see all of the tremendous things that you have accomplished such as being a two time Olympian, the “World’s Strongest Man,” to now a WWE Superstar. When you do have time to sit back and reflect, are you amazed at the things you have accomplished?
Mark Henry: I have sacrificed and worked so hard that it is hard for me to be surprised because I expect it out of myself. I put the work in. It was not like it was happenstance.
AE: Out everything you have done does one stand out more than others?
MH: The first Olympics nobody expected me to do the numbers that I did. Nobody expected me to go to Barcelona and come in tenth place after only training for a year and a half of my life. I have some special gifts. I got introduced to the right sport and is set me up for the rest of my life.
AE: For the Olympics I know that an athlete has to be very disciplined to train year round. Was there ever a moment in your Olympic career that you thought about giving up?
MH: Oh, about three or four times. I tried to quit and I was going to go back to play football. The weights just kept on calling me back. It fulfilled me in a way that nothing else ever did until I started wrestling.
AE: Speaking of wrestling, you have a great stage presence. How long did it take you to be comfortable in front a large crowd? 
MH: The performance in front of a crowd was never a problem. I was never shy. I was always kind of wide open. Trying to be the life of the party type of guy. The thing that was hard was that I was in an anaerobic sport, which was powerlifting, weightlifting, and strong man competition. You have a lot of exertion and then you have a lot of time to rest.
In wrestling it is an aerobic sport as well as a strength sport. You have to for 20 to 25 minutes be able to sustain a level of energy. You have to train your lungs to be able to handle that kind of work load with talking at the same time, with trying to be entertaining and not just being a body out there moving. People think that wrestling is an easy road and just do a reality show and it will happen. That is not the truth.
This sport and this industry is one of the most complicated because you do a full live feature film every week. To be able to sustain the kind of energy that it takes to do that is a miracle in itself. Not to mention the physical toll it takes on your body.
AE: I am going to guess that becoming the World Heavyweight Champion is it, but for you do have one moment in your WWE career that is by far your most favorite?
MH: That is definitely the pinnacle. I am sitting in my office and I look up at the wall and I see this title inside this glass enclosure. In 136 years now there has only been 31 people that to hold that title. To be one of those 31 men says a lot. I was ECW champion and barring injury I think I would have had more titles. I am proud of the work that I put in. I value very much of what is staring me in the face right now.
AE: Which wrestler gets you going the most in the ring?
MH: Me and The Undertaker was pretty energy packed. Right now in my career the battles that I had with Randy Orton, The Undertaker, and The Big Show I had all the longest sagas with. All three of those people are going to be in the Hall of Fame. So I am in good company.
AE: How long did it take you to perfect the World’s Strongest Slam?
MH: I started doing the World’s Strongest Slam in 2003. By 2005 it was pretty concrete. Before than there was no such thing as the World’s Strongest Slam. To be able to add something to an industry where it is commonplace for people remembering Jake “The Snake” Roberts for doing the DDT. I felt like I added something.
During the Sexual Chocolate years I was doing the Chocolate Mousse, where I ran and jumped through the ropes to the floor. A lot of people looked at that and asked what is the name for that? There was really no name for that because it was a Mark Henry original. It was the Chocolate Mousse. People called it the Skid Mark. I was able to say that I added something.
AE: You were inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack LaLanne. Tell me about that experience?
MH: It was a great experience. People started pointing out to me saying that I have been a National and World Champion in three different sports. To be the best in the world in power lifting and strong man and one of the best in Olympic weightlifting has never been done before. They were like if anyone belongs it is you. I took a lot of pride in the fact that my peers looked at me like this small town boy, Mark Henry from Silsbee, Texas being worthy of being the greatest athletes that ever lived. That is just special.
Oct 21st
