John Cena has worked hard to become one of the biggest names in professional wrestling, as he carried WWE on his back from 2006 to 2016. His run at the top was met with a lot of mixed reactions as well. That said, it appears Vince McMahon considered giving Randy Orton the push that John Cena eventually got.

The 2002 class of the WWE developmental promotion OVW featured the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista and Brock Lesnar. Out of all of them, John Cena arguably had the most successful career.

While speaking on his ARN podcast, WWE Hall Of Famer Arn Anderson, who worked as a backstage agent at the time, recalled how Vince McMahon deciding that Cena would be ‘the guy.’ Anderson also revealed that McMahon considering giving Randy Orton or Batista the push that John Cena got.

“Vince wanted to give Randy Orton or Batista the push. When he decided on John he just said to me one day, ‘Okay Arn, I am giving Cena to you, teach him how to work, teach him the business,’ just like that.

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From that point on I guess he told whoever assigned the matches, ‘Give Cena to Arn,’ and I started working with him and worked with him the entire time that he was being groomed and what he became. Some guys already started to balk at it and I had to do some politicking with these guys and let them know it’s okay.

Normally you wouldn’t get beat in that amount of time but hey, it’s going to be everybody guys so don’t be the guy that bucks up and loses their job ’cause everybody is going to put the guy over and in record time.”

We will have to wait and see when John Cena will make his return to WWE, as fans certainly miss him. With his busy schedule in Hollywood taking up his time, it might still be a while till John Cena is back.

What’s your view on this this story? Do you think Randy Orton should have gotten the push instead of John Cena? Let us know in the comments!

Subhojeet Mukherjee

Subhojeet, a professional wrestling fan for over 20+ years, found his passion during the Monday Night Wars. With expertise honed over decades and a broad spectrum of interests including TV, movies, anime, novels, and music, he offers insightful analysis and coverage. Respected in the industry, Subhojeet keeps fans informed and engaged with his knowledge and perspective.

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