On a recent episode of his “Something To Wrestle” podcast, JBL looked back on the time he lost his WWE Championship to John Cena during WrestleMania 21 in 2005.
Below are some salient points from the podcast:
JBL’s thoughts on recognizing John Cena’s potential early on: “I can vividly remember the conversation. Vince McMahon took me aside and questioned me if he [John Cena] is the one. He literally asked me, ‘Is he the one?’ My response was an unwavering, ‘Definitely, 100% yes.’ My firm conviction took him by surprise, although not to imply that Vince didn’t have faith in Cena. He followed up saying, ‘He’s more than just a bodybuilder.’
“I say this with no disrespect intended. I don’t want this to be misinterpreted and circulated on the internet distorting the context, as Vince didn’t mean it in a belittling sense. That was inherently the perception people had at the time. I refuted, ‘Absolutely not.’ I said, ‘This kid knows his game. Vince, he’s your guy.’ I said, ‘I have no doubt.’ Although I could not envision him becoming a 16-time world champion, foraying into Hollywood and accomplishing so much, being seen as the GOAT by many. But that’s not to say I didn’t think it possible. I just knew he was the one.”
Reflecting on his match against Cena at WrestleMania 21: “The narrative was spun that both of us were the main events. In retrospect, I often think perhaps Cena should have had the final spot. This is about Cena, not me. Yet, Batista and Triple H were phenomenal stars too. When discussing the Mount Rushmore of wrestling, these guys deserve serious consideration. I refer to Triple H and Batista, they were splendid. While it would have been great to be the final act, it wasn’t to be.
“By then, we were aware of the next pay-per-view’s plan and I knew this was my time to shine. The decision was softened by the promise of headlining the next event, which made up for not being the last match at WrestleMania. I harbored no ill feelings towards the situation. I felt privileged getting to headline WrestleMania given both were deemed as main events and I’ll stick with that. Batista and Hunter too had a remarkable storyline and were [given] big pushes. I was just happy to be part of it all.”