WWE's John Cena is a busy grappler
August 29, 2006
Philly.Com

JOHN CENA has a lot on his plate. He's rapping, he's acting ("The Marine" opens Oct. 13) and he's trying to reclaim the World Wrestling Entertainment title.
Cena was at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall last night for another live installment of "WWE RAW".
Tattle spoke with him yesterday afternoon and asked him if he was going to win. He wouldn't bite.
"I have no idea," he said earnestly.
"Come on," we prodded. "This won't run until tomorrow."
"Man, I have no idea."
Trying to get any WWE dirt, we asked Cena when WWE boss Vince McMahon got so buff (the last time Tattle seriously watched wrestling, Bruno Sammartino squared off against Pedro Morales at Madison Square Garden).
"Vince has been working out since the dawn of time," Cena said. "I remember watching him in that ugly-ass blue suit, and he was busting out of it."

Q. How come you don't have a nickname?
A. Through thick and thin, people just started to identify with me. I started out as me, and I'm proud to say that through good and bad people will remember John Cena as just John Cena.

Q. Isn't there a credibility problem with wrestling on the Sci-Fi Channel?
A. Absolutely not. We're larger- than-life superheroes. We're the only guys on live TV who can walk the walk and talk the talk.

Q. How did you end up as "The Marine"?
A. WWE Films wanted to launch their film brand, and they chose two or three films to start with. One was a horror movie in which they cast Kane called "See No Evil," which was released in May. Another one of the scripts they had to mess around with was called "The Marine." My persona is pretty much the clean-cut kid, and they were looking for a clean-cut, American, kick-ass good guy. They put me through the regular screen test, I had to read with people and read scenes but it all worked out.

Q. What's harder, professional wrestling or acting?
A. They're both different challenges. I'd put an open invite to anyone walking the earth to walk a mile in our shoes for a couple weeks... It takes a very, very hardened individual to do what we do every night. But at the same time I tip my hat to any actor or actress or anyone else involved in [movies] who produces a good product. It's so unbelievably tough, and there are so many intricate pieces that can go wrong.

Q. So, are you now a triple threat? You're wrestling, rapping, acting...
A. My man, I guess you can put the true title of sports entertainer underneath my name. I pretty much do it all.