Lights, camera... distraction?
By Zack Zeigler
September 7, 2006


With the whirlwind of publicity surrounding the opening for his new movie “The Marine” which opens nationwide on Oct. 13, John Cena’s had to do more than hustle inside of the ring. When he wasn’t training long hours in the gym or competing on RAW, he was wrapping up work on “The Marine,” sitting down for an interview and a cover shoot for the October issue of WWE Magazine and hustling to New York City for another cover shoot and interview for the November issue of FLEX Magazine.

The non-stop grind of balancing his duties inside as well as outside the ring have left some WWE fans wondering if Cena has spread himself too thin and is distracted from his quest to reclaim the WWE Championship.

When WWE.com caught up with Cena at a recent live event, he was quick to shun the rumors that anything will hinder his pursuit of RAW’s top prize at Unforgiven on Sept. 17. His words were delivered with a firm, assuring tone and there was fire burning in his eyes when he spoke about his Unforgiven match with Edge. He insisted that despite everything that could be misconstrued as a diversion in his hectic life, he’s never lost sight of what matters.

“When you have something going on, you have to be everywhere at once,” a candid Cena said. “That’s what some guys just don’t understand… when you get that crown [WWE Championship] you’re everywhere. That’s why it’s so very hard to keep it and why so very few hold onto it. But never once did I lose focus.”

The motivation for Cena to zone in on his match at Unforgiven has never been so important. After Edge retained the WWE Championship at SummerSlam by using brass knuckles, Cena used drastic measures to persuade the Rated R Superstar to give him one last rematch.


“I said [to Edge], I’m not the No. 1 contender, but if you want me out of your life, here is the ticket, and with the help of SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, we put together a three-year deal for SmackDown,” Cena said with a shrug.

Edge wisely chose a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match as the format for what could become the final chapter in the John Cena vs. Edge epic. The Rated R Superstar is undefeated in TLC Matches, and while Cena has participated in some brutal matches in his career, this will be the first time he’s been in one as physically demanding as a TLC Match. That, along with Unforgiven being held in Toronto – Edge’s hometown – has stacked the odds heavily in the champion’s favor. But for Cena, the first task in the pecking order was to get a rematch, and then figure out a way to win later.

“He [Edge] picked the best scenario for himself… but what am I going to do, not take the match? Say, ‘That’s not fair?’ No, you get a championship opportunity, you take it,” said a staunch Cena.

Now that he’s been granted another opportunity, the next step is to determine the best –for lack of a better word – ladder for preparation.

But how does one prepare for a TLC Match? The intricacies involved to emerge victorious – or without the necessity of being stretchered out of the arena – are much more than to simply avoid falling from a ladder while attempting to grab the championship that hangs above the ring. There is the resourceful approach to utilizing the tables, ladders and chairs as weapons or shields; using the ladder to joust; the chair to deliver a devastating blow and the table as emphasis of a monstrous slam.

“The best thing to do is a little bit of film study,” said Cena. “If anything, I know Edge feels comfortable, but – and I don’t want to say I’m at a disadvantage – but me never being in this type of match before, he doesn’t know what to expect.”

And it seems no one else in WWE knows what to expect, either. Numerous WWE Superstars have contacted WWE.com to air their feelings about a Cena return to SmackDown – where the Doctor of Thuganomics began his WWE career. Cena said he has no problem returning to his roots, but he knows if he trades competing on Monday nights for Friday nights, it means Edge got the better of him again.

“It would be an honor to compete for the World Heavyweight Championship,” he said. “I started my career on SmackDown. I still have a lot of loyalty to that brand and I have many, many good friends over there. If I go, it means I came up a little bit short, but if I end up on the CW on Friday nights, it’s not like I’m going to end up soft; I’ll still be kicking ass like I always do.”