Cena Defends McMahon: 'It's OK to Love Somebody Imperfect' — SkimNews
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- John Cena, 49, defends his friendship with Vince McMahon in a new interview, saying 'It's OK to love somebody when they're not perfect' and declaring 'I have no guilt nor shame about my friendship and my relationship with Vince McMahon' despite McMahon's January 2024 resignation from WWE/TKO
- Vince McMahon resigned from TKO Group Holdings in January 2024 after a former WWE employee, Janel Grant, filed suit alleging he sexually assaulted her, sent explicit images of her without consent, and passed her to wrestlers; McMahon denies the allegations and the case was transferred to confidential private arbitration in June
- Cena does not own his own name — WWE/TKO holds the intellectual property rights to the 'John Cena' character, a deal Cena says he read and accepted as fair, while Dwayne Johnson only reclaimed the 'The Rock' moniker in 2024 and now sits on TKO's board
- Matchbox: The Movie, Cena's latest film for Apple TV, extends the Mattel toy car brand; Cena plays undercover operative Sean in what the piece frames as an attempt to recapture the magic of his merman turn in Barbie
- Cena's career arc spans a 1999 drive to California with about $500, a WWF debut that year as 'The Prototype' at $250/week, a 26-year wrestling run that recently ended, and Hollywood roles including Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (2021) and its spin-off series
- Cena credits McMahon as a mentor who gave him a 'second family' amid the 'travelling circus of 00s wrestling,' framing their bond as a matter of loyalty and discipline rather than moral endorsement
- The piece situates Cena's flag-waving, post-9/11 WWE persona against the same era's toxic masculinity, noting Donald Trump's recurring WWE presence — including shaving McMahon's head at WrestleMania and 'buying' Raw as part of their staged rivalry
Why it matters: Cena's public embrace of McMahon comes just months after Janel Grant's sexual assault lawsuit was moved into confidential private arbitration in June, and after McMahon's January 2024 resignation from TKO — putting one of wrestling's biggest stars on the side of a figure most peers have quietly abandoned. The interview also marks a career transition: Cena, 49, recently retired from wrestling after 26 years and is now anchored to family-friendly IP like Matchbox and Barbie.
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