John Cena says that he’s feeling pretty damn good lately. “I’m like that relief pitcher in the bullpen just waiting for the phone call,” he says about his return to the WWE. “So, I’m ready to go, I’m just waiting for the manager to ring the phone, and answer it, and put on the old Superman outfit and show up where they need me to and do what they need me to do. So, as far as my condition, that’s where I’m at.”
But John Cena has never been one to sit still. He’s busy being host and executive producer of FOX’s AMERICAN GRIT, a 10-episode competition series, which can be seen every Thursday at 9 pm EST. The premise is simple: Sixteen of the country’s toughest men and women are split into four teams as they work together to face a variety of military-grade and survival-themed challenges. The mentors are known as “The Cadre,” and include Rorke Denver, Noah Galloway, Tawanda “Tee” Hanible and Nick “The Reaper” Irving who represent the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
In a recent press conference, Cena talked about the background of American Grit and his role as executive producer, his military admiration and his desire to extend his career beyond the WWE brand, something the 39-year-old has already done successfully in the last year. Cena was absolutely hilarious when he appeared with Amy Schumer in Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck,” and with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in “Sisters.” Vanity Fair named Cena one of the “Top 10 Most Surprising Stars of the Summer,” and Esquire called him America’s “Funniest Professional Wrestler.” On television, he has appeared in many shows including “PSYCH” and “Saturday Night Live.”
“Those were wonderful opportunities that I’m really thankful for them,” he says. “And, I really am trying to seek those out as we move into the future here, but it’s not a —so many people use the word transition — when will you transition from WWE to this. My goal is to change the perception of what we are and I have to stay in allegiance with the brand. Not only to complete my goal but it’s because what I love to do.”
When asked what his past work with the WWE he has adapted to his Grit hosting duties, Cena said, “In the WWE we are constantly performing. It is a constant ever-evolving episodic television show that is for the entertainment of the masses. And, I guess the biggest thing that I took away from this was perspective and understanding my piece in the puzzle. My piece is to be a vehicle to move the competition from A to B to C. And it is not to just showcase my talents. The talents here are in the competitors and the talents here, and I think the stars of this show, are the military cadre.”
If WWE fans are tuning into the show to see what Cena can do, they might be disappointed. “It’s not showcasing my abilities,” he says. “I am just a vehicle to move along this competition and I am very much aware and so very proud to let the stars have the stage, and that’s the military cadre and the competitors. They get off the bus and they motivate.”
During the conference, I had the chance to ask John Cena a couple of questions:
There are some things that are left on the cutting room floor that maybe we don’t get to see. What are some of the challenges of working with untrained civilians when they’re put in these situations? You don’t even know how they’re going to react until they’re actually there. So, what didn’t we see?
John: I don’t think that’s a challenge. I think that’s where from the viewer’s standpoint, that’s where the goal is. When the show is designed to achieve a goal, you have to go through some hardships to achieve a goal. Although, as a viewer you can’t see everything, what you see is a trimmed down version of what happened.
I will give you an example. The testimonial or the interview that I had with Chris was quite long and you saw three sound bites. But, you get the gist of what happened. The testimonials with the cadre, they’re 30-minute, 40-minute sit-downs, but you get two or three sound bites that basically summarize what they want their team to accomplish. Same thing in the house reality, same thing in the team building exercises. It’s not that you’re missing out on anything you don’t see; it’s that they just try to encapsulate the moment in the best way they can and you absolutely get the point.
What about the difference between a competitor who comes across as arrogant and one who’s confident? Is there any kind of working with them on showing them, look, there’s a difference between the two?
John: No. As a human being, you can do your best to explain circumstances to people, but ultimately it’s a person’s choice on how they carry themselves. And, that was made overly apparent to everyone in the show, both competitors, cadre, and myself. But, once again, it’s a person’s choice on how they carry themselves and how they live their life. And, I’m no one to judge, certainly, how anyone lives their lives.
But, as a viewer, perception is indeed reality. How we perceive someone is our only reality of them. Sometimes that can be great and sometimes that can be bad. So, this is why I do all these interviews to get as much information on myself as there is out there so I can get the best perception of myself out there. But, sometimes when you only have a few minutes to throw your business card on the table, things can get left out, and a lot of times you don’t see the moments when they’re in front of your face, of absolutely how defining they can be.
Cena summed it up by saying, “I don’t know, there’s so much dark stuff on television that, like I said, I don’t know how it will take, but I can tell you I watch it and I love it. So, I just hope everybody at home feels as good about American Grit.”
