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John Cena Praises His Relationship With Vince McMahon

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 2:13 PM ET

John Cena is looking to make history this weekend, as he aims to capture his elusive world title No. 17 when he main events WWE WrestleMania 41 against Cody Rhodes.

While that alone is enough to generate headlines, Cena made even more on Friday morning as a result of a profile from The New York Times.

The outlet did a feature story on Cena's final year in wrestling, looking at his imminent wrestling retirement and shift into full time acting. It would go over his journey in the squared-circle and discuss the influence Vince McMahon had on Cena getting his start as one of WWE's top babyfaces.

When asked about his relationship with McMahon following the accusations stemming from the Janel Grant lawsuit, the 16-time world champion didn't hesitate to defend his outlook on his former boss.

“I don’t care who hears it: I love Vince,” Cena said in the piece. “I’m not downplaying anything that needs to be decided or allegations of any kind, but when I love somebody, I love them wholeheartedly.”

“I know people are going to be angry about that, but they can’t put their value on my relationship with somebody I love.”

While this is not the first time Cena has alluded to maintaining a positive relationship with McMahon after his WWE departure, it is one of his most emphatic statements to date.

McMahon first stepped down from his role as chairman in 2022, but departed from TKO Group officially at the beginning of 2024 following the Grant lawsuit coming to light.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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