John Cena Gets Serious in Legendary

Paul Furfari: Some pro wrestling guys have been going into MMA. Brock Lesnar is the heavyweight champ right now in UFC, you've got Bobby Lashley in Strikeforce and there are rumors that Dave Batista will join Strikeforce. What do you think of MMA and do you see yourself doing anything like that?

John Cena: I think you'll see [Batista] there. It's not for me, I'm not really much of a fan, but you certainly cannot knock their success. I believe they have replaced what boxing was. Boxing used to be such a marquee draw, such a fantastic event and due to a lack of heavyweights and a lack of competition it has lost its way. Enter MMA, where there are so many styles and art forms and they have certainly developed a pageantry to their events, very similar to a program I watch on Mondays and Fridays, but they have made a spectacle of themselves and their success is unbelievable. The story of promotions like Strikeforce and successful promotions like UFC, it's one that worth hearing, just for some reason it doesn't interest me.

Paul Furfari: At this point you are second in terms of championship reigns and you are fifth in terms of duration of holding the belt. You're at a young age.

John Cena: [To the recorder] Keep in mind, he did just say young.

Paul Furfari: Compared to other guys in wrestling you are still very, very young. Where do you see your legacy going when the day is done?

John Cena: To the development of the brand. That's just not from when the day is done, that's been from the second I stepped in the door.

John Cena: I don't count championships, I certainly don't count my win/loss record. I believe in my mind that we have the best entertainment that money can buy. It's very affordable entertainment, you get your money's worth every time. You're not walking into a baseball game and you want to see a bunch of home runs, but you end up seeing a shut out. You're not walking into a marquee fight that's done in eight seconds. You're not walking into a football game and want to see the star quarterback perform and he has a bad day. We have the greatest storytellers on the face of the planet and anybody I can get to listen to that message, that's pretty much my mission statement.

Paul Furfari: That's pretty much what you seem to be doing with Legendary. It's a very family friendly, broad release, anyone can seemingly go into this movie. What do you think it's like to have a family see you on Monday night and then walk in and go to this movie?

John Cena: It will be very different, but for parents bringing their kids, it will show them that the guy they're watching on Monday is actually worth a damn. He's not just an "old school wrasstler." WWE has coined the term "sports entertainer" and it couldn't be more correct. So many athletes nowadays are trying to break into various forms of entertainment and really falling flat on their face because they are finding out that you really have to have the "It" factor. Not just myself, but all of our guys have it. We have a wonderful group of people in WWE and that's why you're seeing so many guys being put into movie roles. I hope people watch Legendary and say "Man that was a good movie" and don't even mention my name, because I don't want them to think of anything related to Monday Night RAW or WWE programming. That's the goal of WWE Studios, period.