John Cena has already told fans what he thinks of claims that he ‘buried talent’ during his time as WWE Champion.
Cena sat at the top of the main event scene in WWE and often acted as a ‘final boss’ to many rising stars who were looking to make a name for themselves.
Several WWE stars have claimed Cena refused to lose during the height of the 17-time champion’s career in the mid-2000s.
Earlier this year, during a feud with Cody Rhodes, Cena told fans exactly what he thinks of those derogatory claims.
John Cena said he ‘buries mediocrity’ on WWE Raw in 2025
Cena is familiar with the claim he didn’t put many stars over during his time on the top, and it was something that was implemented into his WrestleMania feud with Rhodes in 2025.
“I don’t bury talent,” said the WWE icon to Rhodes on a WWE Raw episode in April from The O2 Arena in London.
“I am talent,” continued the 17-time World Champion. “I bury mediocrity,” explained Cena after Rhodes brought up his history of beating up-and-coming WWE stars.
Cena defeated the likes of Wade Barrett, Bray Wyatt and Rusev in high-profile matches, while Jake Hager accused Cena of refusing to lose to him.
However, Cena did put over several stars who went on to be main event players during his time in WWE. The likes of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson both received the rub from beating Cena clean.
Wade Barrett’s reaction to John Cena’s line says it all
Barrett, who came up against Cena when he defeated The Nexus single-handedly at SummerSlam in 2010, was on commentary for the 17-time champion’s line about burying talent.
The British star posted a meme to his social media account following the iconic line, suggesting he didn’t agree with Cena’s take.
Barrett posted the popular meme of someone wanting to say something, but holding it in, suggesting he didn’t want to get in trouble for his remarks.
The commentator has previously said he didn’t agree with the booking of Cena defeating The Nexus at SummerSlam.