John Cena has become the elder statesman of WWE in 2025, but back in the early 2000s he was brushing shoulders with several veterans.
Cena is set to retire from WWE in 2025 after a retirement tour that has seen him face CM Punk, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes.
The star’s two decades in the industry have seen him become the certified ‘Greatest of All Time’, but things in the company were not always that way.
Back in the early 2000s, Cena received some incredible advice from a future WWE Hall of Famer that he still keeps with him to this day.
John Cena reveals crucial Eddie Guerrero advice in early WWE career
Cena, surprisingly, named Eddie Guerrero as one of the most influential stars he ever worked with in WWE despite their short crossover.
“The most influential thing I ever learned from Eddie Guerrero is something I’ll never forget,” said Cena at Collider’s Fan Expo.
“He used to tell me that it’s the nights when the fewest people show up, you have to work 10 times as hard because the presence in that arena isn’t as strong,” continued Cena.
That wasn’t the only piece of advice Cena received from the late WWE Hall of Famer as he was taken under the wing of the icon in the early 2000s.
“He also taught me to listen to the audience,” said Cena. “The tool I learned from Eddie was to listen to the audience, because they’re the biggest piece of energy, and they’re the biggest star we have.”
Cena has taken this into his legendary career, which saw him work a full-time schedule longer than most of WWE’s top stars.
John Cena wrestled at WWE’s Eddie Guerrero tribute show
To reinforce Cena’s relationship with Guerrero, the star appeared on his tribute show in 2005 wearing the star’s t-shirt.
Cena wrestled Randy Orton on the WWE Raw tribute show to Guerrero just days after the Hall of Famer’s death.
The match was thrown out due to disqualification, but Cena got the better of Orton by hitting him with an Attitude Adjustment.
Guerrero died in November 2005, cutting short an incredible career which saw him win the WWE Championship on one occasion.