There’s been plenty of discussion surrounding John Cena’s creative control following Brock Lesnar’s shocking WWE return.
Lesnar attacked Cena at WWE SummerSlam, but the person behind his surprise return has been left up in the air.
Triple H said it was Cena’s decision to bring Lesnar back for one final match on the 17-time champion’s retirement tour.
However, Cena subtly responded by saying: “I’ve been saying the same thing for 25 years: They deal ’em, I play ’em” in an interview with Adam’s Apple.
That is reportedly not the case, though, as a former WWE star claimed Cena refused to lose to him in 2010.
Jake Hager said John Cena ‘refused’ Money in the Bank cash-in
Former WWE star Jake Hager, who worked in the company under the name Jack Swagger, opened up about difficulties with working with Cena while he was on the cusp of becoming a main event star.
In an interview with Talk Is Jericho, Jake Hager revealed how Cena detailed his Money in the Bank cash in back in 2010.
“I hit Cena with the briefcase, I snuck up on him when he had one of his brilliant promo segments,” explained Hager.
“Later, come to find out, he refused to do the job for me for the [WWE] Championship,” revealed the former WWE star.
We won’t talk about that. Ugh,” continued Hager, before sarcastically adding: “‘The most unselfish top man in the business.’”
If Hager is correct, this would add a further wrinkle to the story of who was actually behind Lesnar’s WWE return.
This wasn’t the only time John Cena asserted creative control in WWE
Another high-profile moment will come to mind for WWE fans when the subject of Cena’s creative control comes up.
At SummerSlam in 2010, The Nexus took on Team WWE, led by Cena, in a match many fans believe the group led by Wade Barrett should have won.
That didn’t end up happening and Barrett confirmed in an interview with Inside the Ropes that it was changed at the behest of Vince McMahon and Cena.
“We spoke to John Cena and he reiterated the message from Vince that Summerslam needs a happy ending,” said Barrett.
“I thought it was bulls— then and I think it’s bulls— now. It was a bad decision,” continued the British star.
Cena has long asserted his star power backstage and there’s every chance he’s still doing it on his retirement tour.