WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T Explains Why He 'Pushed' John Cena

Booker T got the chance to share the ring with John Cena in the early days of Cena's career, long before he became "the face that runs the place." However, during their classic best-of-five series and their battles over the United States Championship, Booker clearly saw something in the young wrestler. "I pushed John because I could see so much in that dude. I knew he was going to be the life and the heartbeat of the company some time, and that some time wasn't that far off," he said on "The Hall of Fame." "I just wanted to see exactly where he was willing to push himself." 

Cena ended up coming out on top of their best-of-five series with a 3-2 victory to become the United States Champion, and the rest was history. Cena went on to become one of the biggest wrestling stars ever, showcasing that Booker's instincts about him were accurate, and he was left even more impressed after sharing the ring with Cena.

"He was the one guy that I've worked with I can say more so than any, never asked any questions at all," Booker said. "He never asked any questions, he just went out and did it the way I asked him to do it. I was like, 'Wow,' every night I would tell John, he would say, 'What are we doing tonight?' I would say, 'Shakespeare baby, Shakespeare.' That's the only thing we would say."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Hall of Fame" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.