John Cena Credits Vince McMahon With Saving Him From a Near-Disastrous Business Decision Early in His Career

John Cena is reflecting on a moment from the early days of his WWE run that could have gone very differently — and he’s crediting Vince McMahon with keeping him on the right track.

In a conversation with NPR, Cena opened up about how his eagerness to make more money nearly pulled him into a business deal that he now views as one of the biggest potential mistakes of his life. According to Cena, it was McMahon who intervened and steered him away from the arrangement before any real damage could be done.

Cena didn’t go into granular detail about the nature of the deal in the excerpts available, but the weight he placed on the moment is telling. For someone who has gone on to become one of the most financially successful professional wrestlers in history — parlaying his WWE fame into a thriving Hollywood career with blockbuster franchises and major studio films — the idea that an early misstep could have derailed that trajectory makes the story all the more striking.

It’s a rare look at the behind-the-scenes mentorship side of McMahon, who has been at the center of significant controversy in recent years. Whatever one makes of his legacy, Cena’s account suggests that in this particular instance, the WWE chairman’s guidance had a lasting and positive impact on his top star’s future.

Cena is currently in the midst of his farewell tour with WWE, having announced his retirement from in-ring competition, which makes these kinds of retrospective moments feel especially meaningful as he prepares to close the chapter on his wrestling career.