John Cena Reveals ‘Shakespeare’ Mantra He Shared With Mentor Booker T To Prioritize In-Ring Storytelling

John Cena has opened up about a piece of career-shaping wisdom he picked up from Booker T early in his WWE run — and it boils down to a single word: Shakespeare.

In a recent interview promoting his upcoming film Little Brother, Cena described how Booker T served as a mentor during the formative stages of his WWE career, helping him understand that physical performance means nothing without emotional context. The two developed a shorthand to keep that philosophy front and center.

“Booker was a mentor and teaching me how to find my way as I got a little bit of steam behind my character,” Cena said. “We would trade the term ‘Shakespeare’ between each other, because those were the pauses and the ability for us to tell a story.”

Cena explained that the word functioned as a pre-match reminder — slow down, establish the ‘why,’ and let the audience absorb what’s happening rather than rushing through sequences of moves. When a match landed the way it was supposed to, the exchange continued on the way back through the curtain.

“Booker T would always be, ‘Shakespeare baby, Shakespeare.’ It would be a mantra to say before we go out to make sure your ‘why’ is in order, do not rush, let everybody absorb the story,” Cena said. “And if we did it well, I would see him when we come back and be like, ‘Shakespeare baby.'”

Cena tied the lesson directly to Little Brother, a physical comedy co-starring Eric Andre that he says succeeds for the same reason a great wrestling match does — no moment is wasted. “If you can do physically great things, excellent,” he said. “If you do them without meaning, it is worthless.”

The remarks offer a rare, candid look at how one of WWE’s most decorated performers was shaped behind the scenes. Booker T, a six-time world champion and WWE Hall of Famer, has long been regarded as a locker-room resource for younger talent, and Cena’s account puts a specific, memorable face on that mentorship. With Cena currently in the final stretch of his retirement tour, reflections like this one serve as a reminder of the foundation that made his 20-plus-year run possible.