Mike Bennett saw John Cena up close when they had words about a ‘copied’ taunt during a backstage confrontation at a Sunday Night Heat taping in 2007.
Bennett recently spoke with Lucha Libre Online and shared a story about how he thought his wrestling career was over before it started when he used a gesture in a WWE match that was fairly close to John Cena’s trademark taunt. Bennett explained that he was working a Sunday Night Heat tag team match against Cryme Tyme, and it was his first time doing extra work for WWE. He said JTG was wearing a “grill” at the time and he used it as a way to taunt his opponents, so they came up with the idea for Bennett to mimic it and wave his hand in his face.
“Unfortunately, what happened was this ended up looking too close to this (You can’t see me taunt). Yes, so I think you can see where this is going.” Bennett said. “I think someone told Mr. Cena that I had gone out there and I had done this (You can’t see me taunt) on Sunday Night Heat. So when I got to the back, on my very first match, John Cena was there to inform me that I should not be doing this (You can’t see me) in any way, shape or form. It was put to me not so nicely, which is funny because after I got to go (to WWE), when I went back to WWE, I never got to tell him that story, which I wanted to.”
“I actually really enjoyed seeing him when I went back. He was a very down-to-earth and a very cool guy. I really enjoyed interacting with him. He was super helpful with everything. But I think at that time, I don’t blame him. Here’s this, you know, in his eyes, here’s probably this punk kid copying him what he’s doing. That’s his money maker. It’s his bread-and-butter. I’d probably be pissed too. I’d be like, ‘Yo, you don’t even work here. What are you doing?’ It was a simple mistake. I thought I was done. I went back to my hotel that night and I was like, ‘Well, I’m never working in wrestling again. John Cena hates my guts…’” Bennett explained, “but now it just kind of makes a funny story. But at the time I genuinely thought ‘I’m done. Never working again. That’s it. John Cena is the top of the game and he thinks I just copied him’. So it ended up being a funny story. But at the time, I was terrified.”
Read More: Mike Bennett Is Happiest In Ring Of Honor, Reflects On Matt Taven’s Title Win
