John Cena Recalls Getting Ribbed By Randy Orton Before WWE Debut

John Cena reflected on a memorable incident that preceded his WWE television debut in 2002. Appearing on WWE Raw on June 27, 2002, he accepted an open challenge from Kurt Angle and helped popularize the term “Ruthless Aggression,” a term Vince McMahon had previously used to describe his standard for finding new stars.

Cena detailed the specific incident during a recent Q&A event in New York City. During the match buildup, Randy Orton taped Cena’s boots together in the locker room, physically restricting his ability to tighten the laces. To prepare for the bout, Cena had to cut nearly all his laces, wrestling with severe foot binding, which required him to leave the campus to achieve the distinctive hairstyle he would later make famous.

On Orton Ribbing Him:

“In 2002, I went to Chicago as an extra talent—someone not to be used,” Cena said at the New York Q&A (via Undisputed). “I was then told I was going to have a match against an Olympic gold medalist. Randy Orton tied my boots together in a locker where I couldn’t even reach them, so I had to cut the laces and wrestle with half of my laces. I had to go off campus to get one of the worst haircuts that people watching on television had ever seen.”

On Why He Appreciates It Now:

“That was my welcome to the WWE, and it was better than I ever could have imagined. A moment that was supposed to be celebratory was also humbling. It was filled with tough love that belongs to our fraternity, and I was grateful to go through that.”

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