John Cena Says 'WWE Doesn't Need' Him After WrestleMania Cameo

WrestleMania fever had gripped the entire World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Universe since the beginning of the year, but more so in the weeks leading up to the event on April 7 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. WWE’s flagship show made history in many aspects, namely, revenue, matches and the absence or lack of attention to some key competitors – The Undertaker and John Cena.

WWE announced after the event that it had broken the record for MetLife Stadium’s highest grossing entertainment event. The show of shows grossed $16.9 million, surpassing the venue’s previous record of $12.3 million which was achieved when WWE hosted WrestleMania 29 in 2013.

The promotion also broke the MetLife Stadium’s WWE attendance record with 82,265 people packing the stadium, which was just 1,500 more than the previous record set in 2013. The event on Sunday was highly anticipated, especially after it was announced that the women’s division will headline the show for the first time in its illustrious history.

Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair headlined the show by battling for the women’s Raw and SmackDown titles in a triple-threat match, which the Irishwoman won after a reported botched ending. It was also a show that was devoid of The Undertaker, the face of WrestleMania, for the first time in 19 years.

Cena, who has also been a WrestleMania regular since his arrival to the promotion, made a very low key appearance. He interrupted Elias during his performance in his throwback "Dr. Thugonomics" avatar but was not involved in a match.

The 16-time WWE champion, who was previously relied on to fill seats, admitted after the event that it is now clear WWE does not need him anymore. Cena indicated that he is willing to step aside and make way for the new generation – the likes of Kofi Kingston, who became the first WWE champion to hail from the African continent.

“For years I could say that my contribution on television has helped sell tickets to this event. This year that was not true. And it is still completely sold out and everyone is still completely on the edge of their seat. And I’ve said this since the day I walked in the door - the WWE does not need me or any one individual,” Cena said, as quoted on Cageside Seats.

“It needs the fans. So I’m at a very good perspective with the fact that they don’t need me. They’re just fine without me. And I’m very grateful to be asked to be even a small part. So I’ll even break out the old school stuff just to be a part. I hope it meant a lot to them [the fans], because they’ll have no idea how much it meant to me,” he added.