John Cena wanted Austin Theory to be a ‘good guy’ following WWE WrestleMania 39
John Cena always believed Austin Theory was a “good guy” in WWE.
A few years ago at WWE WrestleMania 39, John Cena and Austin Theory clashed in a WWE United States Championship match. Despite the underdog status, Theory emerged victorious in the match.
Recently, speaking to Logan Paul on ImPaulsive, Theory opened up and recalled growing up with Cena as his idol. He also reflected on the guidance Cena shared with him ahead of their match. Heading into their WWE WrestleMania 39 bout, Theory was the “cocky” heel while Cena was the babyface.
However, before they fought, Cena and Theory worked out together and had dinner, during which the 17-time World Champion encouraged him to be himself. “I just remember him telling me, ‘You’re not a bad guy. Like I want you to be you,’” Theory said. “I was like, ‘Man, I’m this obnoxious, over-the-top, cocky heel.’ And he’s like, ‘I feel like that’s not going to last too long. You got to be yourself.’”
Theory further shared that once their match was over, Cena spoke with Vince McMahon about him. “After the match, I remember Cena telling me he was like, ‘Hey, I went and talked to Vince [McMahon]. And I told him, You’re not a bad guy. So hopefully that helps you become a good guy,'” Theory added.
However, Theory never turned face after that and instead continued his run as a heel, first as a singles competitor, then in a tag team with Grayson Waller before ultimately joining The Vision.
Austin Theory shares John Cena’s advice to him at WWE WrestleMania 39
In the same interview with Logan Paul, Theory further opened up and heaped praise on Cena before revealing the advice Cena shared with him.
“One of my favorite things was doing the match at [Wrestle]Mania, like I knew the finish and like me biting his ear and stuff. Cause I remember he asked me, ‘Do you know who Evander Holyfield is?’ I was like ‘Yeah’ he’s like, ‘We’ll do something like that tonight.’ I’m like, ‘All right, cool,'” Theory shared.
Theory further added that Cena kept calling the spots during the match in the ring itself; however, one piece of advice from Cena stuck with Theory throughout. “But the thing that stuck out to me the most was after he told me he said, ‘Just remember every show we do is a live event.’ This is the biggest show we have. We treated it like a live event,” Theory finished.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
Shounak takes particular interest in soccer, closely following top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. Beyond sports, he enjoys fiction writing, photography, gaming, and cinema.