Lilian Garcia ‘excited’ and ‘nervous’ for role in John Cena’s last WWE match
Lilian Garcia is hoping to make John Cena’s final ring introduction a special one for fans and Cena himself.
With Cena’s retirement match taking place on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Garcia is tasked with doing the introduction. She told TV Insider that she’s both excited and nervous for the opportunity. Her goal is to properly celebrate Cena as the greatest of all time.
“For sure,” Garcia responded when asked if she’s nervous for the moment. “It has been exciting. Am I nervous about this? Of course, you get nervous. I always say nerves are a good thing because it means you care. Nerves and excitement actually create the same energy. It’s about turning those nerves into excitement. I’m very excited. I’m going to do everything I can to put everything into that announcement. Just really solidify the fact that he is the ‘Greatest of All Time.’ He is an icon. I’ve been amazed at everything he has been able to accomplish and his legacy.”
Garcia said this is a full-circle moment for her since she remembers announcing Cena at a live event back in the day when he was “The Prototype.” Throughout his run, Garcia remembers Cena as someone who has been very focused on delivering what he has to do.
Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. is hosting Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend (December 13). It will be Cena vs. Gunther at the show, with Gunther having earned the spot through winning WWE’s Last Time is now Tournament.
Garcia signed a new two-year contract with WWE a couple of months back. Along with her SNME role, Garcia has done ring announcing for WWE-AAA specials.
“I get to do Saturday Night’s Main Event and got to do Worlds Collide with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and do that in Spanish. It was new for me. I never announced in Spanish,” she told TV Insider. “Even when we did shows in Mexico, I’d host the show in Spanish. So you would hear me do all the in between and talk to the crowd. But when it came to me saying, ‘The following contest is scheduled for one fall…’ That was always done in English.
“Now this whole show is done in Spanish. I had to learn all these new wrestling terms in Spanish. It has been a new challenge. Watching the Mexican wrestlers, wow. And you never know what’s to come with WWE and what’s new and added. It’s so great to be part of the fold.”
SNME is streaming live on Peacock this Saturday with a start time of 8 p.m. Eastern.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.