John Cena makes surprising pick for WWE's GOAT

If nine out of 10 people on the streets were asked to vote for the GOAT of pro wrestling, they'd likely pick either Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

However, John Cena — another performer in the GOAT debate — believes a modern contemporary has surpassed everyone who entered the squared circle before him.

In an interview with "Club Shay Shay," the wrestler-turned-actor explained why Roman Reigns' financial impact on the pro-wrestling industry places him above all his predecessors. Cena named The Rock second on his list of the greatest to ever do it.

"I don't think there's a better breathing example of what's the best the business has ever been than Roman Reigns," Cena said. "He's been in it since 2012. He came in with the Shield, in a high-level spot, and never wavered, even when the fans didn't like him. He was still in the main-event spot. He's been in a main-event lens for over a decade now. And he's brought, through his clock — and you can say whatever forces helped it — but in 2012, the stock was trading at $11. WWE — or TKO stock — is now at $117. That's on his shoulders. And I know it's a team effort, nobody does it alone, but that's some serious s—."

To Cena's point, WWE's business has been on fire lately, with the company reporting total revenue of $456.8 million in Q2 of 2024, an 11 percent jump from 2023, and adjusted EBITDA of $251.3 million, which marked a year-over-year gain of 45 percent. The pro-wrestling juggernaut has also been setting records with its attendance, merchandise and streaming numbers for the better part of two years.

While some have also cited inflation as the reason for those gigantic gains, several metrics point to renewed interest in the WWE product since the ouster of controversial founder Vince McMahon and the ascension of Paul "Triple H" Levesque into the role of Chief Content Officer.

As for Cena, the 16-time WWE champion recently confirmed that 2025 will mark his farewell from pro wrestling. The legendary performer will be a part of the much-hyped debut of "WWE Raw" on Netflix at the start of the new year.