Rusev Credits John Cena for Wrestling Development, Emphasizes Importance of Crowd Connection

Rusev, the former WWE United States Champion, has spoken highly of John Cena’s influence on his wrestling career, attributing significant growth to the numerous matches and extensive travel opportunities he experienced even as working with the 16-time world champion. Their frequent collaborations, both on television and during live events, proved invaluable to Rusev’s development.

Learning from a Veteran

In an interview with Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Rusev revealed the sheer volume of matches he shared with Cena. While fans may recall around 10-15 televised bouts, Rusev estimates they wrestled approximately 1500 times on live events, often touring extensively to do so. He emphasized the importance of observing Cena’s approach and learning from his experience.

“I love that man, he taught me so much,” Rusev said about Cena. “You know, people seen us probably wrestle like 10, 15 times on TV, but we wrestled probably 1500 times on live events. We traveled all over the world just to wrestle. And even in European tours, we used to do Red, then Blue, then Raw, then SmackDown, then maybe SmackDown, then again Raw. Like, we would just jump everywhere to do this match. And just learning from him, just listening, paying attention to what he does, why he does it, keeping my ears open, my mouth shut. And I’ve learned so much, man.”

Early Career Guidance from WWE Legends

Rusev too acknowledged the impact of other established veterans like Mark Henry and The Big Show on his early career. He recalled an initial experience with The Big Show, where he was simply told they would “see each other in the ring” without any prior rehearsal, a situation that initially caused him considerable nervousness.

“Even leading up to that with Mark Henry, with the Big Show, with all these veterans that I got to work with. Big Show would say, ‘Hey, I’ll see you in the ring.’ Like, that’s it? You’re just going to see me in the ring? Like, you’re 7-foot-2 and 500 pounds. But okay. I was so nervous. But all these veterans prepared me for that moment. And I’m very thankful for every single one of them,” Rusev explained.

The Importance of Timing and Crowd Connection

Rusev, who returned to WWE in 2025, expressed regret that he didn’t have the opportunity to face Cena again before his retirement. However, he highlighted the most significant lesson he learned from Cena: the importance of timing and connecting with the audience.

Cena taught him that there’s no distinction between a televised match and a live event performance, and that a seemingly unresponsive crowd isn’t a reflection of the performer, but rather an indication that they aren’t being given what they desire to see. Cena’s attentiveness to the crowd’s energy – observing pitch, vibe, and audience composition – was a key element of his success.

“Just timing. Take my time,” he responded. “There’s no such thing as a TV match and a live event match. Like, there’s no such thing as a bad crowd. If they’re not reacting, it’s because you’re not giving them what they want to see. Him listening, ‘Okay, is it high pitch? Is it low-pitch? Who’s out there tonight? What’s the vibe?’ He’s always there watching and learning the crowd as much as everything else… [You’ve] got to take your time and listen to the crowd. I believe that’s the most significant thing. Just listen to the crowd. They’ll tell you what to do.”

Recent Ventures

Since his return to WWE in 2025, Rusev has been featured regularly on television, including a feud with Sheamus. He has also launched his own training academy, Kech Pro Wrestling, located in Nashville.

(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.)