Vince McMahon officially left the WWE in any capacity in the wake of a high-profile lawsuit, but the long-term effects on the wrestling company and its former owner still remain to be seen. After the Royal Rumble was almost impacted via brand sponsorships, more stars have reacted to McMahon's news with their own takes. Randy Orton and John Cena, two men who flourished over the past two decades under McMahon's guiding rule, are two of the latest to offer up their personal feelings about the situation.
Randy Orton On Vince McMahon
Ahead of his appearance at the upcoming WWE event Elimination Chamber, Randy Orton spoke to the New York Post about the disturbing allegations of sex trafficking lodged by former employee Janel Grant, who previously went unnamed when the investigation into Vince McMahon's undisclosed settlements first began. Orton confirmed he's aware of the situation, and admitted the conflicting feelings that he's wrestled with as someone who worked for, and was aided by, McMahon quite a lot over the years. As he put it:
I’ve seen the horrible things online that I don’t want to believe because this man has done so many things for me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been given second and third chances [in WWE]. I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now if it wasn’t for that man. So part of me wants to not believe it and then the other part of me understands that he could have done all these wonderful things for me and the business and created this amazing thing that will go on and on well after he’s gone, but on the other hand, he’s human and he made some fucking terrible mistakes.
While Randy Orton was sidelined recovering from surgery during the initial in-house investigation into Vince McMahon, he followed what was happening in the news. As someone who has been in the organization since he was 22, the now 43-year-old Orton admitted he's struggling to come to terms with the allegations because of his own mistakes and transgressions that McMahon helped him get past throughout his career. The superstar acknowledged that the same someone can be responsible for both making bad decisions as well as keeping the veteran wrestler active enough to allow him to be on the road to WrestleMania 40.
John Cena On Vince McMahon
John Cena struggled with the same issues that Orton talked about when speaking about McMahon's current status on The Howard Stern Show. John Cena, who returned to Hollywood post-strikes, was asked by Stern how to handle dealing with a friend who has been accused of something so terrible, and The Prototype said (via Wrestling Observer):
I can say this: I'm a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty and communication. But in the same breath, I'm also a big advocate of accountability. I think you (Stern) explained it well, if someone's behavior lies so far outside your value system that the balance shifts, of like, 'I can't operate in a world where this works,' that's the end result of being accountable. Right now, what I'm going to do is love the person I love, be their friend. And by that it means like, 'Hey, I love you, you have a hill to climb.'
John Cena isn't condoning Vince McMahon's actions, obviously, but is signaling that he intends to potentially stick by the side of his friend and former boss until more comes out of the investigations. Wrestling fans may remember that McMahon strutted out to the ring with Cena at the initial height of allegations made against him, as part of a celebration on Monday Night Raw for the wrestler's legacy.
Cena seems to have the same respect for Vince McMahon as Randy Orton and intends to remain supportive during the ongoing lawsuit. Cena explained his reasoning for that in light of the troubling situation and how this matches up with what he's said in the past:
There's the saying of 'you don't know who your friends are until the shit hits the fan' or your back's against the wall. That doesn't make any of what's going on any easier to swallow but just telling somebody like, 'Hey, I love you. Man, this is going to be a hill to climb. We're going to see what happens and that's that.'It sounds so cliche but it has to be one day at a time. But at the same token, I've openly said I love the guy, I have a great relationship with the guy, so that's that.
John Cena's words seemed to indicate he'll wait and see how the legal process plays out, but that he still has love for Vince McMahon until then. As such, he will reach out and support him in the midst of the turmoil while waiting for the outcome, whatever it may be.
John Cena might be back in Hollywood, but Randy Orton can be seen in the ring on SmackDown on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Those with a Peacock subscription can look into the dozens of matches they've had against each other over the years while we wait for more information on the ongoing situation with Vince McMahon.
