10 Wrestlers Who Are Friends With John Cena (And 10 Who Keep Their Distance)

John Cena is the biggest WWE star in recent memory with an incredible run on top of the company. Cena's run as the face of WWE started in 2005 when he won his first WWE Championship and lasted until 2015 when Roman Reigns was pushed into that role. Cena did a tremendous job for WWE in many metrics. The ratings and live attendance figures would often rise with Cena on top, whereas the company struggled whenever he had injuries. Cena also would become a great in-ring performer during his time on top. Classic matches against the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, and many others led to great results. Cena may have more great matches than any other wrestler in WWE history, thanks to his spot and the matches he had in big spots.

Many wrestlers rave about how great of an influence Cena is backstage. Cena's assistance has helped quite a few wrestlers personally and professionally. There are many friends of Cena currently on the main roster that loves when he comes back around. This isn’t the case for everyone, as some active WWE stars don’t have great relationships with him for various reasons. We will look at both sides and why things are the way they are. These are ten current WWE stars that are friends with John Cena along with another ten that keep their distance from him.

20 Friend: Kevin Owens

Despite his intense dislike for him in kayfabe, Kevin Owens owes credit for some of his main roster success to John Cena. We witnessed a rare moment of Cena getting pinned clean in Owens’ first main roster match for a surprising victory. Owens shared personal stories of Cena becoming a friend when they worked together.

His appearance on Talk is Jericho featured him revealing Cena told Kevin to bring his young son Owen to a show and gave him a letter thanking Owen for being a fan since he missed out meeting him in the past. Cena and Owens also have spent time together watching the house shows on the television monitor, as very few wrestlers still do that today.

19 Keeps distance: Rusev

Rusev is one wrestler that did not benefit from having a big program with John Cena. The incredible first year for Rusev as an unbeatable new heel culminated in him facing Cena at WrestleMania 31. Cena defeated Rusev to end his winning streak and took the United States Championship away from him.

The two had mediocre chemistry that led to matches that weren’t anything to write home about. Rusev’s momentum completely disappeared after the Cena feud. There have been a few jokes on Rusev’s Twitter page about Cena among other wrestlers. Cena and Rusev clearly don’t have a close relationship despite having a WrestleMania feud together.

18 Friend: Cesaro

Cesaro has been considered one of the most wrestlers in WWE over the past few years. The in-ring work of Cesaro is as good as anyone else at his best. One important person to take note of this was John Cena. The two became friends when taking part in similar workouts.

Cena has praised Cesaro in multiple interviews and promos when referencing how good he is. The two have worked together for a couple of great singles matches that helped get people talking about Cesaro. Vince McMahon would never get sold on Cesaro enough to push him, but Cena certainly did try to help him out.

17 Keeps distance: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley was originally supposed to join John Cena as the faces of the company. Vince McMahon found success when pushing Cena and Batista as top-tier faces in the 2000s. Lashley was the third experiment to join them a few years later with Vince loving his look and general potential to improve.

The run of Lashley was a flop and he was out of the company just a couple of years after the major push. Cena took veiled shots at Lashley and others that failed to reach the top when people claim it’s easy to stay on top when pushed. The two never had a great relationship, which made it odd when WWE paired them together in a tag match at Super Show-down.

16 Friend: Sheamus

It is easy to forget that Sheamus once had one of the best pushes in WWE history. A short run on the third ECW brand led to Sheamus joining Raw with a massive push. Sheamus won the WWE Championship within a couple of months by beating John Cena in a Tables Match and retaining over him on a few occasions.

Cena very rarely took any losses, especially to unproven talents at the time. Sheamus won the respect of Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and many other big names backstage due to his work ethic. Cena took note and put him over to form a bond. The two have had nothing but kind words to share about each since that time.

15 Keeps distance: Baron Corbin

Recent years have seen many new stars made after working with John Cena. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles stand out as success stories after getting put over by Cena in a major way. One new talent to get the opposite impact of working with Cena was Baron Corbin.

It should have been a huge match for Corbin to face Cena at SummerSlam in 2017. Instead, Cena squashed Corbin and easily beat him in the opening match. Corbin was being punished for backstage issues and Cena certainly didn’t seem to want to help him out. The two don’t have a close relationship, and Corbin likely has no desire to work with Cena again.

14 Friend: Daniel Bryan

The mutual respect between Daniel Bryan and John Cena made them friendly acquaintances backstage. They then formed a friendship due to both wrestlers dating twin sisters Brie and Nikki Bella for many years before Cena and Nikki broke up. Cena was one of the biggest supporters of Bryan on and offscreen when others in WWE didn’t want to push him to the top.

Bryan delivered words of support for Cena in interviews when asked about Nikki and John’s breakup rather than bury him. The two clearly have formed a bond through the years that make them friends outside of the ring. Bryan may not be a top star in WWE if not for Cena’s help.

13 Keeps distance: The Miz

The Miz and John Cena have had a couple of issues through the years that led to their recent feud being more interesting. Both men took part in the WrestleMania XXVII main event which is remembered among the worst. Most wrestlers tend to develop some issues when they have a stinker in such a big match.

Cena’s relationship with Nikki Bella along with Miz’s marriage to Maryse led to more issues. Maryse believed that Nikki and Brie blocked her from coming back to WWE to be part of the original Total Divas cast. Cena and Miz used the tension to cut compelling promos ahead of the mixed tag couples match at WrestleMania 33. They did good business together, but it is unlikely they’ll have a friendship at any point moving forward.

12 Friend: Big Show

Big Show is one of the most common opponents John Cena has faced throughout his career. Many of Cena’s biggest early wins before main event territory came over Big Show. A giant wrestler allowing the next big star to look great when putting him over does a lot for the rising star.

Cena would go on to work with Big Show many more times during his main event, including taking part in a triple threat match for the World Championship that also involved Edge. Cena and Big Show speak glowingly about each other and put over the importance each has in the WWE success.

11 Keeps distance: Jinder Mahal

One big PPV match planned for 2018 that never took place was to feature Jinder Mahal defending the WWE Championship against John Cena. Rumors indicated WWE wanted to use the drawing appeal of Cena potentially going for his record-breaking 17^th world title reign to end Mahal’s streak.

WWE quit on those plans for either Royal Rumble or WrestleMania back in 2017 by having AJ Styles win the title from Jinder. Cena apparently didn’t have much interest in working with Mahal, as he doesn’t put him over in interviews as much as the other young rising stars. The part-time status of Cena would have led to a wasted match with Mahal. Both men likely have some tension knowing this.

10 Friend: Kurt Angle

The friendship between Kurt Angle and John Cena falls under the radar, but the two clearly have a bond, given the recent history together. Angle came to the decision to have Cena induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame for his big return to the company. Cena had a lot of love for Angle and did it with joy.

The two have a long history as Cena’s first WWE match was against Angle. Cena did well against one of the top main eventers. Angle didn’t have to make Cena look great, but he did, and it helped start the career of a future legend. Both men are part-time wrestling legends for WWE that could square off again.

9 Keeps distance: Brock Lesnar

This one could be obvious since Brock Lesnar has the reputation of keeping his distance from almost everyone in WWE. Lesnar dresses alone, spends his time in his private locker room and rarely interacts with the other wrestlers backstage which has caused a negative reputation to form.

John Cena and Brock have never been friends since they are opposites. Lesnar has no passion for WWE and just happens to be very good as a powerhouse wrestler. Cena’s top passion was WWE for most of his time in the company before his career in acting took off, and remains loyal to WWE up to this day. It just makes sense that the guy who loves the business and the guy who couldn't care less would not become friends at any point.

8 Friend: Big E

The New Day has become one of the most popular factions in WWE history for good reason. Many fans forget that Big E was once a huge prospect for WWE. Vince McMahon reportedly placed Big E above Roman Reigns and the other top rising stars when they were all new on the roster.

Big E had great potential, but WWE did not know yet how to showcase it. John Cena formed a friendship with Big E during his downfall as they shared a passion for weightlifting. Big E named Cena, CM Punk, and a few other top names as people that helped him. Cena is happy for Big E finding success in the New Day.

7 Keeps distance: Dolph Ziggler

The career of Dolph Ziggler has often seen him fail to get to the top level in WWE. Ziggler had great momentum at a few points, including a feud with John Cena. The feud culminated with Cena getting the upper hand on Ziggler, leading to Dolph moving back down into the mid-card picture.

There was some tension between Cena and Ziggler when they worked together. Ziggler would mock Cena in interviews afterward and often stated he felt he was better than Cena. Many people believed Nikki Bella’s previous relationship with Ziggler and later relationship with Cena caused an issue between the two.

6 Friend: Michael Cole

A lesser-known close friendship of John Cena is the longtime WWE broadcaster, Michael Cole. There is a bond between Cena and Cole that is reminiscent of Jim Ross and Steve Austin. Cole called most of the major moments from Cena’s legendary career and was the voice of his matches.

The two are very close behind the scenes. WWE utilized this during a past storyline when Cena was “fired” from WWE in a storyline. Cole was playing a heel at the time, but Cena still approached Cole for a hug as that’s what he would legitimately do if he was leaving the company. There’s an outside chance Cole could be the man to induct Cena into the HOF one day.

5 Keeps distance: Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy was one of the few wrestlers to get close to topping John Cena as the face of the company. WWE didn’t expect it, but Hardy started to develop momentum organically, with the fans believing in him. Hardy did not act like Cena or Triple H or any of the other corporate choices for top stars.

Cena and Hardy likely have great respect for each other. However, they never formed a friendship due to their drastically different personalities. Cena did it the way WWE wants someone to do it. Hardy did it on his own and WWE was forced to realize the fans wanted him. The two did not associate much despite both being huge successes.

4 Friend: Samoa Joe

The friendship between Samoa Joe and John Cena started before fans knew of either of them. Joe and Cena worked together at a wrestling school in California. Cena learned a lot from Joe during the early days of his training. Their history could lead to a great story on WWE television at some point if both men have their way.

Cena has named Joe among the matches with current wrestlers he’d like to have. Joe returned the favor by stating Cena is the dream match he has for WrestleMania on the WWE roster. The two may not be best friends, but they have remained buddies enough to want to work together on the big stage at least once.

3 Keeps distance: Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt and John Cena had a unique feud heading into WrestleMania XXX. It was the biggest angle of Wyatt’s career at one point. Cena was still the face of WWE in 2014 and Wyatt was a rising star with a world of momentum.

The feud did not help Wyatt ascend to the next level the way WWE predicted. Wyatt lost most of his momentum during the Cena feud and failed to look like he belonged on that level. Cena never names Wyatt among the young stars he enjoyed working with and the two seem to keep their distance following their work together.

2 Friend: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins became an instant favorite of John Cena before he was even called up to the main roster. The two worked out together during Rollins' time in FCW/NXT when Cena would show up to work out with some of the younger wrestlers. Rollins would later become one of Cena’s favorite opponents.

They have great chemistry that led to amazing work together. Cena recently went on the record during an interview to state that he believes Rollins is the one with the best chance to become the face of the company. Rollins benefited a lot from working with Cena and the two formed a friendship during the process.

1 Keeps distance: Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose keeps his distance from most others as the only people considered to be his friends in WWE are Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, The Usos, and his wife, Renee Young. John Cena is one of the wrestlers that Ambrose did not care about forming a bond or friendship with.

The two threw off the gloves with vicious shots at each other during a personal feud over the WWE Championship. Cena called out Ambrose for lacking the hunger to improve and cited that he fell behind Reigns and Rollins. Ambrose later ripped apart Cena and was the first wrestler to call him out for the part-time schedule changes. The two worked together professionally but they will never spend friendly time together.