John Cena Reveals He 'Flat Out Steals' From Surprising WWE Name
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena, who has embraced a surprising heel character during his 2025 retirement tour, recently acknowledged Stephanie McMahon as a significant influence on his ability to portray a compelling villain.
Cena, who famously turned heel at the Elimination Chamber premium live event earlier this year by aligning with The Rock, had spent most of his two-decade career as WWE's ultimate babyface.
During that time, he often found himself at odds with various on-screen antagonists, including Stephanie McMahon in her capacity as a powerful heel authority figure. Speaking directly to Stephanie on her ESPN+ show, Stephanie's Places, Cena explained how her performances helped shape his understanding of being an effective heel.
"Can I just say I had some really good people to learn from. You are on a very short list of names that falls into [that category]," Cena told McMahon. He added, "I flat out steal a lot from you. So, thanks for helping me through this." This admission highlights the respect Cena has for McMahon's character work and her ability to generate reactions from WWE fans.
More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
Cena's history with Stephanie McMahon in WWE storylines is extensive, primarily featuring her in antagonistic authority roles during his peak years as the company's top babyface.
From 2013 to 2016, as part of "The Authority" alongside Triple H, McMahon used her power to create obstacles for Cena, delivering scathing promos and unfair scenarios against him.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena celebrates after defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 20: John Cena celebrates after defeating Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Earlier in his career, during her tenure as SmackDown General Manager, she also had memorable confrontations with a then-rising Cena, often disapproving of his "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona. These on-screen rivalries provided Cena with countless opportunities to observe McMahon's mastery of heel tactics, crowd manipulation, and promo delivery.
As Cena navigates the final months of his in-ring career, which is set to end in December 2025, he does so as the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, fully embracing his heel side.
WWE fans will see this heel champion in action at the Money in the Bank premium live event on June 7th, where he will team with United States Champion Logan Paul to take on Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. From there, speculation is Cena will face Rhodes.
More WWE News:
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
24 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Woman Reveals Names Gen Z Thinks Are 'Old-Lady Names'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Picking a baby name is a big decision. So some parents may be dismayed to find out that Gen Z has its own baby-name list—ones they think sound like "old lady names." In a TikTok, creator Kelley Cole explains which names made it onto the "old" list, and the results might surprise you. Why It Matters Baby-naming trends can often reflect broader cultural shifts and social values. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently released its list of the most used baby names in the United States for 2024, with Olivia and Liam maintaining their reign as America's top choices for the sixth consecutive year. Newcomers on the list included Truce and Colsen for boys, and Ailany and Marjorie for girls. A doll in front of two notes with speech bubbles containing the names Marie and Elias. A doll in front of two notes with speech bubbles containing the names Marie and Elias. Frank Rumpenhorst/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images What To Know "I was told my name was an old lady name by the teenagers on the adolescent unit I was working on a few months ago," Cole says in the video that has been viewed more than 350,000 times. "I was surprised." Cole goes on to explain that teens shared with her what names are "old lady names" versus "young names." The list of names that the teens said were "old lady names": Ashley, Amanda, Jessica, Stephanie, Jennifer, Christie, Tracy, Stacey, Amy, Crystal, Kelly, Lisa, Jordan, Michelle, Shelly, Laura, Laurie, Kathy, Tammy, Heather, Angela and Angie. The "young girl names" were Bella, Isabelle, Olivia, Olive, Ava, Eden, Abigail and Abbie, Ella, Gracie, Zoe and Rose. And it's not the first time that so-called "old lady" names have sparked a debate between generations on TikTok. In 2024, a creator named Amber posted a video on the topic that went viral, receiving 4.3 million views as of reporting. "The other day my daughter told me the name Ashley or Amanda, or my name is Amber, are like old-people names," she says in the video. "I never thought about it this way, but she's like yeah my teachers' names are like Miss Erica, Miss Samantha, there's Amandas and Ashleys—those are just old-people names." Amber went on to list some of the young names her daughter had highlighted, including Scarlet, Charlotte, Olivia, Penelope, Isabella, Bella and Ella. Though the two videos were posted more than a year apart, there is overlap in what the group of young people told Cole, and what Amber's daughter told her, were old- and young-people's names. What People Are Saying Kelley Cole, in her TikTok video, after listing the "young-girl names": "Who's gonna tell these girls that those were our grandmas' names. Those are the old-lady names, not Kelley." What Happens Next Cole's remarks about the "young names" being "grandma names" taps into a key naming trend. There is a theory around names called the 100-year rule, where names cycle in and out of a fashion and it takes a century for the cycle to complete. In practice, this means names that were common for the grandparents or great-grandparents of Gen Z could be about to come back. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for their parents' names, but they may well come back around for future generations.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Patrick Schwarzenegger Says His Dad Is Having a 'Midlife Crisis'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Patrick Schwarzenegger said his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was going through a particular type of "midlife crisis" during a recent podcast interview. Newsweek reached out to Arnold Schwarzenegger's representative via email for comment on Friday. The Context Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, actor and former governor of California, has played in such movie hits as The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Total Recall and True Lies. The Golden Globe Award winner shares four kids with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver: daughters Katherine and Christina and sons Patrick and Christopher. In 2011, he revealed that he has another child, son Joseph Baena. Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, is an actor as well and has had roles in The Staircase and American Sports Story, and currently stars in The White Lotus. What To Know On Thursday's episode of Literally! With Rob Lowe, host Rob Lowe brought up Patrick Schwarzenegger's famous father and his love of animals. "I love that Arnold has the mini horse and the pig... it makes me want to do that," The West Wing star, 61, said. "He has totally embraced this new act of life. It's just, he's such a Doctor Dolittle meets kind of like this midlife crisis, but happiness and calmer side of life. It's really funny," Patrick Schwarzenegger said. (L) Patrick Schwarzenegger attends The Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala on October 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Arnold Schwarzenegger attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's "FUBAR" on May 22, 2023 in Los... (L) Patrick Schwarzenegger attends The Fourth Annual Academy Museum Gala on October 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Arnold Schwarzenegger attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's "FUBAR" on May 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. More; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic The California native continued: "You've seen it, but this picture of him holding court at his dinner table with a cigar in his mouth and the miniature donkey behind him on the right side, and the miniature pony on the left side, and the pig right below his feet eating, and then the little Chihuahua on his lap, and then the massive 180-pound malamute husky over there next to the horse. And then the other—what's it called?—dog. That's 150 kg. It's just like they have all of them surrounding Arnold." Patrick Schwarzenegger added that his dad's animals are cooked homemade meals. "He has certain meals, he has the oatmeal cookies, the homemade oatmeal cookies that are good for the horses. He's got special meals for the dog. He's got the soup that the pig loves. It's just it's out of a movie. It really is." Lowe shared that Brian Grazer—a producer with credits on films like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind—"has a movie he's developing about Arnold and the animals." "Every time I see Brian—I've had Brian on the show—I keep saying, 'What's going on with the Arnold animal movie?' Because honestly, I don't know anything I'd rather see than a movie about Arnold and his animals. I really don't. I am so down to see that." "I saw him literally yesterday and he brought it up," Patrick Schwarzenegger replied. "I'm hoping that it happens." The pair then went on to tease Arnold Schwarzenegger about his dress sense. "When did Arnold start dressing like Adam Sandler? When did that happen?" Lowe asked. "I make fun of Arnold more than anyone for the outfits he wears," Patrick Schwarzenegger said, before noting that his father went to a recent photo shoot for Netflix's FUBAR without wardrobe, so they shot him "how he's dressed." "I was like, I bet you he has a cigar and he's got a T-shirt of himself on. And he sent the photo, and it was literally a photo of himself with the shirt of himself, with a photo of himself in the background. I was just like, it doesn't get any, any better." "There's no one I love more for living his best life than your dad," Lowe said. What People Are Saying Lowe promoted the podcast on Instagram, and fans shared their excitement over the interview in the comments. Instagram user hermanator70 wrote: "Fun podcast." @jessicaskelton13 shared: "This is amazing." @mattvanleer21 said: "Just seen this one. Loved it so much Mr Lowe. We just [finished] watching White Lotus season 3. [Your] friend was mind blowing in it." @trulyafitz chimed in: "FINALLY!" What Happens Next FUBAR Season 2 will be available on Netflix on June 12. All episodes of The White Lotus are currently available to stream on Max. New episodes of SiriusXM's Literally! With Rob Lowe are available every Thursday on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Senior Cat Catches Plumber Near His Cupboard—Makes His Feelings Very Clear
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Cats are territorial creatures, so it may not come as a surprise to see this one losing his temper with a plumber working near his cupboard. The 15-year-old cat, named Arthur, can be seen sitting on the floor next to the worker's feet, meowing continuously—but to TikTok's delight, it seems the plumber speaks cat too. The video of Arthur meowing—only to be answered with a "meow" from the plumber—quickly went viral, racking up 2.7 million views since it was posted on May 28. "He loves a good moan," the owner commented, noting that this kind of behavior isn't unusual for the tuxedo cat, known as @mrmeowsalot on TikTok. The clip, captioned: "Telling the plumber to get out of his cupboard," has been a huge hit online, racking up 610,900 likes and over 1,200 comments. "I LOVE that he was responding to the cat," said one comment with 147,900 likes. "Nice to see a plumber who can speak fluent cat," joked another user. A third commenter shared their theory: "I love that they don't care which human is in the kitchen, if there's a human in the kitchen [and] they're not being fed, time to complain." Like humans, some cats are more talkative than others. It's their way of communicating, and there are many reasons why they may meow, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Common Reasons Why Cats Meow A stock image of a black and white cat with a distorted facial expression. A stock image of a black and white cat with a distorted facial expression. VictorHuang/iStock / Getty Images Plus The ASPCA has provided the following reasons: Greeting : Cats often meow to say hello when you arrive home or interact with them. : Cats often meow to say hello when you arrive home or interact with them. Seeking Attention : They may vocalize to request affection, play, or conversation—especially if left alone for long stretches. : They may vocalize to request affection, play, or conversation—especially if left alone for long stretches. Requesting Food : Meowing around mealtimes or in the kitchen is common; some even wake owners up for food. : Meowing around mealtimes or in the kitchen is common; some even wake owners up for food. Wanting In or Out : Meowing at doors or windows can signal a desire to go in or out, especially during transitions to indoor-only living. : Meowing at doors or windows can signal a desire to go in or out, especially during transitions to indoor-only living. Age-Related Confusion : Senior cats with cognitive dysfunction may meow when disoriented, similar to symptoms of dementia. : Senior cats with cognitive dysfunction may meow when disoriented, similar to symptoms of dementia. Mating Behavior: Unneutered or unspayed cats may yowl to attract or access mates. While some breeds are known for being naturally chatty, there is a chance that frequent meowing is a sign of a medical condition. The ASPCA encourages owners to visit a veterinarian to ensure a medical condition is not the cause of the cat's distress. Even if a cat has always meowed for food, their health changes as they age, and they are prone to developing an overactive thyroid and kidney disease—either of which may result in excessive meowing. Newsweek reached out to @mrmeowsalot for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
