WWE superstar John Cena, a 16-time world champion and surefire Hall of Famer, thinks Brock Lesnar’s historic performance at the Royal Rumble is proof that he’s the “best in-ring performer of all-time.”
Cena made his case for “the Beast” during an interview with Sports Illustrated. “I can say with the utmost sincerity that I believe Brock Lesnar is the best in-ring performer that I've seen,” Cena said, calling this year’s Royal Rumble match an “extra special” event. “I know it's an opinion, and if you want a cool quote, here it is: I think he's the best in-ring performer of all time.”
“I thought his performance at the Rumble was a clinic on how to establish yourself, how to establish those around you, establish the championship, establish the importance of one event,” Cena explained. “He did so in less than 30 minutes, and I certainly don't have the skill set to do that, and it was awesome to be able to see a masterclass man put on a clinic on what to do and how to do it and I was really impressed with the Rumble.”
Asked if he thought Lesnar was the best ever, Cena told the magazine: “I really do think so. I genuinely think he has a good understanding of who he is. I think he's the best at when he needs to be dominant, he's the best in situations of jeopardy. He makes people better. He still has a mystique about him that will draw eyeballs to watch him and when he does he never disappoints.”
“I watching from home did not know the result of the Rumble and I thought Brock was gonna run the table and win,” Cena said. “I knew the first 27 entrants would be boring, but I knew by 28 and 29 I'd be on the edge of my seat and asking the question, ‘What happens to the WrestleMania main event now that the No. 1 entrant ran the table and is the champion for the first time ever?’”
“You could see how uneasy the crowd was with Brock's dominance and then over the course of time, how it became exciting and how it became riveting and then how it became like must-see and that's who Brock Lesnar is,” Cena said. “He believes so much in his presence, and he has such a definable presence you can't ignore him and he never wastes anyone's time and everything he does is special. Everything he does meaningful and it's not all selfish. He's one of the most giving performers in the WWE and that is the mark of a true craftsman and a true professional. It was awesome to watch. My jaw dropped when I watched the Rumble.”
Lesnar spent a little over 26 minutes in the Rumble match, setting a record for most eliminations by taking out all 13 men that came in after him after entering the match at #1. He ended up being eliminated by eventual winner Drew McIntyre.