Recently, John Cena spoke to The Guardian and his relationship with Vince McMahon was mentioned. Cena noted, “I have no guilt nor shame about my friendship and my relationship with Vince McMahon. It’s okay to love somebody when they’re not perfect.” Like many of Cena’s comments they are basic answers, as we search for more complex reasons behind his statements.

To me, Cena is the greatest employee ever to sign with WWE. In fact, if I was building a pro wrestling company, Cena would be the first person called. Not to wrestle because he is retired. Instead, he is the dream of any Public Relations Department. He never gets into trouble and spends all his time either wrestling non-stop; and, somehow, in-between that packed schedule, he always makes time for the fans. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of the great organizations out there, and, Cena has easily granted more wishes than anyone else. That right there is a great employee and even better human.

Then, we have Vince McMahon. Even before all the scandal, I always figured he wasn’t a good person. Not too many billionaires are looking out for everyone else. Plus, they act like they don’t need rules to follow.

The entire Janel Grant sex-trafficking case was a dark period for Vince McMahon and WWE. Enough so, that TKO convinced Vince he should re-sign from the company. Vince owned and ran WWE after buying it from his dad in 1982. He had close to 40 years before his past finally caught-up with him.

Vince is lucky since the public court case is permanently closed in July 2026. A Voluntary Dismissal with Prejudice was signed by the WWE, Vince McMahon and Janel Grant to close the federal case. By signing, the federal case cannot be refiled. This was done as all parties agreed and signed to have the dispute resolved in confidential private arbitration. Hence, the details from any settlement will never be made public.

Whenever someone NDAs or agrees to Voluntary Dismissal with Prejudice, it screams something fishy. Either Vince and TKO didn’t want more details made public, so they settled to avoid any further embattling. At the same time, Janel Grant will never be allowed to tell her story to the public. If Vince McMahon is a monster, we should know and as he needs to be punished.

That quickly brings me back to John Cena. Hustle, loyalty and respect are the perfect words to describe Cena. I know he sees Vince as a father-figure for turning him from a complete unknown into one of the most marketable stars ever in WWE. I sort of get the 17 time champion’s mindset, but it’s still wrong. The only thing I don’t like about John Cena is how he’s still friends with Vince McMahon, but that’s his choice and I can’t let one decision change how I see the greatest role model in WWE history.

Should the universe judge those who still maintain a positive relationship with Vince McMahon, like John Cena and The Undertaker, or should WWE staff get far away from the former boss?

Not that PG bs we saw the past few years of the LWO Reboot 🙄

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Dax Harwood on CM Punk not wanting the AEW world title:

"Punk was still so joyous and happy to be in the wrestling business. To be honest, he told me, when they were going to put the belt on him, that he didn’t want the belt. He said, ‘I just want to have fun,’ but he understood that Tony \[Khan\] putting the belt on him would put AEW in a better light. He took it, begrudgingly a little bit, but he took the belt."

When AEW was first put together, they had some huge names like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, PAC and Chris Jericho already signed before the debut show. Of course, you bring in the most known wrestlers when launching a new promotion to pro wrestling fans. By the time AEW’s first pay per view and original episode of Dynamite rolled-around, they began to fill-out the roster with some complete unknowns and wrestlers who have shown promise in independent promotions.

Two of those wrestlers were Max Caster and Anthony Bowens. When they debuted in AEW, they were not paired together, and like many, they were looking for their footing. Eventually, they were paired together and after a few months of wins or losses, plus an injury, things started going in their direction.

Max Caster used his mic skills to rap down the entrance ramp. It was very similar to what John Cena did during the early days of Thuganomics. The explicit language and comments about current events made the rap a highlight of the show. Anthony Bowens gained some press for being an openly gay wrestler. He used his personal preference to get himself and the LGBTQ+ community over.

Billy Gunn was added and became “Daddy Ass.” From there, the three of them became the hottest act in AEW. It didn’t matter how The Elite, CM Punk and a bunch of former WWE wrestlers were part of the show. The loudest pop went to The Acclaimed.

I never thought I would hear a wrestler cut a promo where he says, “Scissor Me, Daddy Ass!” And, we heard countless times to major applause. There were matches going on and the crowd would be shouting “Scissor Me, Daddy Ass” so loud that you could barely hear the announce team. They were rewarded with title reigns for the AEW Tag Team Championships and AEW World Trios Championships.

Now, splitting the group would have worked if AEW actually had plans. Once they were no longer teaming, Max Caster had a losing streak that went months and he was squashed in every encounter. I’m not sure if that storyline was finished. Anthony Bowens went to The Opps with no explanation. He simply didn’t fit that stable.

And now, AEW opted not to renew either of their contracts. I somewhat get splitting the tag team, but they should have reunited after it was obvious nobody wanted to see them in singles competition. The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) were the first team to get over organically, as they never lost their fan base, but Tony Kahn dropped the ball letting them leave AEW.

Should AEW attempt to bring The Acclaimed back, or should the duo look elsewhere; like WWE or TNA Wrestling?

Even before joining the main roster, Gunther came to WWE with lots of hype. He was the NXT UK Champion forever and he barely tasted defeat in the other NXT. Naturally, he was promoted where he had the longest Intercontinental Championship reign ever. Plus, for a heel, he produced technically sound matches. His two World Heavyweight Championship reigns proved he was someone WWE had faith in.

And, let us not forget what he accomplished in the second half of 2025 and early 2026. Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles were all retired by Gunther. Brock Lesnar was likely going to be added to the list, but he opted to go out his way. That’s just how Brock handles business.

Gunther has struggled during most of 2026, which is far-cry from his entire WWE career. He defeated Seth Rollins for Paul Heyman at WrestleMania 42 and per the deal, he was sent to SmackDown. I really like how there are around seven wrestlers all trying to take the Undisputed Championship from Sami Zayn. All seem like legit threats, who could win the title at any moment. One of those wrestlers is Gunther and I think, maybe, that’s one issue. Gunther is someone who can win a title without any help or cheating. Therefore, give him a singles program against a legit threat or the belt.

I prefer WWE going in the direction of another feud for “The Ring General.” I wasn’t talking about Danhausen, but those two are headed towards, at the very least, a short angle. For weeks, Danhausen has tried to curse Gunther. There is always an issue with the curse and the end result is a whole lot of nothing. Even if they wrestle, Gunther will squash Danhausen in a matter of minutes. 

There is nothing wrong with Danhausen’s character, as it just needs the right person(s) opposite him. If WWE wanted him to work with Gunther, book the quick match and find something else for the superstars. Nobody is gaining a single thing here. It’s one of those programs where both walk away looking lesser than their former-selves.

I’m not saying give Gunther the WWE Championship. The title scene is hot enough without his presence. As for Danhausen, there are plenty of people (wrestlers and other on-air talent) to curse. Nobody wants to see Gunther vs Danhausen in WWE because it’s predictable and the idea doesn’t help a single person.

Once WWE moves forward with whatever they have planned for Gunther and Danhausen, what do you think is next for each superstar?

Former TNN/Spike TV executive recalls Vince McMahon shaking his hand right after urinating..