Dolph Ziggler Talks Hating John Cena For Real And More

John Cena has been the face of the WWE for well over a decade now, and there are quite a few stars in the WWE who would love to take his spot. One of those stars is none other than Dolph Ziggler.

During a recent episode of the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, Sam shared an interview that was conducted with Dolph Ziggler shortly before WrestleMania 29. The former WWE World Champion told Sam that he wanted John Cena’s spot and he even went on to say that he hates John Cena for real.

“I hate [Cena], and, like, for real. Yeah, I hate everything he stands for,” transcription via Wrestling Inc. “I hate how awkwardly he runs. I hate that I’m better at wrestling, but he has this awesome connection with the fans and I’m so great at wrestling and I haven’t made that great connection with all the fans that aren’t in New York. There has to be some substance to a character and we know John. We know his ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’. We know he’s not going to back down. He’s the face of the company. What do we know about me? I’m jacked, shredded, look like a movie star, and have great matches. That doesn’t connect with everyone.”

Dolph Ziggler added that he doesn’t always see eye to eye with John Cena, but having a rivalry with him makes things fun. Ziggler said he hates John Cena because he wants to be in his spot, and he said that someday he will be.

As noted, the interview was conducted prior to WrestleMania 29, so it’s not known if Dolph currently hates John Cena, but Dolph still has yet to claim that top spot as we approach WrestleMania 33.

Over the course of his career Dolph Ziggler has had a tough time breaking through, and he also talked about part timers returning to take the best WrestleMania spots. Ziggler noted that it’s frustrating, but he knows that big stars mean more eyes on the product, so he tries to see the positive aspect of bringing in part timers.

Dolph Ziggler challenged for the WWE Championship several times in 2016, but he just wasn’t able to get the job done and capture the gold.

Although 2016 wasn’t the greatest year for Dolph Ziggler, it looks like he’s going to be switching things up in 2017. After losing a match to Baron Corbin on the most recent episode of WWE SmackDown Live, Dolph Ziggler seemingly turned heel, and he attacked Kalisto and Apollo Crews.

Related: Could Dolph Ziggler’s Heel Turn Be Exactly What The Showoff Needed?