John Cena On Why He Dropped The Doctor Of Thuganomics Gimmick, What Happened After SmackDown

John Cena recently spoke to ESPN about his projects outside of WWE, why he dropped the Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick, when he plans to step down and more. You can check out the full interview here along with some highlights below.

Trying to change the perception of WWE Superstars: “It hasn’t been like, ‘Here kid, here’s the key to the city.’ Keep in mind it has been a 15-year journey for me and an over 30-year journey for the WWE. I guess my mission statement is now to let the world know on a global scale that WWE certainly is a wonderful form of entertainment but its superstars are more than just superstars inside the ring. They do so much more outside the ring and have so much more to offer.”

Ditching the Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick: “To me, there was definitely some method behind it. Hip-hop certainly is in sync with the youth and every day that passes I grow less youthful, as much as I have tried to hold onto it. I knew that the platform really wouldn’t be indicative of success. I knew [the PG format] would just drastically change the style and almost cripple the character so I was the one proactively who said ‘no’ and said ‘I would like to take everything another way.'”

After SmackDown went off the air last night WWE taped a few matches for Main Event, and after the tapings were over John Cena wrestling in a tag team match.

Cena teamed up with Dolph Ziggler, and Nikki Bella to take on Baron Corbin, The Miz and Carmella.