Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has offered a new perspective on one of pro wrestling’s most enduring debates, arguing that John Cena never intentionally “buried” talent. Instead, Mantell claims Cena’s actions were a defensive measure to protect his own spot from a creative team he simply didn’t trust.
On his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former manager defended the 17-time World Champion against long-standing fan criticism that his victories often derailed the careers of rising stars.
“I don’t think he held down talent so much as upheld his standing in the company,” Mantell explained. “He didn’t care about that talent. What John Cena cared about, and rightfully so—I’m going to take John’s side on this—is that he didn’t want to hurt himself, and he didn’t have confidence in the creative team.”
The commentary adds a new layer to the narrative surrounding Cena’s current retirement run, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2025 at a Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Even as his career winds down, Cena’s in-ring work continues to draw high praise. Following a recent match in Paris, Logan Paul stated on his Impaulsive podcast, “John Cena wrestles better than Pablo Picasso paints,” admitting he had a mid-match realization: “holy s—t, John Cena is so f—king good.”
While that bout with Paul appears to be a one-off, Cena’s road to retirement faces a colossal obstacle. His next major stop is a “One Last Time” encounter with Brock Lesnar at WrestlePalooza on September 20. The match was made after Lesnar brutally attacked Cena on the September 5 edition of SmackDown, hitting him with two F-5s during his U.S. Title match against Sami Zayn.