John Cena. Credits: Rich Fury/Stringer/Getty Images

John Cena is going on a hiatus after WWE’s Hell In a Cell event to possibly host a show on FOX, as explained by wrestling writer Scott Keith. But before officially taking his leave from pro wrestling, Cena did a candid interview with Jonathan Coachman, aka “The Coach,” on SportsCenter.

The 38-year-old wrestler shared a link to his interview on his Facebook page. The five-minute video explained a lot about the world champion, as he spoke on his college aspirations, similarities between him and football player Tom Brady, and the work he does with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

They began by welcoming each other warmly, and Coachman, once an on-air personality for WWE himself, even made a joke about Cena’s tagline, “You can’t see me.” The first secret Cena revealed was that at 20, he was a football player and had no particular aspirations of any sort. He tried his hand at everything from professional darts to amateur curling. Since it sounds like football was one of the only things he stuck to as a teen, there’s a good chance he might have ended up on the field if the WWE hadn’t come knocking.

Coachman then posed an interesting question to Cena: given his love for the New England Patriots, how would he compare himself to star player Tom Brady? In response, Cena joked, “That’s easy. Both of our bosses are extremely well-dressed, Tom Brady was in the movie Ted 2, I saw Ted 2. Both of us enjoy a fine soup, and our favorite scented candle is pomegranate-noir.”

They went on to speak about Cena’s work for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He recently granted his 500th wish, a milestone nobody else has reached yet. Cena got a little emotional as he talked about how there was nothing greater than giving someone the “gift of hope” and will continue to work for the cause as long as they’d have him. Consequently, Cena spoke about his youngest brother, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and how this event prompted him to support the fight against cancer. That’s when he approached WWE to help raise awareness.

Speaking on the possibility of finding the next “John Cena” in WWE, he modestly said that it isn’t about him, and that the newcomers would make a name for themselves.

Sources:
John Cena’s Facebook page, accessed October 21, 2015.
“Cena compares himself to Tom Brady,” ESPN web site, October 20, 2015.
Pritchard, B., “Update: Rumored Reason For John Cena Taking Time Off From WWE,” Wrestle Zone web site, October 12, 2015.
Image Source: Flickr; Image copyright 2015, Anton