John Cena Recalls Getting Ribbed By Randy Orton Before WWE Debut

John Cena says that he got ribbed by Randy Orton before his famous debut on WWE TV in 2002 against Kurt Angle. Cena made his debut on the June 27th, 2002 episode of WWE Raw, where he answered Angle’s open challenge and popularized the term “Ruthless Aggression” that had been used by Vince McMahon to describe what he was looking for in stars the week before.

Cena revealed during a Q&A event in New York City over the weekend that Orton ribbed him by tying his boots together before the match. You can see the highlights below (per Undisputed):

On Orton Ribbing Him:

“In 2002, I went to Chicago as an extra talent–someone not to be used,” Cena said at a New York Q&A (via Undisputed). “I was then told I was going to have a match against an Olympic gold medalist. Randy Orton tied my boots together in a locker where I couldn’t even reach them, so I had to cut the laces and wrestle with half of my laces. I had to go off campus to get one of the worst haircuts that people watching on television had ever seen.”

On Why He Appreciates It Now:

“That was my welcome to the WWE, and it was better than I ever could have imagined. A moment that was supposed to be celebratory was also humbling. It was filled with tough love that belongs to our fraternity, and I was grateful to go through that.”