John Cena recently shared insights into a pivotal piece of advice he received from Booker T, which he credits with shaping his approach to every WWE match throughout his career. Cena explained that he and Booker T developed a specific shorthand to maintain a focus on narrative in their performances.
Speaking in an interview with The Collection, Cena revealed that the single-word mantra was “Shakespeare.” This term served as a constant reminder to prioritize story and meaning, rather than merely executing physical maneuvers in the ring. Cena further elaborated on the origin and practical application of this philosophy, drawing parallels to the underlying themes of his upcoming film, Little Brother .
Booker was a mentor and taught me how to find my way as I got a little bit of steam behind my character. We would trade the term ‘Shakespeare’ between each other, because those were the pauses and the ability for us to tell a story.
Cena highlighted how this storytelling-first approach translates directly to other forms of performance, including his work in film.
The way this transfers to Little Brother is, in the world of physical performance for WWE, you can do physical things, but if you do them with no ‘why’ and no story, they’re essentially meaningless acts. Booker T would always be, ‘Shakespeare baby, Shakespeare.’ It would be a mantra to say before we go out to make sure your ‘why’ is in order, do not rush, let everybody absorb the story, and if we did it well, I would see him when we come back and be like, ‘Shakespeare baby.’
Storytelling Beyond the Ring
This philosophy also guided Cena's breakdown of the structure for Little Brother, a physical comedy where he stars alongside Eric Andre. The film is scheduled to hit Netflix next month.
Now here we have Little Brother, a physical comedy about a tumultuous relationship between two personalities. Tons of gags, but if you don’t have the ‘why,’ everything is meaningless. I love this movie because not a gag is wasted, not a stunt is wasted. Booker, man. He was one of those. Tell stories.
Cena concluded by reinforcing the core principle that defines both wrestling and other forms of entertainment driven by physical performance.
We are a storytelling business. If you can do physical great things, excellent. If you do them without meaning, it is worthless.
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