"It Made Me a Wrestling Fan Again" – Mark Henry Reacts to John Cena WWE SmackDown Moment

John Cena faced Sami Zayn in an impromptu match on the September 5 episode of WWE SmackDown. Reacting to the show, legendary wrestler Mark Henry named one moment that made him a fan again.

Cena will retire from in-ring competition in December after 25 years in WWE. The 17-time World Champion has paid homage to some of his greatest opponents by incorporating their signature offense into his recent matches. On SmackDown, he hit Zayn with several iconic moves, including Edge's version of the Spear.

Henry said on Busted Open that he enjoyed Cena's match against Zayn, particularly the tribute to Edge.

"What happened next, it made me a wrestling fan again. We always talk about how we listen to the crowd. We work for them. The crowd started calling for stuff. John Cena paid ode to The Rated-R Superstar [Edge], hit Sami Zayn with a Spear after pushing his hair back, what left that he's got, and hit him with the Spear. I mean, when I say I thought it was over, I was like, 'Woah, this is different.'"

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Cena shared the ring with Edge almost 200 times from 2002 to 2011. The Canadian star left WWE in 2023 and now works for AEW under his real name, Adam Copeland.

Mark Henry was "very happy" with John Cena vs. Sami Zayn

In the first segment of the night, Sami Zayn issued a United States Championship Open Challenge to John Cena. The two men fought for nearly 21 minutes before Brock Lesnar interfered, meaning the match ended as a no-contest.

Although nobody won the exciting encounter, Mark Henry only had positive things to say about Cena's latest bout and storyline development.

"I expected the greatness of the match. I expected to be thoroughly entertained by that whole ordeal, but I didn't see it coming. I didn't see all that coming, and I was very, very happy with it as a fan of pro wrestling, and as somebody that looks for the little biddy details."

After Lesnar attacked Cena, WWE confirmed that the long-term rivals will meet one last time at Wrestlepalooza on September 20.

Please credit Busted Open and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart