New Delhi
Superstar wrestler John Cena is in love with India. In fact, the 40-year-old wrestler, actor, and rapper even learned Hindi to talk to The Great Khali, the Indian star of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). It was only a little bit, but Cena did get a killer line: “Samajh gaya?”
“I don’t remember much of it because it used to be part of a script. The only little part that I remember and still use it with Indians are two words: ‘Samajh gaya?’ I think it means ‘Did you understand?’ So I might not know much, but when I say ‘samajh gaya?’, and I get a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ in response, I know I’m understanding them, and they can follow me,” says Cena, speaking to us from Australia, while promoting his upcoming animated film, Ferdinand, which releases in India on December 15. In this story of a giant beast with a heart of gold, Cena gives voice to Ferdinand the bull.
Talking about the WWE, Cena says, “It’s great to see so many wrestlers of Indian origin, like Khali and now Jinder Mahal, do so well. I mean, I was a fan of WWE when I was a kid, and I am now one of the wrestlers, [one] who is a sixteen-time champion. So it’s a natural progression, and hopefully in future there will be more wrestlers from India.”
Even though his last visit to India was in 2005, Cena still has fond memories of what he saw 12 years ago. “I cannot tell you what a wonderful trip that was to India. It was the best experience I’ve ever had, and something I never witnessed before, or after, in my entire life,” says Cena, adding that he is grateful for his Indian fanbase.
{{/usCountry}}Even though his last visit to India was in 2005, Cena still has fond memories of what he saw 12 years ago. “I cannot tell you what a wonderful trip that was to India. It was the best experience I’ve ever had, and something I never witnessed before, or after, in my entire life,” says Cena, adding that he is grateful for his Indian fanbase.
{{/usCountry}}“I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to have so many Indian fans. Every day, I go on to my social media accounts, and I see so many fans from India wanting to talk to me,” adds Cena. He is gutted that he had to cancel a visit to India two years ago because of an injury, and that he will not be able to participate in a WWE ‘supershow’ event in Delhi this December. “It’s just that things have happened, and I couldn’t come,” says Cena. “I can’t wait to go [to India] and meet my fans again.”
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