John Cena Speaks On CNN, Wanting An Apology, More

WWE.com has an interview up with John Cena where he talks about his interview with CNN. Highlights are below.

His reaction after seeing the CNN special: Seeing as I did the interview, I knew they just chopped it up. I’ve seen that stuff like that done before. I was really a little bit timid going into the interview and worried that they might do something like that, but then I figured it was CNN and if I was in good hands with anyone it would be somebody like them. But when I saw it, my worst reality came true. I mean, especially— CNN is a pretty friggin’ big network. They have a lot of people watching. I know there’s a lot of parents that watch our program that tuned into that documentary to see testimony from the WWE talent. There’s a lot of potential business sponsorship. Something like that, one phrase like that, CNN doesn’t know the credibility they ruined. They’re just trying to drive their point home, which is just a matter of opinion. It’s not fact. And for them to throw somebody who’s hardworking and honest to the wolves like that, they have no idea what backlash that could’ve cost me. I’m really glad that WWE got on it early, but I mean, even still it’s a matter of if you saw the CNN special and you haven’t seen anything on WWE, then you believe what you hear.

On if he would do anything differently with the interview if he could: No, I’d get a hold of the producer and tell him where to cut the damned tape. I’m proud of my statement and like I said, I thought I made it the best I could. You can go onto WWE.com and find the unedited version. It’s just the way that they cut it, you can take any three words and make it sound good. And that’s exactly what they did. They took the beginning and then end of a two-and-a-half minute statement, cut it down to a 10-second sound byte and threw it out there and made it sound like I do drugs.

On whether he would go back on CNN: Only if it was live. And I think from now on that’s the way I’m going to conduct all of my interviews. CNN to me was the last bastion of news. There are tabloid shows and slanted shows that want to steer you in that direction. A CNN presents show should not be that. It should be a stating of the facts. Their job is to report the friggin’ news and for me to go on a show like that and then have it totally slammed, it just shows me next time you gotta go on there live because they can’t silence your voice if they ask you a question. I’d rather get into an argument with somebody where they’re cutting me off and stepping on my words so at least then the viewers can hear what I have to say.

On if the situation has changed his impression of the news media: Big time. That was the thing that I was most hit with. This is a one-hour documentary on wrestling and as much as I like to think the world revolves around WWE because I’m so proud of what I do, there are bigger fish to fry out there like the war in Iraq, the presidential race, et cetera, et cetera. And if they’re messing with my quote for an hour documentary just to get the point across that they want the viewing public to think that we’re all on drugs, I can only imagine what they’ve done. It puts everything that they’ve done so far in speculation. In an honest news company that’s not the position you want to be in.

Check out the full interview here.