"I don't know when that happened" – Former WWE Champion talks about being a modern-day locker room leader

John Cena was not only WWE's poster boy once upon a time, he was also the locker room leader. Now that he is no longer a full-time performer, that honor goes to other superstars, one such being Seth Rollins.

The 36-year-old has been with the Stamford-based promotion for over a decade and has no idea at what point the transition happened from being a newcomer and a hungry young talent, to a veteran. But as it turns out, The Architect finds himself by default taking up the role of a leader.

Speaking to Corey Graves on the After The Bell podcast, Seth Rollins recalled John Cena, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Kane, and CM Punk as superstars in another stratosphere when he made his WWE debut.

In the early part of his career, Seth used to ask Cena for advice. He has even stated before that the WWE legend has influenced what he does and has been a mentor:

"I don't know when, really, I became the guy who was sitting on the other side of the curtain, giving advice. I don't know when that happened. I just remember being the guy coming back, being like, Mr. Cena, excuse me, do you have anything for me?" Seth began. "I feel like it's happened very recently. I just started to notice kinda on these shows that there was nobody sitting in that spot."

He continued:

"And so I just sat behind the curtain, and I'm watching the monitor, watching the matches, listening to the live crowd, all of a sudden, people start coming back, and you know, 'what did you think? Any thoughts, here or there?' And I'm kind of like, *looks to the back* you're talking to me! Yeah, okay, all right. I do have some thoughts. *laughs* Bear with me. But yeah, I don't know when that happened, man." [From 46:38 onwards]

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John Cena hinted at a WWE retirement post RAW return

John Cena returned to Monday Night RAW this week to set up his match against United States Champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39.

Unusually, Cena was seen getting emotional and soaking up a glowing reception from the crowd. He even recalled his regular cameraman Stu, who captured his run all the way into the ring.

Post-show, The Peacemaker star tweeted:

“Last night was the first time I entered the arena and had the thought that it might be the last time. I’ll never be able to put into words how much I love the #WWEUniverse”

Do you think John Cena has a chance at winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania 39 on account of his part-time status? Sound off in the comments section below.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WWE After The Bell, and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.