Let’s imagine a scenario: the chaotic climax of the Royal Rumble, where sweaty bodies collide, and the wrestlers battle tooth and nail to take the title. Wrestling legend John Cena became entangled with rival Dave Bautista in a similar move in a 2005 match that changed the course of the evening.
The latter was expected to win the match by eliminating Cena in a risky move, but they landed outside the ring due to a misunderstanding between the two competitors. And this ended up being a tragic outcome that left Vince McMahon seriously injured.
The 46-year-old former rapper went into great detail about that tale when he appeared on the Impaulsive podcast. And it appears that Cena is willing to accept responsibility for the infamous WWE event at the Royal Rumble, openly acknowledging that he was at “fault”.
The Royal Rumble 2005: John Cena Took the Weighty Burden of Blame
Even high-stakes events in the sports industry occasionally go wrong. One such incident that went down in WWE history happened at the Royal Rumble, when Vince McMahon was unintentionally hurt due to a botched finish by John Cena and Dave Bautista. Despite the whirlwind of blame and controversy, one man stood tall, offering a heartfelt confession that not only surprised fans but also showed his integrity and humility.
The wrestling icon, Cena, spoke unfiltered about the drama with Bautista during an interview with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast. As the former put it:
“It was not his [Dave Bautista] fault, it was because of me. I’m very bad at rotating backwards, So, my fault. By the way, that’s all anyone is ever gonna take away from this podcast… Cena botched Royal Rumble! Go ahead, it happened. It’s my fault. I can’t flip backwards, it’s totally my fault.”
When the referees could not agree on who should have won the 2005 Royal Rumble—Bautista or Cena—McMahon stepped in to provide a solution. It is still difficult to believe that he tore both of his quadriceps the moment he entered the ring in 2005. Even though he was embarrassed by the torn quads, he gave the referees instructions to start the match again.
During his interview with Paul, the 16-time WWE Champion admitted that it was something truly shocking. How did he get over the incident? Cena replied:
“Trust the process. I know I f*cked up. And we know that that’s not the way it’s supposed to go. There is a sense of guidance, we’re all on the same team. Our referee can be a guide for us. You begin to listen to the audience and you feel how long you can milk a moment and see if they’re giving you any direction. Then as we trust the process, out comes Vince McMahon and we’re like, ‘oh great this is going to be fixed’ and he tears both of his quads getting into the ring.”
Cena is obviously still in disbelief over what McMahon did nineteen years ago, based on his remarks. Regardless, when it comes to handling the situation, the latter did a very good job.
Vince McMahon Addressed the 2005 Royal Rumble Botch
Famously, during the 2005 Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon blew both of his quads. The injury happened as he walked confidently to the ring following the highly anticipated battle between John Cena and Dave Bautista.
McMahon had to go to the ring because the referees were unable to decide whether the two stars had crossed the top rope or touched the ground simultaneously. He talked about his injury from that day and how he had to relearn to walk during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show:
“Actually I’ve blown the left one out twice, that was very unique. Not too many people can sever their quad tendons at the same time, that takes talent. Because you have no use of your legs at all, when you sever your quad tendons and again both of them at the same time, you can’t walk, you can’t stand, you can’t anything so you have to learn how to work all over again.”
It is pretty amazing that McMahon, who was in his late fifties when he sustained his leg injuries, was able to heal quickly. The following year, he participated in WrestleMania as a wrestler. He recently announced his resignation from TKO Group Holdings (TKO) due to an alleged s*xual assault case.
