Facing John Cena is a career highlight for many wrestlers, and in 2017, Raj Dhesi was able to step into the ring with WWE’s GOAT. In an interview with Muscle Memory, Dhesi (formerly Jinder Mahal,) discussed Cena’s tendency to call matches in real time rather than planning everything in advance.
“With John, he doesn’t call a whole lot before. He just listens to the crowd and calls it in the ring. The finish [of our match] being Baron Corbin’s cash-in—we all knew that was going to happen. But other than that, he just called things on the fly.”
Dhesi and Cena battled on SmackDown in August 2017, giving the then-WWE Champion a chance to work with one of the company’s biggest-ever stars. In the interview, Dhesi recalled an edict he was given backstage that Cena decided to have fun with.
“I had always heard from producers, ‘Never do a test of strength. Vince [McMahon] hates it. He thinks it’s stupid.’ So, I’m in the match, and right in the beginning, Cena calls for a test of strength. I’m thinking, ‘Wait, what?’ But I go along with it, and he doesn’t call anything else.”
Dhesi directly went against what McMahon prefers in matches, an act that could’ve drawn the ire of the then-Chairman. While the backstage area was silent once Dhesi returned after the match, “we got the thumbs up from Vince.”
John Cena will mark the end of his in-ring career in 2025, meaning many wrestlers will unfortunately never have the chance to work with the WWE icon. Seven years after their match, Dhesi is pleased he was able to learn from Big Match John.
“He’s retiring soon, so I’m glad I got to work with him… it was always a huge honor to be in there with John Cena.”
Cena’s next match will come at WrestleMania 41, where he intends to become a 17-time WWE World Champion. Dhesi will be among those watching the match closely to see whether his former rival can make history in Las Vegas against Cody Rhodes.
