Baron Corbin shared a nerve-wracking story from 2016 when he accidentally poked John Cena in the eye during a SmackDown match, leading to an intense reaction from the 16-time World Champion. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Corbin recalled the moment, the aftermath, and how it became a major learning experience for him.
Corbin explained his nervousness, having heard about a similar incident where Bray Wyatt (then Husky Harris) was reportedly sent back to NXT after poking Cena in the eye. “There is a rumour that I believe is 100% true that Husky poked John Cena in the eye in a match. Vince was so mad, Cena was so mad that they sent Husky Harris back to NXT. We’re all grateful for that because Bray Wyatt was born.”
Fast-forward to Corbin’s big match, he recounted: “It’s the beginning of the match, the match starts, this is my first big match. We got a lot of crazy spots. There’s a lot of cool stuff. I’m supposed to attack Cena, I drive Cena to the corner, put him in the corner, and I wind back to throw a body shot, and my thumb lands about knuckle deep in his eye, and I’m like oh no! And he starts cussing, ‘You motherf**ker!’ He’s dropping F-bombs, we’re talking first 20 rows are hearing this. He’s going, ‘You motherf**ker! You poked me in the motherf**king eye, What the f**k!?’ I mean, he’s laying it in on me.”
Corbin said the outburst left him terrified: “I’m literally about to start crying because I’m finally on the main roster. I’m up here, now I’m going back to NXT! Because this whole thing of Bray poking him in the eye, I’m going dude, I’m going back to NXT without a doubt, I’m so screwed. I don’t want to go back to NXT. I’m so sad but I know I have to turn around to John for the next spot, and he’s still mother-effing me up and down.”
Things escalated when Cena gave Corbin a hard punch during the match. “I turn, and John punches me dead in the face. It was a solid potato. I wore it, and I was like cool. Then for the rest of the match I’m trying to remember these spots, but I’m trying not to cry, because I’m like I’m going back to NXT.”
After the match, Corbin walked backstage feeling dejected, convinced he was in trouble. “I just got out of there. Just the range of emotions I’m going through for the rest of that match. I’m just like, dude. I’ve walked through the curtain so dejected, and they’re like, that was amazing. And I’m just head down in the corner like it’s over for me, man.”
To his surprise, Cena reassured him. “John comes back, and I just look at him, puppy dog eyes. He’s like, ‘Hey, that was great.’ I go, ‘John, I am so sorry.’ He goes, ‘Oh, we’re good. I gave you it back. We’re good.’ And I was like, wait, this is gotta be a work. He’s lying to me. I’m gonna walk out this curtain, and they’re gonna like, we need you to get your bags. You’re going back to NXT. But that was the end of it. I was good.”
Although Corbin thought the incident might end his WWE main roster run, Cena’s understanding and the lighthearted resolution helped him move forward without further issues.
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