Santino Marella Says John Cena “Was” The Locker Room Leader Of WWE

Can a wrestler be a locker room leader if he’s not actually in the locker room?

It’s an interesting question for this generation of WWE stars who do not have the type of authoritative leader like The Undertaker in their midst on a regular basis.

John Cena is the assumed locker room leader, but former WWE star Santino Marella used interesting phrasing that Cena “was” the locker room leader in a new interview. However, Marella followed up with the other side of the coin that Cena makes it possible for the underneath guys to get work, which makes him invaluable to the entire roster.

“He definitely was the locker room leader. But what happens is when guys like get their own bus they are not in the locker room anymore. He has his own bus, Randy has a bus, Big Show has got their buses and you literally don’t see them in the locker room because they have a different bus. But, on European tours he’s still in the locker room,” Marella said on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast.

“That being said he was definitely the locker room leader or at least I saw him like that and the reason I saw him there was because of his work ethic and he is just a good guy, really good principles and morals and values. Just a stand-up guy and he works so damn hard. You could not be but awe inspired that this guy can just go and go and go and not complain or whine and he leads by example and that is what a real locker room leader is supposed to be.”

Asked if wrestlers like Cena and Randy Orton having private buses alienates them from the locker room, Marella replied: “No, if anyone could afford it they would have one too. It’s an investment in your career. You are prolonging your career because they have high quality mattresses and they sleep on the same one every night.

“If John Cena or Randy Orton are putting asses in seats in which I am benefiting from because I am on the same show well then I want my stars and my headliners and main events to be healthy because the more they put asses in seats, the more I get paid. That’s the opinion of the wrestlers in the locker room if you take care of the guy in the main event then he has some leeway because he’s feeding your family.”

You can listen to the interview here.