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John Cena Says There’s No Wrestlemania Without The Undertaker, Compares The Road To Wrestlemania To March Madness

John Cena recently spoke with Tim Fiorvanti for ESPN.com about a possible Wrestlemania match with The Undertaker, and the Phenom’s influence on WWE; you can read a few highlights below:

Cena comments on Undertaker’s influence on Wrestlemania: 

“At my core, I’m a fan. I’m a member of the WWE universe and I’ve thought about this a lot. I was emotionally moved when the streak was broken. Last year was an emotional performance. Then you get closer and closer to WrestleMania, and you realize it’s not a WrestleMania without The Undertaker.”

“You hold the ticket in your hand and you realize a portion of that ticket goes to hearing his music, seeing The Undertaker. That is WrestleMania. I know there will come a day where that changes — I just don’t think it’s now. Whether it happens or not, it is officially out of my hands, and I think it’s out of everyone else’s hands except one person.”

“If it does happen, I don’t think anyone who buys a ticket to WrestleMania will walk away throwing the stub up in the air going, ‘I wish he wouldn’t have showed up.’ I hope he does. I hope he understands the impact that he has on the current WWE Universe. He is WrestleMania.”

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Cena also compares Wrestlemania season to March Madness and pro sports’ various playoff seasons: 

“It is like a team entering what they call, ‘the second season.’ You work so hard and then realize you’re in the bracket and then week after week, everything becomes more and more hyped and the energy, the investment, becomes more and more intensified, culminating with WrestleMania. That’s why it is our March Madness, the Super Bowl, The Masters, the NBA Championship, the World Series — that it is our version, and has a similar build-up to that.

“You start around late December and that’s when second season starts for us. It culminates April 8, then we’ll start again April 9. We just don’t have the offseason like the other guys do, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

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