How John Cena Helped Brodus Clay Get His Own Small WrestleMania Moment
John Cena has often had the reputation of someone who has hogged the spotlight many times over the years in WWE, defeating up and coming stars like Bray Wyatt, Rusev, and The Nexus, derailing the momentum of those below him. That isn’t always the case though, and there have been examples of him putting his neck out for certain individuals and putting people over. One instance of this happening was back in 2012, when Cena helped Brodus Clay have his very own WrestleMania moment, in an act which showcased a lot of selflessness and kindness on the part of Cena.
Brodus Clay’s Funkasaurus Gimmick Was Building Momentum Ahead Of WrestleMania
Before Brodus Clay became the dominant monster “Tyrus” who has reigned as NWA World's Heavyweight Champion, he was the dancing dinosaur who loved his Momma. When Clay debuted as the Funkasaurus in WWE, his character took a direction which surprised many WWE fans, though it was a role that he put his all into. With the help of Naomi and Cameron, Clay became a fun midcard act who went on a strong run initially.
RELATED: How CM Punk Wrestled With The Flu To Put On A WWE Raw Classic With John Cena
He didn’t have a match heading into WrestleMania 28, though he had been establishing quite a bit of momentum. Clay had picked up wins against the likes of Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater, and Curt Hawkins, but didn’t find himself in any sort of substantial storyline for the biggest show of the year. He was, however, scheduled to have his very own segment. Clay was set to emerge on the stage and hype up the crowd in the break between the final two matches on the show with a group of dancers dressed up as his “Momma”, before one final dancer came out who was supposed to be the real one. However, his hopes of having this moment looked to have been squandered.
John Cena Ensured That Brodus Clay’s Segment Wasn’t Canceled
WrestleMania 28 was a packed show, featuring several matches such as Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk, The Undertaker vs. Triple H, a major multi-man tag team match, a Divas tag team match, Randy Orton vs. Kane, in addition to two musical performances that came before the main event showdown between The Rock and John Cena. Due to time constraints, as The Undertaker vs Triple H lasted about an hour overall, including pre and post match, the Brodus Clay segment was going to be dropped from the show completely.
RELATED: John Cena's Cancelled WWE Heel Turn In 2012. Explained
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Brodus Clay revealed that John Cena ensured that Clay got his moment: “Cena did one of the most selfless things that a top guy doesn’t have to do. Vince McMahon was shaking his head, the match before went over and they were heavy on time. Vince was shaking his head and was like, ‘I think we have to cut it.’ All of a sudden Cena is getting ready, looks at me and says, ‘I got to go to the bathroom’. I’m like what? He said ‘six minutes?’ And he just left, now I had to go! I’m out and I got my WrestleMania moment because Cena had to go to the bathroom.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Clay would emerge and have his segment, which was certainly very bizarre and odd in truth, but it was fun at the very least, and the crowd seemed to respond to it. Clay has his critics, but he did make something out of what was a dead end and joke gimmick. He managed to do a good enough job to earn himself a spot on a WrestleMania show right before the main event, leading into what was one of the biggest matches of all time, and it all came about due to John Cena.
