Former WWE Star Reveals Scrapped IC Title Win and Claims John Cena Gave Him the Thumbs Down

Chris Masters has revealed that he came close to multiple championship wins in WWE that ultimately never materialized — and one of them may have been blocked by John Cena. Speaking on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, the 43-year-old detailed two separate occasions where title runs slipped through his fingers.

The first involved a planned tag team championship win with Carlito at WrestleMania that was switched the day before the show. “We were penciled in to win it. But then Carlito, they wanted him to turn babyface and The Spirit Squad, they kind of wanted to get the belts on them somehow — so that was that.”

Masters Claims Prescription Painkiller Intervention Derailed His Intercontinental Title Win

The second near-miss was more personal. Masters said he was slated to win the Intercontinental Championship at a four-way match in Las Vegas, but an intervention for prescription painkiller abuse changed everything. “They even told me — I remember having the meeting with Johnny (Ace) — I was slated to win.” He added that McMahon had previously been playing with the idea of making him the youngest IC Champion, but believes Cena ultimately shot it down. “I’m pretty sure Cena gave me probably the thumbs down at some point. We never mixed too well for whatever reason. But I don’t take away anything from the fact that he’s this generation’s Hogan.”