John Cena Is a Massive Fan of WWE NT Star

Multiple sources have confirmed to Cultaholic Wrestling that John Cena is legitimately very high on Will Kroos — the 29-year-old former NORTH Tag Team Champion who made his NXT debut on the April 28 episode, hitting NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo with a picture-perfect moonsault after Tony D had already been confronted by fellow debutant EVIL and laid out by the returning Tavion Heights.

Cena made his admiration public immediately after the debut, tweeting out the popular fan chant for Kroos — “He’s big, he’s bad, he’ll bodyslam your dad!” — before posting an image of Kroos hitting a piledriver to his Instagram. But the appreciation predates the debut by some time. Cena expressed as much to Kroos directly when they met backstage at a WWE TV taping in the United Kingdom. Kroos was working as an extra on WWE television alongside several other UK independent scene talents when Cena approached the group and introduced himself, singling Kroos out and telling him directly that he knew exactly who he was. The group of extras were reportedly puzzled about how Cena was familiar with Kroos, with the assumption being that the Peacemaker star had come across one of the viral montage videos from Pursuit Pro Wrestling featuring him.

Kroos’ WWE Debut Was a Closely Guarded Secret Known Only to NXT Management and Talent Involved

Kroos has received significant fan support since his NXT debut. Bodyslam reported that only a select few people knew about the debut in advance, including NXT management, producers, and talent directly involved in the segment. His WWE ring name has not yet been officially revealed. The debut placed him immediately alongside EVIL and the returning Tavion Heights in what appears to be a developing NXT Championship picture centered around Tony D’Angelo.