was visibly overcome with emotion as he stepped out for his return this week.
The wrestling legend turned Hollywood megastar was back on familiar turf on as he made a comeback in Boston just weeks before WrestleMania 39.
The TD Garden erupted with a huge outpouring of love for the 16-time world champion, and as he stepped onto the stage to make his entrance he held his head in his hands.
He appeared to be teary eyed as he soaked up the roar of the crowd, and he referenced his old friend and cameraman before running down the ramp.
Cena said: ‘Stu has a day off. He’s a little older and needs some rest. Man you should be here to see this. This is good.’
However, he didn’t have long to enjoy the moment as he was almost immediately interrupted by .
The titleholderto a match next month, but before it got accepted, he was verbally eviscerated by one of the best of all time.
Cena insisted the rising star wasn’t ready for this level of match, branding him a wannabe and exposing his perceived shortcomings to the world.
Theory did fight back, poking fun at the 45-year-old star’s bald spot, which led to him replying: ‘I would so much rather be bald than have them pipe in fake crowd noises for my matches because nobody cares.’
His rival, the youngest ever United States Champion in WWE history, then accused the beloved performer of giving up and turning his back on the fans.
That did the trick, as Cena responded: ‘I may not care about you, but I’ll never give up on them. Remember this moment, you just made the biggest mistake of your life.
‘At WrestleMania, for the United States Championship, it’s going to be Austin Theory versus John Cena.’
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