John Cena believes WWE’s move to PG helped change the way people viewed wrestling, but says it took between 10 and 15 years for that transformation to fully connect.

Speaking on What Now? with Trevor Noah, Cena reflected on WWE’s decision to move from TV-14 to PG in 2008. As one of the company’s leading stars during that period, he played a major role in its shift towards family audiences.

“It rebranded itself. And when you rebrand, it takes 10, 15 years to get over. We got over, and I was happy to be involved in a lot of that rebranding process.”

Cena explained that WWE’s approach had evolved alongside its audience, from Hulk Hogan’s positive messages in the 1980s to Steve Austin’s rebellious character during the Attitude Era.

“The ’80s Hulk Hogan was nationalist, virtuous, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, do good. And then Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Raw era, was drink beer, flip off your boss. We are programming to an 18-year-old male. And then more families start to show up around the time that I started. So we switched to, literally, we changed the rating of the program to PG, which means some of the stuff we can’t do. Blood is no longer a thing.”

According to Cena, making WWE suitable for a wider audience helped the company reach more viewers internationally. Meanwhile, the growth of social media gave wrestlers new opportunities to build their profiles and demonstrate their influence.

“It used to be like you were in movies or you were in television, you were an actor. You played pure sport, you were an athlete. Wrestlers were none of that. They’re just carnies. Like, we used to be just carny folk. And then everybody started making content, and there became multiple lanes to success, multiple lanes to relevancy, to resource. So it’s like, ‘Oh man, these people have a voice, and they have influence.’ WWE was on the cusp of all that, and our social accounts are off the charts.

“Our audience is super engaging. You can’t ignore the math. You can’t ignore the data. It also became okay to be in the crowd for a wrestling match. It used to be a thing of, ‘I’ve seen it, but I don’t watch that stuff.’ And now it’s like, ‘I’m going.'”

Cena also pointed to the generations of supporters who have grown up with WWE. Children who watched him compete are now returning with families of their own, helping the company maintain that connection.

“So we’ve just been around long enough after all these tectonic shifts and changes where people are like, ‘No, no, it’s fine, it’s cool.’ And a lot of things happened in society to open doors for us.”

Cena retired from in-ring competition in December 2025. This week, he also said the John Cena Classic will take place in December.

Do you think WWE’s move to PG helped wrestling reach a wider audience? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tags: John Cena, WWE, Trevor Noah, PG Era, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin