Shohei Ohtani. John Cena.
Two legends of their own fields, baseball and pro wrestling, respectively, but you’ve probably never thought of them in the same sentence before.
Well, that will change at the World Baseball Classic, as the reigning champions Samurai Japan have adopted one of John Cena’s greatest legacies for their team celebration at the upcoming global tournament.
Yesterday, Ohtani, along with the rest of the Japanese team, unveiled some of their new celebratory taunts that they’ll show off at the WBC, which have become a staple of almost every professional baseball team over the past few years.
While rounding the bases on a home run, Seiya Suzuki did the “You can’t see me” taunt that Cena made famous over his two-decade-plus career in the WWE.
Cena recently retired from professional wrestling this past December, tapping out to former heavyweight champion Gunther in the main event of his final show with the company.
Although Cena won’t be putting on the jean shorts and fighting in the squared circle anymore, that doesn’t mean his impact won’t continue, as shown by the WBC champions implementing his famed taunt into their home run celebration.
Ohtani and Cena do share one major thing in common, though, and that might be their favorite number. Ohtani wears No. 17 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he’s won back-to-back MVPs and World Series trophies. And for Cena, No. 17 is the number of world titles he won during his time in the WWE, breaking the all-time record set by the legendary Ric Flair.
Samurai Japan and Ohtani will hope they’re honoring Cena dozens of times this WBC, as they kick off their quest for a repeat on March 6 against Chinese Taipei at the famed Tokyo Dome, which is beloved by baseball and pro wrestling purists alike.