Andrew Ravens
John Cena‘s public support for Will Kroos following his WWE NXT debut is not simply a case of jumping on a bandwagon.
Multiple sources have confirmed to Cultaholic that Cena is legitimately very high on the former star of the UK independent wrestling scene and has been for some time, with the two having already shared a backstage interaction at a WWE TV taping in the United Kingdom that left a clear impression on those who witnessed it.
Kroos made his NXT debut on this week’s episode of the brand, entering after Tony D’Angelo had already been confronted by EVIL and laid out by the returning Tavion Heights. Kroos hit the NXT Champion with a picture-perfect moonsault, immediately making himself a name on the brand. His WWE ring name has not yet been officially revealed.
Following the debut, Cena took to social media to express his support. He tweeted out the popular chant associated with Kroos from his time on the UK independent scene — “He’s big, he’s bad, he’ll bodyslam your dad!” — before posting an image of the 29-year-old hitting a piledriver on his Instagram profile.
The social media activity drew attention from hardcore wrestling fans, but the backstory behind Cena’s familiarity with Kroos provides considerably more context for those posts.
Kroos was working as an extra on a WWE TV taping in the United Kingdom, alongside several other talents from the UK independent scene, when Cena approached the group and introduced himself. The 17-time world champion then told Kroos directly that he knew exactly who he was.
The group spoke with Cena for a few minutes after the introduction. Those present were reportedly puzzled about how Cena had come across Kroos, assuming he had seen one of the viral montage videos from Pursuit Pro Wrestling featuring Kroos that had circulated online.
Kroos has received considerable fan support since his debut. Bodyslam reported that only a select few people within WWE were aware the debut was happening ahead of time, with knowledge limited to NXT management, producers, and the talent directly involved in the segment.
