Preview: Monday Night Raw

Credit: WWE.com

Though he is still sore, John Cena’s father doesn’t regret the beating he took from Randy Orton last week on Raw. In fact, he’d do it again if it meant protecting his son’s WWE Championship.

“I couldn’t let [Jonathan] Coachman strip my son of the WWE Championship. That title means everything to him,” Mr. Cena told WWE.com. “He’s worked so hard for it. My only regret is that John had to be there and see it [the beating] firsthand.”

Last Monday, Mr. Cena put his body on the line when Acting Raw GM Jonathan Coachman threatened to strip The Champ of the WWE Championship due to events of Unforgiven. At Unforgiven, Mr. Cena got involved when Orton grabbed him out of his ringside seat and prepared to re-enact his previous attack where he gave him a concussion. However, the WWE Champion intervened and locked Orton in an STFU, enabling his father to punt the Legend Killer in the skull.

An outraged Coachman intended to make Cena pay by stripping him of the WWE Championship, but The Champ’s Dad wouldn’t let that happen. And despite pleadings from his son, Mr. Cena took on the younger, stronger and sadistic Orton, and was beaten mercilessly. In Mr. Cena’s eyes, there was no other choice. He remembered how 8-year-old John made championships out of cardboard and dreamed of someday wrestling for WWE. The elder Cena is proud of the man that 8-year-old boy has become. He couldn’t let Coachman torpedo his son’s remarkable title reign.

“I guess you might ask, ‘What the hell is this about?’” Mr. Cena said. “But this is about family. My son has broken his back to keep the WWE Championship. If that [Cena’s keeping the title] meant me accepting a match with Randy Orton in the middle of the squared circle, and taking a butt-kicking, then guess what? Let’s do it again. I grew up on the streets, how tough can Randy Orton really be?”

Looking at Mr. Cena, you know where The Champ gets his dogged determination, courage and stubbornness. Though he cherishes the WWE Championship, Cena loves his family more. Orton’s attack on his father the day after SummerSlam made him think about his priorities. Cena is proud of his dad for having the courage to face Orton in the ring. However, he never wants to sacrifice his family for the WWE Championship.

“This business is just that – it’s a business,” The Champ said. “World Championships can come and go. The record for winning the championship is 16 times, which means that you can also lose it 16 times. The bottom line is that family doesn’t come and go. You’ve got only one dad and mom … and I’m always going to put them before the business.”

Mr. Cena realizes that Orton has used him as a tool in his quest to take his son’s WWE Championship. He is battered and bruised, but still proud. And when all is said and done, Mr. Cena hopes his son beats a very simple message into the Legend Killer, especially at their Last Man Standing Match on Oct. 7 at No Mercy: Don’t mess with family.

“I’m not a wrestler; I’m a fan like everyone else,” Mr. Cena said. "But I guess The Champ’s got it right: If you want some, come get some.”

What will The Champ have to say about his father’s match with Orton when Raw comes to Milwaukee Monday night? Tune in to Raw at 9/8 CT on USA Network and find out.