John Cena Returns At Wrestlemania As “Dr. Of Thuganomics”: Video

John Cena made his return to WWE programming at Wrestlemania 35 on Sunday night, as he reprised his role as the “Dr. of Thuganomics” for a segment with Elias.

As seen in the footage embedded below, a Babe Ruth-throwback-wearing Cena interrupted Elias’ musical performance and stunned the sold out crowd at MetLife Stadium.

The Dr. of Thuganomics was Cena’s rapper-inspired alias back in the early 2000s, well before he was a 16-time WWE champion and Hollywood actor.

After the segment, Cena spoke with Cathy Kelley about his latest Wrestlemania moment.

“So, the idea came up and I immediately said yes,” Cena said. “And I know I kind of look ridiculous and I’m in the 2004 way back machine, but I think it was really special and it was done all in the good heart of entertainment. I thought Elias put on a really creative performance, and I didn’t want to take a ton of time away from the event or the Superstars who have earned a chance to go out there, and do what they do. I know we were only a few minutes, it was awesome to be out there. It felt really fun and I think it was a nice surprise for all the WrestleMania fans. So, that’s my one rabbit out of the hat, and I don’t know what I’m going to do after this, but I just wrapped a movie on Thursday. So, I didn’t want to do anything via satellite, I didn’t want to do nothing and not be here, but I was here and I was on the event, and they recommended me to do this and I thought it was a great idea.”