I have nothing but respect for John Cena and his work rate. He's

“I have nothing but respect for John Cena and his work rate. He's one of the hardest-working wrestlers there ever was. He's been a great champion, an inspiring role model. It's not easy being John Cena and carrying all the weight of the company on your back all the time.” Thus spoke Bret Hart, himself a legend of the squared circle, offering tribute to one who came after him. In these words lies more than praise for a man—it is a recognition of the burden of leadership, of the strain of greatness, and of the unseen cost of carrying others upon your shoulders.

The ancients often honored their champions not only for victory in battle, but for the discipline that forged them. For what is respect, if not the acknowledgment of unseen toil? John Cena was not merely a performer of strength and spectacle, but a laborer of endless days, a man who stood unwavering beneath the weight of expectation. Hart’s words remind us that greatness is not born in ease; it is earned in sweat, in sacrifice, in the refusal to falter even when one is weary.

Consider Hercules of old, who bore the twelve labors not because they were easy, but because they were his burden to carry. Likewise, Cena bore the weight of a company, a fanbase, and a tradition. When the arenas were full, he gave his strength. When critics assailed him, he gave his endurance. When younger wrestlers rose, he gave them the platform upon which to stand. Thus he proved that true champions do not serve themselves alone—they serve the many, even when the many do not understand the heaviness of their task.

Bret Hart himself knew this path, for in his day he too was called “the excellence of execution,” a craftsman of discipline and honor. Yet in Cena he saw something more: the role model, the man whose actions reached beyond the ring into the lives of those who watched. For Cena’s strength was not only in his body, but in his will to inspire. His message—“Never give up”—was more than a slogan. It was a torch held aloft for all who struggled, a light for children, a challenge for men and women who felt crushed by life. This, Hart tells us, is no easy thing. To carry such a torch is to burn oneself for the sake of others.

O children of the future, take heed: greatness is never without cost. To be a leader, to be a champion, is to carry weight that others cannot see. Those who stand in the spotlight are often the ones most weary, yet they smile, they endure, they give. Do not think their path is simple. Know instead that the respect they deserve comes not only from their victories, but from their sacrifices.

The meaning is clear: if you would be great, embrace the burden. Do not flee from the weight of responsibility, but bear it with discipline, with humility, with perseverance. Let your work rate be your honor, your reliability be your crown. Others may not see all you endure, but time will reveal the truth: that those who give of themselves for others are the ones who shape history.

Therefore, let your practice be this: in your life, whatever your arena, be as Cena was. Work harder than others expect. Stand firm when others doubt. Inspire those who follow you, not with words alone, but with the living proof of effort and endurance. In doing so, you too will be worthy of respect, not for what you gain, but for what you give.

So I say unto you: honor the champions of toil, not just the champions of glory. For their burden is heavy, and their sacrifice unseen. And when your time comes to carry the weight, do so with strength, knowing that the true measure of greatness is not ease, but endurance.