John Cena recently explained the reasoning behind his long-standing habit of speaking to WWE cameraman Stu during his entrances, revealing that it was a creative way to acknowledge the production crew while connecting with fans at home.
During an appearance on No-Contest Wrestling as part of his 2025 retirement tour, Cena addressed why he intentionally broke the industry’s unspoken “fourth wall” by conversing with the camera operator. He noted that the primary reward was being able to thank the production department, whom he believes often go unrecognized for making the talent look better than they are.
“So, when I thank the camera department or talk to the camera department or the camera department gets recognized, production gets recognized. So, that’s a win there. Secondly, I’m in your home. I’m talking to you. You guys know about Stu, and you’re like, ‘Stu’s the man.’ It’s because I’ve talked to you for years, and you can sometimes see fatigue in my face, but then it’s like, ‘let’s go to work.’ And then when you turn, you take away that element. I didn’t know how long I was going to be a bad guy, but I knew, like, take away the energy, take away the Stu, like the little nuances. Wear the belt backwards. Just the little things of like walk, don’t run, take the energy out of the character.”
Cena also noted that the habit allowed him to talk directly to the audience at home through a “conduit”. He explained that while he was originally instructed not to talk to the camera, he found a loophole by speaking to “Stu”—who has worked for the company since the 1990s—instead.
“Talking to Stu allowed me to talk to you guys at home, and I didn’t believe in the rule, so I came up with a creative way to break it. I never got a good explanation, but I thought it was a way to get people at home excited to, like, if you’re not there ‘Stu, can you see all this?’ You guys gotta be here.”
The veteran cameraman, whose full name is reported to be Stu Feldman, has become an integral part of Cena’s presentation over his 23-year career. The relationship was so significant that the company even featured a farewell interview with Stu following Cena’s retirement in December 2025. Cena officially retired after a clean loss to GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit No-Contest Wrestling with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.