The wrestling world is still talking after the latest Monday Night Raw, as those with a Netflix subscription saw the WWE bring a little person out for a segment it hadn't done in a long time. Dominik Mysterio performed a skit in which a "Mini Cena" came out and challenged him ahead of WWE's Survivor Series: WarGames.
Dominik handily defeated the performer, and while fans have discussed the moment a lot this week, it wasn't until Friday that we saw John Cena react to it. Of course, the celebrity had to do it via his cryptic Instagram account, which he's used to seemingly reference everything from Taylor Swift to his ongoing WWE storylines. This latest reaction was one of the latter, and felt like a clear nod to the latest segment with "Mini Cena," take a look:
Cena often posts the template of "Stone Cold" with something random put in the place of iconic wrestling legend, Stone Cold Steve Austin. This time, it was Syko, who is one of the star performers of Micro Championship Wrestling and the TLC series Big Little Brawlers.
The post feels like an acknowledgment from Cena that he was aware of the segment and wanted to give a shoutout to Syko, who played the role of "Mini Cena" on Monday Night Raw. It would be an honor for any person to get namechecked on John Cena's Instagram, but it has to feel extra special as a professional wrestler.
CinemaBlend spoke to Syko back in 2024, and the wrestler pushed for more little people representation on WWE and AEW. He and his wife, Pinky Shortcake, are currently wrestling in the Micro Championship Wrestling federation, which is a company that highlights little people wrestlers and tours the entire nation. It's cool to see Syko appear on WWE television after sharing that remark, and even cooler to see John Cena shout him out as well.
While the WWE has not featured little people in the same capacity it has in past years, it did recently sign iconic legend Hornswoggle for a Legends contract at the start of the year. It's possible this was an effort by the company to incorporate little people wrestlers more, or it was just a one-off segment.
We'll see what the company does, as opinions about the segment were all over the place. Some, like noted wrestling pundit Dave Meltzer, said on Wrestling Observer Radio that the moment was reminiscent of a segment that would've happened in the "Vince McMahon years" and felt "outdated" in the current era.
On the flip side, there were plenty on X who loved the segment, including the performer himself, Syko. The wrestler told Busted Open that appearing on Monday Night Raw was a "dream come true," and was grateful to be a part of the moment. I'd love to see him get an invite back during Survivor Series: WarGames for another special moment, but with it being one of John Cena's last matches, I'm not sure it'll happen.
Survivor Series: WarGames kicks off on the ESPN Unlimited app on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET. I'm excited to watch now that the dispute with YouTube TV is settled, and I'm hoping for an exciting night of surprises after a lackluster past couple of years.
