Well, it's really gratifying to me to have a stage and some bright lights and a microphone. They're tools and opportunities, and to be able to just pull somebody up on stage with me and point at them is a great feeling.
The connection I have with my fans is so important, and I want to break the boundaries and break the barriers between an artist and a crowd. It is so important, and I learn so much through my fans, and they help me.
It's discouraging for me to come out there and watch the lack of fan support for a good team.
When I'm writing, I'm thinking about how the songs are going to play live. Fifty bars of rap don't translate onstage. No matter how potent the music, you lose the crowd. They want a hook; they want to sing your stuff back to you.
Professional wresting is like performance art. It truly is. You're taking the crowd on a ride, on an emotional roller coaster.
My first song was 'So Sick,' which was my first number one as an artist, and I turned the mic around to the crowd, and they sang the whole song. Every lyric. That was my first experience with the power of music.
When I started out playing small clubs, you could feel the room recoil from certain kinds of songs. Anything that was too personal, that had a sentiment to it, or was laying out your feelings, was immediately booed. People would start throwing things. And anything that was really provocative or humorous or radical was embraced or cheered.
The music comes alive when you actually perform it in front of a crowd.
I'm a superhero that knows how to have a good time. I'll get behind the DJ booth and get on the ones and twos and get the party going.
When I'm doing a set as an artist I'm right in front of the stage the entire time, interacting with the crowd. The DJ set's a little different but they both are great and high energy for the crowd.
Here's the funny thing: Nothing drives a performance like an audience that gives back and even takes over. ECW was a product that will be remembered as much, if not more, for its audience interaction as for the things that happened in the ring.
Wrestling was like stand-up comedy for me. Every night I had a live audience of 25,000 people to win over. My goal was never to be the loudest or the craziest. It was to be the most entertaining.
I still enjoy performing, whether it's in front of two people or 2,000 people, but it's not fun once you leave the big show.
You can't rely on the fact that people know you. At Glastonbury, when they all knew I was DJing, everyone was cheering even though they'd never heard some of the tracks I was playing before.
I love hecklers. They remind you that you are a comedian.
An MC is somebody who can control the crowd. An MC is a master of ceremonies so not only can you say your rap, you can rock the party.
I started using a raft at my shows in 2009, and in 2011, I started caking people.
I had a gig in Sweden. There were thousands of people there, and when I launched into 'I'm Yours,' they were all singing along. It was as if I was singing the Swedish national anthem. I was stunned.
Every heckler is unique because they say something, and you react to what they say or what they're wearing or who they're with, so every response to a heckle is unique.
The hour and a half I'm on stage is my favourite part of the day when I'm on tour because the only part I really love is the interaction with the audience.
You think you're funny! You think you're funny Cena, huh? The only pose you're going to be doing tonight is lying on your back with me on top!
A lot of energy and excitement - that's what a lot of my shows are, energy and excitement.
It's always shocking to people, because sometimes when I go on the road and I DJ, they think I'm just gonna perform, so to see me really DJing and playing their favorite song and really rockin', it's a shock to people, and definitely to DJs.
The hype man's job is to get everybody out of their seats and on the dance floor to have a good time.
Football without fans is nothing.
