USO News

WWE Wrestlers Lift Spirits of Troops With Visit to Southeast Asia

Friday, February 17, 2012

By Christian Pelusi 

Top grapplers from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) stepped outside the squared circle to head on a USO visit to troops stationed in Southwest Asia earlier this month.

Superstar wrestlers John Cena, Chris Jericho and Kofi Kingston mingled with members of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing to show their gratitude for the job they do and to bring a little fun from home. The WWE stars met with over 200 airman and soldiers for handshakes, photos and the occasional headlock.

"I love coming out to visit the troops," Jericho said. "Whenever we get the chance to visit with troops who are deployed they tell us 'Thanks,' but really it's us who thank them. We're only out for a few days; they're here for a lot longer than that."

Anytime a celebrity can bring smiles and chatter to the service members, it's a welcome distraction from the troops' everyday, with "No, no, thank you" being the common opening exchange.

"It's great whenever we can spend time with the troops," Cena said. "People get excited to meet us, but we're just as excited to meet them. If we can come out, shake some hands and give them something to smile about, then we're doing our jobs."

Check out other happenings on our USO Entertainment page and read a past interview with WWE superstar Kelly Kelly.

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Photo captions: Top, from left to right, Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston and John Cena enjoy a battle royale-style group photo with the troops. Below left, Jericho saves Cena from a beatdown at the hands of a wiley troop. 

(Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Arian Nead)