John Cena is probably one of few WWE Superstar who have a big influence on the decisions the WWE front office makes.

"The Leader Of The Cenation" has been with the company for over a decade serving as the promotion's top star and, arguably, the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. Cena is held in extremely high regard backstage, not only because of his veteranship, but because of the accomplishments he has had inside the ring.

Cena is a 16 time WWE World Champion, tying two time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair's all time record, and after having made the company millions on top of millions of dollars throughout his career, it's safe to say he has a great relationship with company frontman Vince McMahon.

Throughout his run at the top of the food-chain backstage, a ton of rumors have circulated claiming that Cena has been responsible for a ton of WWE released as well as multiple Superstars having their careers 'buried.'

Add former WWE Superstar Alex Riley to that list. Riley was signed to the WWE's developmental program in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) back in 2007, where he remained for three years before being brought up to NXT where he was mentored by The Miz.

Riley actually got a ton of TV time alongside Miz, who he helped defeated John Cena at WrestleMania 27 back in 2011. He then embarked on a singles career before turning to color commentary on shows such as WWE Superstars, NXT, and Main Event. He returned to in-ring action around 2015 for one year before being released in May of last year.

There were rumors around the time of Riley's release that Cena had somewhat of an influence on the decision to let him go. Riley recently joined the Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast to discuss these rumors, saying that there was an incident with Cena that 'certainly' affected his career (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):

"I guess I'm not saying anything that other people haven't already kind of said. It is kind of out there but I'll say this.

"There was an incident and it certainly affected the path of my career, however I am not going to talk about it right now and I've kind of gone back and fourth in my own times morally with do I say anything or do I not.

"I am not in the habit of destroying anybodies career so it is just something at this point that I don't want to address further than that but one day I certainly will. It was a hard situation to deal with."

What are your thoughts on the rumors surrounding the possibility that Cena played a key role in Riley's departure from the company? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the fourth episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here!

Check it out via this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-money-in-the-bank-fallout