John Cena has dedicated his Muhammad Ali Legacy Award to "all the WWE superstars".
John Cena
The former world champion was honoured with the prize by Sports Illustrated on Tuesday night (11.12.18) in recognition of his leadership as a philanthropist.
Speaking at the publication's Sportsperson of the Year event in Beverly Hills, he said: "It's truly moving to see some of of those moments back and get to re-live some of those moments.
"To be mentioned in the same sentence as Ali, let alone a respectable comparison, comparable legacy is simply incredible.
"I just wanted to say that I accepted this award tonight on behalf of all the WWE Superstars because I believe if put in my shoes, they would all make the exact same choice."
So far, Cena has done more than 600 Make-A-Wish Foundation 'wishes', and he was also recognised for his breast cancer awareness work.
The Hollywood star has been busy promoting blockbuster 'Bumblebee', but he paid tribute to WWE and made it clear he is still part of the family.
He added: "Tonight is a wonderful night for WWE because here I am, a sports entertainer, being awarded a tremendous honor among athletes.
"It's not something that probably would have happened a few years ago but it's amazing to see culture change, and people have open minds about what we do, and accept us for just being damn good at what we do.
"I'm actually sending this award to Connecticut so it's going to be displayed in WWE headquarters because that's where it belongs. It's part of all of us, it's for all of us."
Meanwhile, the 41-year-old star recently confirmed he will be returning to the company in time for the road to 'WrestleMania 35'.
He told BANG Showbiz: "First of all, let's get 'Bumblebee' out on Christmas Eve, and after that I'm returning to WWE for some live events which I'm very excited about."
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