HOLLYWOOD -- There was a time when John Cena was just another spectator at the STAPLES Center, sitting in the nosebleed seats to watch WWE matches. "I'd go up and complain to the box office that I was afraid of heights just to get moved into a lower seat," he recalled.

Tonight, however, he had a completely different view. One from the top. After a punishing match with JBL, Cena arose to become the new WWE Champion. "To go from sitting in the highest section to the best seat in the house in the biggest match of my life," he mused. "That's a rags-to-riches story right there."

In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 21, Cena was forced by Theodore Long to keep his hands off JBL, an order he found tough to follow thanks to JBL's repeated taunts. However, the more insults JBL dished out, the more Cena promised to make him eat those words. And, he noted, "It was an all you can eat buffet at the STAPLES Center."

Now, as champion, Cena finds himself at the same crossroads JBL did. Nonetheless, he insists, "What he did with his success and what I do with my success will be two completely different things.

"What broke my heart about JBL is that he forgot where he came from," Cena continued. "It's OK to live the good life, but you can never forget the people that got you there."

Cena knows that being WWE Champion comes with heavy responsibility, but he's not letting it tax his mind. "I live by a wonderful philosophy," he said, "and that's just ‘make it through today.' If I can fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning it's a good day. And I guarantee when I wake up tomorrow, there'll be the biggest smile on my face!"