MGK Talks Performing At 'Mania & Friendship With John Cena, Says 'Mania Not A One Shot Deal

Hip-Hip star Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) is no longer wrestling to establish his place in the entertainment industry. The Ohio-native recording artist, signed to Bad Boy Records/Interscope by industry moguls Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jimmy Iovine, quite literally finds himself in the main event.

With his hit single "Invincible" the official song of WWE WrestleMania 28, MGK will accompany John Cena to the ring in Miami when he challenges Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the marquee match of the annual Pay-Per-View.

MGK talks all about it in this WrestlingInc.com exclusive interview.

WrestlingInc: Kelly, one thing professional wrestling and Hip-Hop have in common is how often they're scrutinized. In both you hear the word "fake" thrown around. What's your response to that?

Machine Gun Kelly: You know? There's something fake in everything. There's something fake in the way we greet each other. We're not always happy to see a person, but we'll shake their hand and smile in their face. It's hypocritical to judge something like that. There's a little bit of fake in everything.

WrestlingInc: Something real is the fact not many can say they've worked with Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jimmy Iovine, and Vince McMahon. You can. How do you not let that go to your head?

MGK: Not focus on it all, and not let it affect me. I believe it's real, I just try not to let myself get caught up in the hype.

WrestlingInc: There's a lot of hype behind WrestleMania 28. What is the best part of getting to accompany John Cena to the ring for his main event match against The Rock?

MGK: I think the dopest thing about the performance is he didn't want to do any flashy s?t or any pyro. We were told we could do whatever we wanted. They laid out this big plan; we'd come out with f–king fire and all this crazy s?t. Cena was like, "Lets make sure we keep it about what we stand for, which is simplicity and representing for the average Joe." I thought it was cool we're not going to do any of that. We're just going to come out and do our thing.

WrestlingInc: We know Cena is a fan of Hip-Hop, but what is it about you he likes?

MGK: I think he respects how hard I represent for my city, and the fact it's an underdog city. And we have a friendship relationship. We're supporting each other's craft without looking to interweave them.

WrestlingInc: Wrestling fans can be aggressive when expressing their approval or disapproval. So how have they responded to you?

MGK: Well, they know I'm riding with John Cena, so? that's really all that matters. WWE brought me out in my home city, then me and The Rock had a conversation. John Cena has got it this year. All I'm really focused on is making sure my man takes home the win.

WrestlingInc: Some of the more impactful professional wrestlers are known for their skill with the microphone. So by Hip-Hop definition, would The Rock be considered the greatest freestyler of all time?

MGK: No, no dude? you can't get me to switch sides! I'm riding with Cena; Cena's the greatest!

WrestlingInc: Will the audience at WrestleMania 28 be the largest you've performed in front of?

MGK: Yes. 75,000 people will be the biggest crowd I've performed in front of.

WrestlingInc: A great portion of the audience will likely be against Cena. When he wrestled CM Punk for the WWE title in Chicago, Punk's hometown fans were pretty hostile toward Cena. You'll be with him when he steps in front of The Rock's hometown faithful in Miami, are you prepared for that?

MGK: I'm going to pretend like I'm performing in front of one person. And before I go out there I'll drink a s?t load of Jager.

WrestlingInc: At this point in your profession what's the toughest thing you've had to wrestle with?

MGK: Oooo?that's a good one, man. I'd probably say drugs, man. It's tough keeping your straight head and not giving in to fame or letting the typical bulls?t steer you away from your goals. You can't avoid it; you just have to let go and let God deal with it.

WrestlingInc: Hip-Hop has dealt with its share of challenges in professional wrestling, including staying-power. So Kelly, is your deal with WWE done after WrestleMania?

MGK: WrestleMania is not a one-shot deal. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my career working with them. I'm not going to ask anyone to do anything for me because I think my craft speaks for itself. I never asked for my song to be in a place to be used at WrestleMania; it just happened. I think real recognizes real ? no matter what genre it is.

For more on MGK visit www.mgklaceup.com.

Mr. Joe Walker is a celebrity and news journalist published thousands of times regionally, nationally, internationally, and online. Follow him on Twitter @mrjoewalker.