Below are some top WWE news stories of the day, involving John Cena.
• John Cena is set to embark on his retirement tour in 2025, sparking discussions about who should share the ring with the 16-time WWE World Champion in his final match. WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle believes the honor should go to Roman Reigns.
“Probably Roman Reigns,” Angle said during an interview with MuscleManMalcolm. Reflecting on their history, he added, “I remember a promo where John put him in his place. I think they would have a good storyline coming up if they decided to have the last match – Cena vs. Roman.”
Angle also argued that Cena’s farewell should have high stakes. “For John Cena’s credit, it should be for the World Title,” he explained.
Highlighting Cena’s unmatched WWE legacy, Angle noted, “He’s won 16 World Titles in WWE, no one has done that before. Ric Flair won 16, but he did it with NWA, WCW, and WWE. John Cena has won 16 titles in WWE. No one has ever done that. I think he deserves a title shot.”
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• Wrestling fans have long debated whether WWE should have turned John Cena heel after he became the face of the company, but JBL firmly believes the company made the right choice by keeping him as its top babyface.
On Something to Wrestle, JBL highlighted Cena’s pivotal role in WWE’s success, saying, “Those guys that were in that era, they owe Cena a lot, like their cars, their homes, their retirement (laughs) and all kinds of sh*t.” He compared Cena’s influence to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s during the Attitude Era, crediting Cena with driving merchandise sales and sustaining WWE through challenging periods.
JBL shared that new writers often pitched heel turns for Cena, but Vince McMahon consistently dismissed the idea.
“I was in so many creative meetings,” JBL recalled. “You could see a new writer come in who’s very ambitious—it’s not gonna be a few weeks before he pitches the idea of turning Cena heel (laughs). Every single one of them would come up with it. Vince was like, ‘No, he sells all our merchandise. What are we gonna do?’”
Reflecting on the decision, JBL concluded, “It was the right decision. In hindsight, it was 100% the right decision not to turn Cena heel.”
