John Cena was the face of WWE. He spent a decade either as world champion or in the hunt, he main evented an array of PPVs, and he represented WWE all over the place, from media appearances to charitable events.
Times have changed, though. Cena has faded from the WWE landscape to the point that he can no longer be considered a full time talent. Cena is currently 43-years-old and in great shape, so he could continue working matches on at least an occasional basis. However, retirement from the squared circle isn’t out of the question at this point. Without further ado, let's take a look at 10 storylines that could wrap up the legendary career of John Cena.
10 A Final Showdown With Edge
Edge stands out as one of Cena’s greatest foils. Yes, they had great matches and feuded over a long period of time. In addition, they represented different cultures. Cena was the epitome of family friendly WWE in the PG Era, while Edge outright went by the moniker The Rated R Superstar—not shying away from extreme violence or getting in bed with Lita on live television.
A year ago, seeing another Cena vs. Edge match would have felt like a pipe dream. However, since Edge’s return to the ring as a part time Superstar in his own right, the dream rematch now feels altogether possible. One more battle between the two could put a bow on not only Cena’s career, but Edge’s too.
9 A Cinematic Dream Match
John Cena has achieved the status of crossover star that so few wrestlers ever attain. Someone who doesn’t follow wrestling likely as not couldn’t say who Drew McIntyre or Jon Moxley are. Cena is a transcendent star, synonymous with the WWE brand like Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin before him. His acting career has enhanced his stature, following in the footsteps of The Rock.
Cena is one of the few guys who would make complete sense in an all time dream match against the likes of someone like Hogan or Austin. The latter legends aren’t equipped to go physically in the ring now, but the influx of cinematic matches invites a scenario in which they could have one final battle--an inter-generational dream match on that scale would be a fitting way to round out Cena’s in-ring legacy.
8 A Tag Team Run
John Cena could have a lot of value as half of a tag team. Like Hulk Hogan’s late-career tag team with rising star Edge, or Ric Flair’s efforts alongside Batista and later Carlito, Cena could work with a younger talent to give them the rub by association.
Helping to put younger stars at a higher level could be a tremendous way for Cena to pay his success forward; alternatively, we could get a "dream team" run with another top level star.
7 Putting Over Karrion Kross
When Karrion Kross dominated Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, a number of critics observed parallels between that performance and what Brock Lesnar did to John Cena at SummerSlam 2014. If WWE continues Kross’s momentum as an unstoppable monster all the way onto the main roster, there may be no more poetic way to do so than having him squash Cena.
It's a lofty proposition, WWE can only put a small handful of new stars in this kind of position. Kross’s presentation and in-ring talent have made him a likely candidate for long term, main event level success. Crushing Cena could be exactly what Kross needs to shatter every glass ceiling.
6 Cena Vs. Punk: The Rematch We Never Thought We’d See
John Cena has been involved in all manner of main event matches over the course of his WWE career, but there may be none more memorable than his Money in the Bank 2011 clash with CM Punk. With an absolutely rabid Chicago crowd behind him, Punk represented the underdog and counterculture beautifully, in contrast to Cena as the mainstream champ. The result was an electric match.
Cena and Punk wrestled on other occasions before and after, so it’s not like fans didn’t get their fill of the two of them at the time. Nearly a decade later, the idea of Punk wrestling in a WWE ring is, itself, a huge attraction. Having Punk and Cena square off one last time, each as part time talents, with the specter of it potentially being either or both man’s last match, could have the makings of another classic.
5 An International Stadium Show
John Cena hasn’t wrestled full time for WWE for some time, but did make appearances at a number of the international stadium shows in recent years. The booking makes sense. Cena’s name recognition makes him a draw among more serious and casual fans alike. That’s not to mention his advancing age and part time status, which added the subtext that each appearance might be fans’ last chance to see him live.
Working one more big international stadium show—especially after the pandemic era has made such shows impossible—could add exactly the big event feel WWE will surely be after, and offer a fitting sign off for Cena’s career.
4 A Movie Star Match
John Cena has crossed over to the silver screen, following in the footsteps of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. However, it remains to be seen whether Cena can come close to The Great One in parlaying a career as a wrestler to the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
Given Cena’s new movie star status, it’s feasible he could bridge the divide between WWE and Hollywood. Cena already has a history of working with celebrities, including a match with Kevin Federline years back. It could be interesting to see if WWE could assemble a match between Cena and an action movie star or other celebrity as a featured attraction at a WrestleMania or another major show.
3 One More Round With Orton
While John Cena quite arguably had more iconic rivalries or better matches with other Superstars, his feud with Randy Orton may go down as the biggest story of either man’s career. Throughout the late 2000s (and again for a bit in the early 2010s), Cena and Orton waged war, working main event after main event, and running a gamut of gimmick matches.
Purists may balk at another Cena vs. Orton match, as the two worked well together, but rarely broached “great match” territory. Still, in terms of name recognition, and particularly appealing to more casual fans, there are few marquee matches the caliber of these two wrestling one another.
2 Falling To The Undisputed Era
One of the signature elements of John Cena’s run on top was him fighting the odds against heel factions that outnumbered him. We saw it happen with Cena against The Nexus, Legacy, The Shield, The Authority, The Wyatt Family, and The Club to name a few. Particularly if Cena is open to going out on his back, putting over a young heel faction could be a poetic way to wrap up his time in the ring.
The Undisputed Era have thrived in NXT, but there are real questions as to how far they could go on the main roster, particularly given their relatively small size. Getting the better of Cena early in their main roster run—and indeed retiring him—could be huge for establishing the stable as a real threat.
1 One Last WrestleMania Main Event
A lot of legendary WWE stars don’t wrap up their careers on top. Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair each continued wrestling well past their primes, including outside the WWE system, and wrapped things up well away from the main event picture. Steve Austin’s career came to an abrupt, unexpected end, outside of the main event scene.
John Cena is uniquely positioned. He has one foot in Hollywood, and so having a lucrative career path ahead of him. He’s also still in great physical shape, and is still able to wrestle at a high level. Cena could close his wrestling career akin to Shawn Michaels working the main event of WrestleMania 26, or perhaps like The Rock at WrestleMania 29—coming back for one last big storyline and putting over a newer top star.