10 Dream Matches For John Cena Before He Retires In 2025

It’s been almost two weeks since John Cena announced that he’s officially retiring from in-ring competition by the end of 2025. A humongous cloud of emotions circled around the iconic star’s decision as he became an idol to a majority of the current base of fans. In this article, my perspective of the ten viable opponents whom Cena could face on his farewell tour is shared to pen a full stop to some of his stories and create new sensations that could become the faces of the industry.

Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn is one of the beloved heroes in WWE’s deep roster who has naturally escalated to the position he is in right now. Of course, he had some of his best moments as a heel, especially with The Bloodline, but his real-life history and the natural ability to empathize with the fans resonated with him better as a face. Even, Cena acknowledged Zayn’s dedication to making things work and reaping the benefits at the right time (Source: TheSportster). Despite facing off a few times, the fans still adore the moment when Zayn accepted Cena’s open challenge for the United States Championship back in 2015, and squaring up once again would be a fabulous asset for Zayn to become a bonafide main eventer.

The Miz

The Miz is one of the most important rivals of Cena as he became the master to teach The A-Lister how tough it is to be in the main event picture and keep up the image. After all these years without an applaudable record of wins and losses, The Miz is still recognized as one of the formidable stars who could fill in as a fantastic villain to any other babyface. Miz expressed his gratitude to Cena for being a mentor all these years and admitted that he ‘selfishly’ wants to be a part of Cena’s farewell tour as one of his opponents (Source: CBS Sports). Despite this level of respect for each other, seeing The Miz decimate Cena one more time is a wish every fan, especially from the 2010s, would manifest and I’m one of them because it would be a great wake-up call to the current crop of fans to realize the amazing work that The Miz could bring.

Drew McIntyre

In a fair argument, most wrestling fans would come to terms that Drew McIntyre’s current run is the best of his career since his dominant return to the promotion as a mainstay in NXT. Since then, his interactions with Cena have been very limited, either in a Royal Rumble or multi-man battles. Never has been an occasion or a storyline built around these two that could’ve boiled down to an exhilarating one-on-one encounter. When Drew was the WWE Champion in 2020, he expressed his desire to face Cena stating that there was no bigger match in his mind (Source: WrestleTalk). With the current iteration of Drew as a diabolical villain and Cena’s adoration with the fans, it would be magical to see these two lock horns in the ring and through the mic.

LA Knight

LA Knight is one of the hottest acts of WWE in recent memory and despite not having many accomplishments under his resumé, his ability to connect with the fans through his promos with a strong and competent in-ring style has made him the star he is. Even though his work with Cena was short-lived, Cena studied Knight so much that it felt as if Cena was looking at a similar version of himself that grew authentically (Source: TJR Wrestling). Of course, the in-ring quality may not be the greatest, but the promos and character work ahead of the match would be amazing to not miss when there’s a chance to let these lads go and create wonders.

Bron Breakker

Out of the recent NXT call-ups in the main roster, Bron Breakker has shown the highest potential and achieved immense success so far as a vicious contender for the Intercontinental Championship. Even before debuting in the big leagues, Bron’s run in NXT cemented him as the future of the company by many legends in the business, including Hulk Hogan (Source: TheSportster). Despite having a singular confrontation during his NXT days, the potential to have a rivalry with Cena is still evident and it would be excellent for the 16-time World Champion to step out and put the successor of the Steiner family on the top of the map.

Logan Paul

Logan Paul has proved meticulously that he belongs in the wrestling world despite earning a contradictory reputation in his career as an influencer. From the incredible match quality to the supremely reactive character work, Logan’s work is nothing but commendable and to articulate this level of work in such a short time is wild. John Cena also acknowledged how impressive Logan has been within the confines of WWE, stating that his old self would’ve hated him embracing the scene. Even, both men connected on a very rooted level in one of Logan’s recent episodes of the Impaulsive podcast (Source: Fightful). Looking at the structure of both men’s characters and in-ring style, this match has all the potential to be another exceptional showing for Logan and a great way to seek more eyes of the younger generation that roots Logan’s work outside of WWE.

GUNTHER

From his dominant run as NXT UK’s primary champion to his most recent reign as Intercontinental Champion, GUNTHER has proved that he is one of the last resorts of being a pure mastermind of grounded wrestling. Also, it doesn’t hinder the improvements he’s shown as a player on the mic through recent promos on Raw. When it comes to Cena and GUNTHER squaring off, it could be a magician’s paradise to see how a story is developed between these two, but the respect that both carry for each other, especially GUNTHER who acknowledges Cena as a legend of this business is valid enough to cement The Ring General as one of the biggest stars in the main event picture for the foreseeable future.

Cody Rhodes

Undeniably, Cody Rhodes is the face of the current era of WWE because of the way he rebuilt himself after his exit from the company in 2014 and contributed as the protagonist to one of the best storylines in the last few years alongside Roman Reigns. Just like he said, he had to finish his story and the reach of that story was magnanimous and led to several legends playing their part, including Cena himself. Cody has expressed his gratitude to Cena for being an immaculate mentor in understanding this industry and evolving as a great human being (Source: Ringside News). To upscale the fact that Cody has become the face of the company, a rivalry with Cena possibly for the WWE Championship could be the perfect way to elevate the former AEW mainstay to an iconic stature.

CM Punk

It’s hard to find a soulmate in general and it’s the same in the wrestling world as well. When it comes to Cena’s rivals, one of the best to date is arguably CM Punk. It dates back to 2011 in Chicago and that’s where one of the best rivalries in the promotion’s history began. Let it be a titular championship match at a Pay Per View or a highly staked match on Monday Night Raw, both men’s chemistry in the ring is magnificent and to prove this, Punk expressed that he ended up in a ‘marriage’ with Cena (Source: WrestleTalk). The final encounter between these legendary stars happened on an episode of Raw in 2013, and Cena promised to be a part of Raw’s debut on Netflix. Do I smell deja vu?

Randy Orton

As fans, it’s understandable that the previous opponents have a valid background to face Cena, but it is destined for his greatest rival, Randy Orton to face him on this journey at a vital point. With or without a championship, being or not being in the main event, being overlooked or overexposed as poster stars – these two barely failed to amaze the crowd in both ways and play an important part in each other’s careers. Harkening back to this rivalry, there has never been an occasion where these lads locked horns for a title at WrestleMania, the biggest stage of wrestling! Even, Orton expressed his desire to have that match which is a ‘dream scenario’ not only for him but also for most fans (Source: Fightful). If the foundation is carefully built, it’ll be a picture-perfect finish to Cena’s career and possibly Orton’s by delivering a nostalgic closure to this epic rivalry.

What do you think of this list? Do you agree with these stars becoming potential opponents for Cena in his final year? Let your thoughts know in the comments section below.

Until next time, enjoy wrestling and life!