John Cena‘s attempt to “ruin wrestling” may have popped mixed reactions from the WWE Universe, but the former Cenation Leader can actually put over a couple of familiar names before he bides adieu to the sacred squared circle and its fans.
Cena successfully defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in The Viper’s hometown of St. Louis at Backlash 2025. The PLE’s tagline “One Last Time” pretty much summed up the pair’s illustrious history (and their future).
With Orton no longer slithering in Cena’s title picture, it’s time for the self-proclaimed last real champion to move on to his next opponent. WWE apparently teased John Cena’s next opponent with what went down at post-Backlash press conference.
For those still living under a rock, we’ll kick off our list with Cena’s rumored opponent before making cases for why the other four guys can actually benefit from getting involved in a mini-feud with the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion.
WWE reportedly wants to do John Cena vs. R-Truth at SNME
John Cena is advertised for the upcoming WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. A recent report suggests WWE is looking to do Cena versus R-Truth for the May 24 special event. Truth inadvertently helped Cena retain his title at Backlash only to be put through a table by his “childhood hero” at the post-event scrum.
Both men had a heated feud during Truth’s heel run in 2011. R-Truth previously challenged Cena for a world title at the infamous Capitol Punishment event. Truth didn’t win that stinker of a match but did manage to beat WWE’s then-poster boy in a non-title tables match two weeks later on RAW—leading to CM Punk’s legendary pipebomb.
Truth’s work over the years has turned him into one of WWE’s most over superstars, and he happens to be just the right babyface opponent to take Cena head on at SNME. Ideally, Triple H would book a Dusty finish to end Saturday Night’s Main Event in a cliffhanger — assuming John Cena vs. R-Truth is the main event.
El Grande Americano
This writer will forever hold a grudge against Triple H for not giving us Gunther versus Chad Gable at WrestleMania XL for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Both men have since come a long way. Gunther won and dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso in an extremely underwhelming match at WrestleMania 41. Gable, well… he seems busy putting over El Grande Americano on social media these days.
Speaking of Americano, it would be a no-brainer for WWE to book a “multi-decade veteran” of lucha libre against John Cena especially in the aftermath of the company’s acquisition of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. It’s about time Americano got his opportunity to take on (arguably) one of all-time greats. If Cena’s schedule is too tight, the WWE Universe El Grande Americano can at least get El Grande Americano vs. Juan Cena, right?
Dominik Mysterio
There’s no denying that WWE sees Dominik Mysterio as a major player. Dominik’s growth as a performer speaks volumes about the work he puts into his craft as well as Triple H’s faith in him. The reaction that Dom got when he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 41 was huge.
A brief program with John Cena would, ideally, be the first step Triple H would take in turning Dominik Mysterio into one of WWE’s biggest babyfaces. Both men have only collided in multi-man setting to date. While it’s hard to imagine a singles match between the pair, given Cena’s limited commitment and Dom’s current I.C. title run, a promo exchange doesn’t’ seem out of the equation.
Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry seems to be living a pro wrestler’s dream. He’s won the TNA World Championship and made his WrestleMania debut all within the last 12 months. Hendry will be making history by putting his title on the line at a WWE event come May 25 when NXT Battleground comes to Tampa.
Hendry recently shared his POV on the power of manifestation, something he’s been channeling to make his goal of wrestling John Cena come true. The Undisputed WWE Champion may not even have to say his name because Joe Hendry will appear somehow. Just ask Randy Orton how that turned out for him at WrestleMania.
Karrion Kross needs to get John Cena rub
It’s almost 2025 and we still haven’t seen John Cena endorse Karrion Kross. Or is the champion waiting for a “killer” to rise? Kross, at the time of this writing, is a major merch mover on the WWE roster. His post-WrestleMania promo went viral. WWE Hall of Famer DDP believes Kross should be given an opportunity to become a main eventer.
Then what’s stopping Triple H from giving Kross the push fans want to see? Timing. May be. Some folks want him to join Seth Rollins’ new faction but Kross, in this writer’s humble opinion, is proving he can be brilliant on his own. He just needs a proper storyline to elevate him to the main event scene.
Say a John Cena-sized program.
How would you book John Cena’s current WWE run? Let us know in the comments!
