John Cena is one of the greatest of all time. He has amassed a laundry list of championships and was the flag bearer of WWE for nearly two decades. Big Match John was always at the top of the card and will forever be one of the most recognizable faces in wrestling history.
For most of his WWE tenure, Cena was known as the man who went over everyone. His matches became rage-inducing, but as he reached the end of his full-time run, this changed. He turned into the man who put over younger stars and did his best to showcase all the talent on the roster.
Cena has moved to a part-time status over the past few years, and with it, there are fewer and fewer matches on the roster. With his loss to Solo Sikoa this past year, it appears that the leader of Cenation is ready to wind down. He has even said as much, recently that time is limited within the company.
With that, one wonders which man will finally be the one to end John Cena’s career. Let’s look at four major candidates.
Randy Orton
Randy Orton will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rivals of John Cena’s career. The two men have engaged in hundreds of battles over decades and have been cornerstones of the company. They have amassed an incredible number of championships and will go down as some of the best in WWE history.
In the past, their feuds were much maligned for their frequency. Over a few years, they were in an on-again-off-again program that really wore on the audience. Anytime they were paired, there was an audible groan of, ‘Not this again.’
Time does heal all wounds, though, and now would be a great time to put these two back together. Having them enter into a program in the waning years of their careers presents a fresh look at the two men who carried the company for so long. It would also be a great way to have Cena leave the company.
Orton has stated that he will be wrestling for a few more years, so having him go over Cena would make sense. It would give their rivalry one last day in the sun and could also be a great mid-card match at WrestleMania.
AJ Styles
Styles is another wrestler who would be great to put against Cena for his swan song. For starters, Styles and Cena have built an impressive catalog of matches. Contests at SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble are prime examples of what they can accomplish when put in the ring against one another.
Sure, Cena may have lost a slight step, but that doesn’t mean Big Match John wouldn’t be able to pull something out of his hat.
A.J. also has a bit of history with Legends’ last matches. Only a few years ago, Styles was able to pull a great final match from The Undertaker. Why not have him lock up against another legend who may be right at the end of his rope?
Cena and AJ Styles also have in common that they are coming to the end of their career. What better way to say goodbye to both men than by having a mini program that leads to the end for both?
Drew McIntyre
Drew has been a force of nature since his heel turn. He has regained the vicious streak that shot him to the top in WWE and has vastly improved on the stick. McIntyre has become the top heel on Raw and should be a World Champion before too long.
There isn’t a ton of history between John Cena and Drew, but that could work in their favor. It would be a fresh look for the audience. WWE could play off the size disparity and show Cena in the most vulnerable position of his career.
On his way out, one would think that John would want to put someone over. An up-and-coming star would be a great choice, more on that later, but why not the Scottish Psychopath? He has been at the top of the card for a while now, but a career-ending win over Cena would launch him to another level. McIntyre would be one of the greatest of all time and cement his legacy within the company.
Bron Breakker
Later on in Cena’s career, he embarked on a journey of putting younger stars over. It started when he won the United States Championship and created the U.S. Open Challenge. Every week, he would come out and have an open challenge for anyone on the roster. Many younger stars would answer the challenge and get some incredible exposure.
In his last run, Cena also showed his want to give back. He made Solo Sikoa look like a beast in their match. This is exactly what he could do with his final run as he takes on the biggest star in NXT.
Bron Breakker has been pushed as a monster by WWE. He has been great in NXT but has flirted with the main roster as well. He put in a great performance at the Royal Rumble and is poised to become a huge star in the company.
What better way to accomplish this than by having him retire John Cena? It would be akin to Lesnar beating the streak or Yokozuna going over Hulk Hogan. A mega-star would be created that could lead the company forward.
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