{"id":142472,"date":"2025-09-23T20:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T00:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=142472"},"modified":"2025-09-23T20:30:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T00:30:33","slug":"john-cena-vs-aj-styles-a-potential-showdown-ignites-wwe-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/23\/john-cena-vs-aj-styles-a-potential-showdown-ignites-wwe-buzz\/","title":{"rendered":"John Cena vs. AJ Styles: A Showdown Ignites WWE Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena broke the internet when he <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JohnCena\/status\/1970254628655898659?t=ETv-l29UUZeiMQSr8UDqpw&amp;s=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">speculated about a potential match with AJ Styles<\/a> during a recent episode of Raw. Cena last wrestled against Brock Lesnar in a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/20\/wwe-wrestlepalooza-results-9-20-25-live-updates\/\" target=\"_self\">losing effort at Wrestlepalooza<\/a>. Fans were disappointed with both the match and its outcome. Now, Cena has made a bold claim.<\/p>\n<h2>John Cena Says He Doesn\u2019t Pick His WWE Opponents<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena initially hinted at a match with AJ Styles but later clarified the next morning that he doesn\u2019t choose his opponents. The Cenation Leader knows how to set things in motion. Cena then suggested that WWE should always listen to the fans. The 17-time World Champion directly addressed AJ Styles, asking if he was listening.<\/p>\n<p>Cena also tried to catch Triple H\u2019s attention by using a variation of the \u201cAre You Ready?\u201d catchphrase, asking the WWE Creative Head <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TripleH\/status\/1970548837191143635\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">if he was listening<\/a>. Interestingly, Cena\u2019s interest in facing Styles stands out, as the Hollywood superstar has not targeted anyone specific during his retirement tour. The tour began with his appearance on the Raw Netflix debut episode on January 6, 2025.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I do not choose my opponents, but I (even through tough times) ALWAYS listen to the fans.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJStylesOrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@AJStylesOrg<\/a> are you listening? <br \/>Better yet <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TripleH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TripleH<\/a> \u2026.. are YOU listening???<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CenaVsStyles?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#CenaVsStyles<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BNspbeUxXd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/BNspbeUxXd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; John Cena (@JohnCena) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnCena\/status\/1970495859042172981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>AJ Styles Responds to John Cena\u2019s Challenge<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena\u2019s challenge received an enthusiastic response from AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One was eager to face Cena in the ring one more time. The two performers have competed in 65 matches total, including dark matches, live tour events, and multi-man contests like the Royal Rumble.<\/p>\n<p>In their singles matches, John Cena and AJ Styles have faced each other on four occasions: Money in the Bank 2016, SummerSlam 2016, Royal Rumble 2017, and the SmackDown episode aired on February 27, 2018. Cena and Styles each won two of these matches, with Styles victorious in 2016 and Cena prevailing in the other two. Notably, only the Royal Rumble 2017 match was for the WWE Championship, which Cena won from Styles. It will be intriguing to see what happens if they face off again.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I hear them loud and clear. Let&#39;s do it, I&#39;m ready! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8U1VxaHn3R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/8U1VxaHn3R<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJStylesOrg\/status\/1970511231904829785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on WWE and \u00a0from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena broke the internet when he speculated about a potential match with AJ Styles during a recent episode of Raw. Cena last wrestled against Brock Lesnar in a losing effort at Wrestlepalooza. Fans were disappointed with both the match and its outcome. Now, Cena has made a bold claim. John Cena Says He Doesn\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5578,"featured_media":142503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[145,165],"class_list":["post-142472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-aj-styles","tag-john-cena"],"modified_by":"Laci Schlatz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142472"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142505,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142472\/revisions\/142505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}