{"id":146909,"date":"2025-11-25T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=146909"},"modified":"2025-11-24T20:10:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T01:10:59","slug":"5-former-wwe-john-cena-rivals-left-off-the-farewell-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/11\/25\/5-former-wwe-john-cena-rivals-left-off-the-farewell-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Former WWE John Cena Rivals Left Off the Farewell Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena&#8217;s wrestling career is coming to an end as the Cenation braces itself for an emotional few weeks. Only two dates remain in his farewell tour: an Intercontinental Championship defense against Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series and one final hurrah at Saturday Night&#8217;s Main Event on December 13.<\/p>\n<p>The Last Real Champion kicked off his retirement run with 36 dates. Over the last 12 months, Cena has renewed countless rivalries, broken records, and won championships. He battled Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, R Truth, CM Punk, Logan Paul, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles. While this is an impressive list of names, several high-profile names didn&#8217;t share the ring with Cena one-on-one during his farewell tour.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Last Time is Now&#8221; Tournament is already underway to determine The Never Seen 17&#8217;s final opponent. Still, that distinction is unlikely to include these five men, who happen to be John Cena&#8217;s former rivals.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>#5. The Miz<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s take a trip down memory lane to 2011. As fans may recall, The Miz vs. John Cena was the main event of WrestleMania 27. Granted, the match got lost in the shuffle of The Rock&#8217;s interference to set up a colossal dream match with Cena, but the history books will always show the A Lister as the winner.<\/p>\n<p>Six years later, The Miz and his wife, Maryse, faced John Cena and Nikki Bella in a massive Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania 33. Thus, both veterans have a storied rivalry that could have easily been revisited in the last 12 months.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the Grand Slam Champion was eliminated in the first round of &#8220;The Last Time is Now&#8221; Tournament. Thus, The Miz, a man who defeated Cena in the main event of WrestleMania, did not face the Champ during the latter&#8217;s farewell run.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH \u2014 The Miz vs. John Cena \u2014 WWE Title Match: WrestleMania XXVII\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZbPtmST3_qg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>#4. Sheamus<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>John Cena put Sheamus over big time in December 2009. The Celtic Warrior put Cena through a table to win the WWE Championship within only a few months of his debut. The title victory instantly launched Sheamus into the stratosphere of WWE.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next year, both men would cross paths multiple times, often with the WWE Title in the mix. Sheamus was a participant in &#8220;The Last Time is Now&#8221; tournament and also progressed to the second round. However, an untimely shoulder injury resulted in his withdrawal from the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, the Celtic Warrior teamed with Rey Mysterio and John Cena in Cena&#8217;s final RAW against The Judgment Day on November 17 inside Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - John Cena vs. Sheamus \u2013 WWE Championship Tables Match: WWE TLC 2009\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XldG3zRhoVM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>#3. Rey Mysterio<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Since John Cena and Rey Mysterio were top babyfaces during their respective primes, they seldom crossed paths. However, there is one notable interaction that fans remember to this day.<\/p>\n<p>After CM Punk left with the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011, a tournament was announced to determine the new champion, which was won by Rey Mysterio. Unfortunately, the Hall of Famer didn&#8217;t hold the title for a full day as Cena defeated him on the same night to win the top prize yet again.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146943\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146943\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-146943 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of WWE legend Rey Mysterio, who has left of the John Cena WWE farewell tour.\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/11\/Rey_Mysterio_RR25-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146943\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: By <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Category:Oscar_Gutierrez#\/media\/File:Rey_Mysterio_RR25.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diego Serrano<\/a> &#8211; WWE Royal Rumble 2025, CC BY 2.0,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It would have been intriguing to reignite this flame during Cena&#8217;s farewell run. However, Mysterio was injured for most of the year, and at least they teamed together in Cena&#8217;s final match on RAW.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cena shares a special moment with Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes amid celebration: Raw highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g9jAdepLh4g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>#2. Seth &#8220;Freakin&#8221; Rollins<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When asked about his favorite wrestlers, John Cena mentioned a few of his wrestling soulmates, a long list that included Seth &#8220;Freakin&#8221; Rollins. As fans may recall, they had an iconic rivalry in the summer of 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Their SummerSlam bout is remembered for Jon Stewart&#8217;s random interference. However, remove Stewart from the equation, and you have a five-star classic. Rollins and Cena had fantastic chemistry together in the ring, and Triple H should have put them in the ring together during Cena&#8217;s farewell tour.<\/p>\n<p>There was a brief confrontation at Night of Champions 2025. During the climax of CM Punk vs. John Cena, The Vision, led by Seth Rollins, interfered. Rollins and Cena had an intense staredown amid all the chaos.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - John Cena vs. Seth Rollins \u2013 Tables Match: WWE TLC 2014\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D7QaoE0HUBo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>#1. Roman Reigns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Once John Cena became a part-time wrestler and pursued an acting career, Roman Reigns took the mantle as WWE&#8217;s top star. Reigns and Cena had an intriguing rivalry in 2017, which saw both rivals engage in memorable promo confrontations that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.<\/p>\n<p>While Cena usually got the better of Reigns on the mic, the OTC always had the last laugh inside the squared circle. As memorable as Cena&#8217;s career has been, the Never Seen 17 has never pinned Roman Reigns. Despite a tease in the 2025 Men&#8217;s Royal Rumble match, WWE never gave much thought to a showdown between Reigns and Cena.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Roman Reigns vs. John Cena | Universal Title Match: SummerSlam 2021\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mN--JtGqk2c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\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 the John Cena Farewell Tour and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant 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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena&#8217;s wrestling career is coming to an end as the Cenation braces itself for an emotional few weeks. Only two dates remain in his farewell tour: an Intercontinental Championship defense against Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series and one final hurrah at Saturday Night&#8217;s Main Event on December 13. The Last Real Champion kicked off [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5689,"featured_media":146944,"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":[7205,4,3],"tags":[165,886,77,76,399,55],"class_list":["post-146909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-john-cena","tag-rey-mysterio","tag-roman-reigns","tag-seth-rollins","tag-sheamus","tag-the-miz"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146909","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\/5689"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146909"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146945,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146909\/revisions\/146945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}