10 WWE Matches John Cena Absolutely MUST Have In 2025
Cena's last time is now, but who will be his opponents? Here's who must be in the mix.
The start of a new year symbolizes a plethora of different things to people: change, new beginnings, better habits, a clean slate.
In WWE, 2025 marks the beginning of the end for one if the biggest stars in company history: John Cena. Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect will embark on a yearlong farewell tour that will surely see him celebrate numerous milestones while simultaneously marking several “last ever” moments.
When Cena announced his farewell tour in July, WhatCulture highlighted several key moments that absolutely should be on the whiteboard when drawing up his 2025. But what hasn’t been discussed is exactly who Cena should face along the way.
It’s clear that Cena, who debuted on the main roster in 2002 and has had at least one televised match each year since (though he hasn’t been a fulltime wrestler since 2015), is going to be stepping between the ropes a decent amount this year, so who will he face? The easy answer would be to load up the list with main-eventers and a few up-and-comers, but if you’re looking to map out a year, you’ve got to think outside the box a bit and weave in some dark-horse choices.
While not necessarily presented in order, this list will attempt to map out a logical schedule of matchups throughout the year and how each opponent could factor into the mix. More focus is put on active roster members rather than fantasy booking Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement or Maxwell Jacob Friedman jumping ship.
Let’s get to it…
11. Potpourri
One challenge WWE will face is avoiding too many “dream” matchups that would pit heroic babyfaces against each other. If John Cena is constantly fighting every fan’s favorite, they run the risk of wearing out Big Match John’s welcome.
However, there are several legacy rivals and big names that are just impossible to ignore. If The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin are available and willing, WWE would be insane to ignore big money matches like those. Rock has a recent tie-in with their confrontation during the WrestleMania 40 main event.
Similarly, Randy Orton and AJ Styles might want one more go-round with Cena. Either of those superstars could have an entertaining “respect” match to close out their rivalries.
Another major hurdle for Cena is shaking off the rust and looking good in the ring, otherwise this could fall apart quickly. Cena will need to face opponents who can have good matches while he regains his form. Wrestlers like Santos Escobar, Ilja Dragunov and Dragon Lee would be ideal opponents, plus they would get a high-profile spot on television. Grayson Waller is an excellent mid-card heel who can take an entertaining a**-kicking at Cena’s hands. Wins over wrestlers like these also are critical in rebuilding Cena’s in-ring credibility, which has taken a hit in recent years.
WWE almost certainly will pit the odious Logan Paul against Cena, if only because of the stark contrast between the two. While this match will be fine, it’s not one that fans should be campaigning for.
Lastly, a match with Drew McIntyre (the two have never faced each other one-on-one) could be tremendous, but it almost feels like a detour for Drew at this point, unless Cena is weighing in on Bloodline affairs. Along those lines, matches against the likes of Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and LA Knight might be tempting, but they run the risk of fans choosing a favorite, and it could blow up in WWE’s face.