4 Ups & 3 Downs For WWE Crown Jewel 2025 (Results & Review)
2. One Big Tribute Act
John Cena and AJ Styles produced some of the best matches of the latter stages of Cena’s career in 2016-18, but running it back in 2025 was destined to be a pale echo of those clashes.
Rather than try to have a classic in their farewell confrontation, Cena and Styles decided to go the full cover band route, paying tribute to many of their former opponents, which had some extra meaning since AJ has announced that 2026 will be his last year in wrestling. Styles even called back to his TNA days with his gear Saturday, an extra touch that made the moment a bit more special.
The two started out with some mutual respect and trading of their signature offense until Cena countered a Styles Clash with a Skull-Crushing Finale for a two count. From there, the race to use other wrestlers’ finishers was on. Styles hit a Scorpion Deathdrop. Both men countered each other’s submission efforts, with an Accolade, Coquina Clutch, and Walls of Jericho mixed in.
Cena countered a Phenomenal Forearm with a Sister Abigail (and the fans did a great job pulling out their flashlights for the full tribute). AJ nailed an Angel’s Wings. Cena’s Pedigree was countered with a Fade to Black.
Cena did an entire Randy Orton tribute act – Draping DDT, RKO, and a punt attempt – and drilled an Undertaker goozle and chokeslam. Styles would tune up the band for a Sweet Chin Music, but Cena caught a diving crossbody, hit a Tombstone, and then put Styles down with an Attitude Adjustment.
These two wrestlers, on the downslope of their storied careers, are probably the only two who could get away with something like this. There might be some who rolled their eyes through it, but this match made no apologies and didn’t try to be anything other than it was. It was clearly a “play other people’s hits” match to pop the crowd, rather than be a disappointing imitation of their previous encounters.
Fun stuff. Now, let’s not see anything like this again for at least another two or three years.