John Cena dropped the shocking announcement at Money In The Bank 2024 that he's actually, legitimately retiring and that 2025 will mark his final year in professional wrestling. He also confirmed plans for several upcoming WWE events, which means we will have plenty of opportunities to see him face off against other WWE superstars. I'm sure all fans have a dream list of opponents for Cena to take on before he hangs it up, and I'm no exception to that.
Be it PLE or just an episode of Monday Night Raw or SmackDown, Cena will have plenty of chances to chase that mythical record-breaking title reign he so desperately wants to achieve before leaving the world of WWE. Here are the top athletes I'd most like to see him take on with before leaving his shoes in the ring, and why each would mean more than any bouts against anybody left out of this list.
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes has a long way to go before he reaches the heights of John Cena, but he's already put in a lot of work to be the best face that the WWE has boasted since The Champ. Rhodes is also similar to Cena in the sense that he was once a midcarder who rose to being the face of the company through hard work and stellar ring performance. I would love to see these two square off for some passing-of-the-torch moment, in which Cena concedes it'll be Cody's time to carry the good-guy flag within the WWE.
Randy Orton
There was once a time in which hearing about Randy Orton and John Cena squaring off in the ring would make me roll my eyes. Let's be honest, we've seen this match a lot throughout Cena's career, and with good reason. Orton is just as much a legend of the WWE as his greatest rival, and has been around for the entirety of Cena's career. He's like the Sabretooth to Cena's Wolverine, and it wouldn't feel right if these guys didn't go to war at least once in his final run.
The Rock
I don't know if you can call The Rock the greatest rival John Cena has ever had, but he's definitely in the top three. These two main evented WrestleMania not once, but twice in a lifetime. Their feuds carried the WWE into some interesting territory, at a point in which it became evident that two of the company's biggest stars ever weren't really fond of each other in real life. Fortunately, Cena and Rock squashed the beef years later, and with Rock taking Cena out at WrestleMania 40, we already have the stage set to justify their meeting once again.
CM Punk
CM Punk is a guy who makes just about every feud special, but his in-ring promos played off of Cena's Boy Scout persona just too well. Punk has always been good at playing a Batman villain who knows the worst that'll happen is a trip to Arkham no matter what he does, so he goes for broke. With Punk back in the WWE and having the program of his career with Drew McIntyre right now, I'd love to see him direct that energy to Cena next.
The Miz
Real wrestling fans know there's no one as consistent on the WWE roster as The Miz. Main event or mid-carder, he's thrived in the spotlight, and his recent title run with R-Truth showed he's still very viable champion material in the WWE. Plus, Miz and Cena enjoyed a pretty great feud back in his world title run, despite suffering a concussion in the main event of WrestleMania. If we're talking about running through all the best of Cena's greatest enemies in 2025, Miz should absolutely be included.
R-Truth
Beyond the incredible work he's done over the years with his tag team with Miz, The Awesome Truth, there's a case for R-Truth to be one of the most fun matches John Cena could take on before retiring. While there once was a time when Truth was a legitimate rival to Cena, the character has reshaped his attitude in recent years and now refers to The Champ as his "childhood hero." Seeing the two have a match, complete with R-Truth performing Cena's "Five Moves Of Doom," would be an amazing match for the fans.
Drew McIntyre
I think there's a case to make that Drew McIntyre is the greatest heel in the WWE right now. His arrogance and violent aggression have led to him rampaging through the roster, and after his failed Money In The Bank cash-in, some thought was a waste; he's madder than ever, however. John Cena has always been one to step up to bullies, and if there's anyone capable of delivering an "Attitude Adjustment" to a villain, it's him.
Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley have led the world of pro wrestling for the past decade. Cena has faced Reigns quite a bit in recent years, and since Moxley is over in AEW, that leaves a showdown with Rollins next on the list. While they've worked as allies in the ring, Cena and Rollins haven't squared off since 2018, so we're past due to see them do battle once again.
Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry isn't even officially in the WWE, but TNA has loaned him over to NXT in order to let audiences sing his Rock-inspired theme song, as well as to see one of the hottest up-and-comers in wrestling perform. His positive attitude and cheeky smile would make for a great match-up with Cena, assuming the WWE would allow it to happen. I'm not too sure how keen they'd be in having a legend take on another company's star, but I'd love to see it all the same.
The John Cena retirement tour is set to kick off in 2025, though I wouldn't put it past him to make an early appearance before the end of 2024 to get the party started earlier. For now, we know he'll be on Monday Night Raw when it comes to Netflix, so make sure to have that Netflix subscription in order by next year.
