Tag: John Cena

John Cena says he didn’t choose program with Austin Theory, just does what he’s told

Cena pushed back on the idea that he picks his opponents or spends time “dictating my terms.”

Considering how much Austin Theory reminds many of a young John Cena, the young United States Champion and future WWE Hall of Famer always seemed like a logical pairing for a WrestleMania program.

It took a while to come together thanks to Cena’s hectic movie schedule, but it was made official on the March 6 episode of Raw in a much-discussed segment that saw the two men in the ring together for the first time.

The natural assumption is that given his 20 years of experience and legendary status in WWE, Cena hand picks which storylines he wants to be a part of at this point in his career. Surely, the thinking goes, Cena asked specifically to work with Theory.

But in an interview with the AP this week to promote the launch of WWE 2K23, Cena dismissed that notion, suggesting that even now, he does what he’s told and simply gives his all to make his part of any story the best it can be.

“I don’t say, I want to do this,” Cena told the AP. “I want to work with that person. I don’t ever do that. I’ve never done that. I just try and do what I’m told to do and do it to the best of my abilities. Instead of dictating my terms, I often just try to make the performance the best it can be. What I don’t do and what I’ve never done is curate the direction of the narrative.”

One thing that Cena can control is what he says when he has the microphone and the attention of the audience. The degree to which he destroyed Theory during the March 6 segment caught some observers off-guard, with Cena questioning his heart and desire while claiming that WWE fans don’t care about him.

Theory will undoubtedly get a chance to get back at Cena before WrestleMania 39 arrives, and the consensus is that he’ll likely be booked to win the match in Los Angeles. But that was still a ferocious promo from a WWE legend, and one that Cena told the AP he meant.

“I don’t pick opponents, but I love to tell stories,” Cena said. “I didn’t pick Austin Theory but I certainly spoke from the heart (on RAW).”

Despite scandals, John Cena says ‘I love Vince McMahon’

Cena said he has the right to his own perspective on Vince McMahon and that “we all have poor decisions.”

Vince McMahon has long had a history of courting periodic controversy during his time building WWE into a global powerhouse, but none as serious as the sexual misconduct allegations and monetary coverups that have come to light against him over the last year. Not surprisingly, some past and current WWE talent has backed off supporting him in public.

John Cena is not among them.

During an interview with the AP to promote the release of WWE 2K23 — for which Cena is the cover athlete and subject of its Showcase mode celebrating his 20-year career — he declared his “love” for McMahon as “a great friend, business partner, father, mentor” when asked about the possibility that WWE could be sold this year.

The follow-up question was whether he could square those feelings with the accusations claiming McMahon paid millions to silence alleged affairs and sexual harassment incidents.

No. I mean, everyone has the right to have their perspective. I have the right to have mine. When you love somebody, you take them as imperfectly perfect as they are. We all make mistakes, we all have poor decisions. Lord knows I’ve made my collection of poor choices. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to love somebody. There’s no way I can go on record and say I don’t love Vince McMahon.

Maybe this, too, should come as no surprise. Cena is one of the greatest stars in WWE history, and owes much of his success to McMahon’s belief in him over the last two decades. He’s always had a company-first attitude, and considering he’s still an active performer when his Hollywood schedule allows — he’s got a match coming up at WrestleMania 39 against Austin Theory — he was never going to put McMahon on blast in a big interview.

At the very least, Cena’s answer was honest. That allows his own fans to decide how they feel about his support for McMahon for themselves.

John Cena hints at retirement thoughts after latest Raw return

Cena seemed especially emotional when making his entrance at Raw, and now we know why.

Eventually, one of the returns John Cena makes to various arenas as a WWE attraction will be his last. It’s a thought that at least crossed his mind Monday night at the TD Center in his hometown of Boston.

Cena, who last appeared on WWE TV on the final SmackDown show of 2022, seemed more emotional than usual when he made his entrance on the March 6 edition of Raw. This morning, he took to social media to give some insight into why that was the case.

The 45-year-old Cena has been a WWE mainstay for two decades, famously having at least one televised match for exactly 20 years. But as his age continues to creep up and his Hollywood roles proliferate, he’s much closer to the end of his in-ring career than the beginning.

That’s something he apparently didn’t let himself ponder until recently. But as last night’s show proved, he’s still one of the absolute best talkers in the business — his heartfelt promo absolutely gutted poor Austin Theory, which should only increase anticipation for their showdown at WrestleMania — and he’ll undoubtedly be able to provide value for WWE in that role alone down the road if he so chooses.

Cena also gave the so-called rub to Cody Rhodes on his way out, introducing the man who will challenge Roman Reigns in the main event (one of two, anyway) at WrestleMania 39. Crowd reactions to Rhodes suggest he doesn’t really need it, but it was still a great gesture on Cena’s part that felt like another passing of the torch similar to the Undertaker-Bray Wyatt moment at Raw XXX.

Those kinds of things show how much Cena loves and cares about the pro wrestling industry, and why it will miss him as much as he clearly will miss it when he decides the time has come to call it a career. Here’s hoping he’s not quite done yet.

WWE Raw results: John Cena roasts Austin Theory, Jey Uso makes his choice

Get WWE Raw results updated live for the March 6 show from Boston, with John Cena and Logan Paul both scheduled to appear.

Guessing you may have heard about the big hook for tonight’s episode of Raw from the TD Garden in Boston: John Cena is back, baby.

Boston is his hometown after all. And there’s that not so secret rumored match between him and Austin Theory WWE is likely to be setting up for WrestleMania, so … time to get on that.

But that’s not the only big name confrontation we can expect to see tonight. Seth Rollins and Logan Paul have been circling each other for some time, a situation that was definitely not helped by Paul playing an active role in ensuring Rollins took an ‘L’ at Elimination Chamber.

The Visionary got fed up and finally called for Paul to meet him face to face in Boston, and the social media personality and annoyingly good part-time wrestler took him up on it. Can we expect shots to be exchanged on Raw? We think so.

Ah, but those showdowns aren’t expected to lead to matches tonight since they’re being saved for L.A. Happily, there’s plenty of in-ring action on the slate for the TD Garden as well.

Oh, and Vince McMahon is reportedly backstage. Make of that what you will.

WWE Raw results in 90 seconds:

  • Paul Heyman goes over the plans for tonight with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, expressing confidence but then immediately calling Roman Reigns when they walk away
  • Kevin Owens def. Solo Sikoa by DQ due to interference by Jimmy Uso, but refuses a hand from Sami Zayn even after Zayn saves him from a post-match beating
  • Bobby Lashley says he’s tired of Bray Wytt’s kid games and questions whether Bray is man enough to face him, even as Bray’s symbol flashes behind him
  • Carmella disses Adam Pearce, and Chelsea Green likes that vibe and agrees to be in her corner tonight
  • Bianca Belair def. Carmella by pinfall, then gets help after the bell from Asuka, who spits the blue mist on Green
  • Zayn insists to Owens that they don’t need to be friends again, but the Bloodline is too big for either of them to take down alone … and his plea once again fails to persuade KO
  • The Miz tries to moderate a showdown between Seth Rollins and Logan Paul, but it spirals out of his control and includes a WrestleMania challenge
  • Omos def. Dolph Ziggler by pinfall, and MVP warns Brock Lesnar he’s made a big mistake
  • Baron Corbin is upset the Maximum Male Models are more interested in Otis than him, but Maxxine Dupri says maybe they can work together if he takes care of Chad Gable
  • Heyman gives Jimmy Uso a pep talk that also kind of sounds like a “don’t mess this up” warning
  • Johnny Gargano def. Finn Balor by pinfall thanks to some timely intervention by Edge
  • Byron Saxton wants a comment from Edge, who challenges Balor to meet him alone in the ring next week
  •  Piper Niven def. Nikki Cross by pinfall
  • Elias tells Rick Boogs that he needs to learn by doing it himself, meaning challenging Bronson Reed? Except he says Elias wants to fight him, and welp
  • John Cena returns to destroy Austin Theory on the mic, but he does accept Theory’s challenge to a match at WrestleMania
  • Zayn is still bummed about his failure to get Owens on his side, but seems ready to channel that frustration into his match with Jimmy Uso
  • Chad Gable def. Baron Corbin by submission
  • Becky Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus are interrupted by Damage CTRL, and end up setting up a six-woman tag for WrestleMania
  • Sami Zayn def. Jimmy Uso by pinfall, but gets fooled by Jey Uso, who superkicks him after teasing siding with him; the Bloodline attacks Zayn until Cody Rhodes makes the save as Raw fades to black

Please scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.

Opening Bell: Hit the trumpets, John Cena returns to Raw

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, March 6, TD Garden, Boston

OK, OK, no big writeup needed, right? We all know John Cena is back on Raw in his hometown, which is a big deal. Everyone expects him to begin the groundwork for a WrestleMania match against Austin Theory.

But WWE has actually revealed quite a bit more for this week’s show. Jimmy Uso has been tasked with ending the Sami Zayn problem for the Bloddline, and he’ll get a chance to do that in Boston. Kevin Owens, meanwhile, will collide with the group’s enforcer, Solo Sikoa.

There’s lots more in store as well, including:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, March 8, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento

Are there any drops of blood left unspilled by the AEW roster? If so, they may need them for the next stop on the California swing, as Dynamite rolls into Sacramento for the fallout from Revolution.

There’s even fallout from prior to the PPV, as Wardlow will get no rest after winning the TNT Championship. That’s because California’s own Powerhouse Hobbs is coming for that belt after winning the Face of the Revolution ladder match, and even Wardlow probably should be wary of that.

There’s bound to be much more announced for Wednesday, so keep an eye on AEW’s social channels, assuming Twitter decides to keep working.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, March 10, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh

It’s the home of Kurt Angle, though we don’t expect the Olympic hero to make an appearance on this visit. What we do know is that Braun Strowman and Ricochet will continue their odd couple pairing as they face off with the Viking Raiders.

And a Fatal Five-Way will have big stakes for WrestleMania. Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Karrion Kross and LA Knight will all try to emerge victorious, with the prize a bit of good news, bad news: a match at Mania … but against dominant Intercontinental Champion Gunther.

Good luck with that!

AEW Rampage preview – Wednesday, March 10, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento (recorded on March 8)

Ha, yeah, with so much uncertainty as the week begins about what’s going to be on Dynamite, we have zero clue what will take place on Rampage. It’s also in Sacramento and will be taped on Wednesday night, so we’ll have a good idea about what to expect by that night.

Official WrestleMania 39 poster includes John Cena, Snoop Dogg

Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio are among the wrestlers who are on the poster even though their expected opponents are not.

It should come as no surprise that Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are larger than life on the official WrestleMania 39 poster. After all, those two will fight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship next month in a bout that’s expected to headline night 2.

Image credit: WWE

But there are a few other big names on the poster who as of yet aren’t confirmed for WWE’s biggest annual show. One is John Cena, who is front and center among the spread of other wrestlers below the main eventers.

Busy with his acting career, Cena famously needed until the final SmackDown of 2022 to keep his streak of 20 years with at least one WWE match. However, he’s been heavily promoted for the March 6 episode of Raw in his stomping grounds of Boston, with WWE hinting heavily toward a program with United States Champion Austin Theory that will end with the two of them facing off at WrestleMania.

The other intriguing addition is Snoop Dogg. The 51-year-old rapper has appeared at two previous WrestleManias, and has shown up on a handful of other wrestling programs over the years as well — most recently a 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite.

It’s not known exactly what role he might play; at WrestleMania 32, he made the ring walk with cousin Sasha Banks, who is no longer with the company. The host role, which is something WrestleMania has had for a number of years now, would be a good guess if it wasn’t just revealed this past Monday that The Miz would be taking that one.

Of course the WWE Hall of Famer might be performing something from his catalog of hits, as the Showcase of the Immortals has often featured musical acts during the show over the years. We’ll find out when WrestleMania 39 hits SoFi Stadium in L.A. on April 1-2.

WrestleMania 39 card update: Only 3 matches official, but several more rounding into shape

Here’s how the WrestleMania 39 card is shaping up with just over five weeks to go until L.A.

As we speed toward the final month before WrestleMania 39, Elimination Chamber is now in the books. That means no more premium live events between here and Los Angeles, which in turn means the rounding out of the WrestleMania Goes Hollywood card will take place on the next few weeks of Raw and SmackDown.

Elimination Chamber settled one big question about Mania, which is whether WWE would call an audible and work Sami Zayn into the main event mix — either by defeating Roman Reigns in Montreal, or because seeds were sown that he’d be added into a triple threat situation. That almost certainly won’t be the case now, as Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes is the advertised main event (presumably for night 2), while Zayn will likely work his way toward teaming with Kevin Owens to face The Usos.

Another piece of the WrestleMania puzzle slid into place when Asuka, as expected, won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match and the right to challenge Bianca Belair for her Raw Women’s Championship. Both women’s title matches are now set.

There’s still plenty left to materialize, as last year’s show had 16 total matches (seven on the first night, nine on the second). Here’s how things stand 38 days away from SoFi Stadium.

WrestleMania 39 confirmed matches

  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes – Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match
  • Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley – WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship match
  • Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka – WWE Raw Women’s Championship match

WrestleMania 39 expected matches

  • The Usos (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens – Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match
    • While KO rebuffed Sami’s pleas to work together to take down the Bloodline, it would be surprising if they didn’t end up banding together, even grudgingly, to challenge for the gold. Zayn’s accidental shot to Jey Uso on Raw was a sign their roller coaster ride of a story isn’t done yet either.
  • Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
    • Paul ruined Rollins’ chances at a clear path to WrestleMania, something fans know Seth’s character hates from previous years. This feels like a matchup that will be made official soon.
  • Austin Theory vs. John Cena
    • We’ve yet to see these two interact on WWE TV, but that’s because Cena simply hasn’t been around much. The March 6 episode of Raw, for which Cena has been advertised and is in his hometown of Boston, will go a long way toward cementing this program.

WrestleMania 39 rumored matches

  • Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
    • While MVP’s challenge to Lesnar this week set off the swerve radar of many fans, reliable outlets claim this is indeed the plan for now. It’s certainly a cap in Omos’ feather if WWE stays on this course, but will he get the rub considering how little the company has pushed him the last few months?
  • Bobby Lashley vs. Bray Wyatt
    • Since Lesnar vs. Lashley doesn’t appear to be in the cards, this is the other half of their equation. Lashley has floated back and forth between heel and face a bunch, but he’d certainly be the heel, and just hope that his straightforward super athlete presentation works with whatever Wyatt has planned.
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
    • There’s been little movement toward this as both men have been involved in other subplots, but Dominik suggested he’d visit SmackDown this week with Ripley to say hi to his dad, so that could put this father-son clash back on track.
  • Edge vs. Finn Balor
    • Edge declared his quest to topple The Judgment Day behind him, but Balor came out and beat him down at the end of Raw … which means they very well could have one more match, possibly with a stipulation of some sort.

Biggest questions left for WrestleMania 39 card

  • Becky Lynch, Lita, Bayley, Damage CTRL … and maybe Trish Stratus?
    • A “creative change” reportedly scuttled Stratus’ appearance on Raw in Ottawa, and now Lynch and Lita are facing Damage CTRL for their tag team titles next week. Unless Dakota Kai is too injured to compete, it would make sense for all six women to be in a match at WrestleMania, but at the very least, Lynch and Bayley are two big names that can’t be left off the card.
  • Gunther, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus
    • Gunther absolutely deserves a big match at Mania considering the run he’s on as Intercontinental Champion. McIntyre and Sheamus have been focused on other things as of late, including a beef with the Viking Raiders, but fans would be delighted if this turned into a triple threat match — and WrestleMania almost always has one of them.

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John Cena announced for WWE Raw on March 6 in Boston

The long rumored John Cena-Austin Theory WrestleMania program might be kicking off in earnest in Boston.

If John Cena is going to compete in a match at WrestleMania, it would make sense to get him on TV soon. The Raw after Elimination Chamber would seem to be the perfect time, and while that’s not happening, he is making his way back to Monday nights shortly.

WWE announced today that Cena would return to Raw on Monday, March 6, when the broadcast originates from the TD Garden in Boston. That’s certainly Cena Country, seeing as he hails from nearby West Newbury, Mass., so the location makes perfect sense.

The timing might too. Cena has long been rumored for a potential WrestleMania 39 match against Austin Theory in Los Angeles in April. The two men even reportedly filmed extra segments the last time Cena was on WWE TV, which was at SmackDown on Dec. 30.

Theory emerged victorious from an Elimination Chamber match on Saturday night in Montreal, and while he was challenged to a title match for this week’s Raw by Edge, the expectation is that he’ll hold onto his gold and be looking for a foe for L.A.

Considering his current gimmick is that he’s the present and future of WWE while other stars are the past, Cena could slide into his narrative pretty easily. There’s also a bit of a resemblance to the way the two men look, talk and present in the ring, making the legend vs. future star dynamic that much more appropriate.

Though he has mostly moved on to acting now, Cena has a 20-year streak going with at least one WWE match. It took him until the very end of 2022 to keep it intact, but if his plans for the spring include WrestleMania, that won’t be true this year. We should know a lot more about whether that’s going to be the case in just two weeks.

Logan Paul on facing John Cena at WrestleMania 39: ‘That’s a dream match’

But can even Logan Paul see John Cena?

Logan Paul came up short in his effort to shock the world against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel. He also injured himself in the process. But that doesn’t mean he’s not thinking big for his next potential WWE match — as in a WrestleMania showdown with John Cena.

While Paul heals up, he’s already been talking to WWE about what might be next, meaning he texted Paul Levesque and said he’d be down to take on Cena in Los Angeles. He said as much on a recent episode of his ImPAULsive podcast (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

After Crown Jewel, John Cena posted me on his Instagram and then I saw an article saying he’s looking for an opponent at WrestleMania. I favorited it, responded with the eyes. Truthfully, I think me vs. John Cena would break the internet. I texted Triple H right away, ‘do you want to break the internet again?’ That’s a dream match. WrestleMania, in LA, on my birthday. Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. That’d be crazy.

Maybe not so crazy. After Paul impressed the whole wrestling world at Crown Jewel, WWE would be silly not to consider him for a spot at WrestleMania if he’s healthy enough to perform.

As for Cena, there’s already been speculation that WWE will find a way to get him on the WrestleMania 39 card. He’d be perfect as a high profile star who would be fine with losing to Paul since he’s mostly moved on to movies and TV at this point.

And a Logan Paul-John Cena match would undoubtedly draw interest from beyond the usual WWE audience, which is something else Paul touched on.

Put me up against the best y’all have. I’m gonna f–king deliver. You know that for a fact. Not only put on an amazing match, but I’m going to put asses in seats and eyeballs on the television.’ Since I’m an outsider, they have to treat my career in the WWE a little differently than they have with the rest of the roster. The only caveat to this, is I could see how other wrestlers and fans would throw their arms in the air, ‘why is he getting a shot at Cena or Randy Orton?’ The answer is, I’m going to make f–king money.

It’s hard to argue against it. Keep an eye on social media to see if there are more teases over the next few months, and if it looks like both Paul and Cena are going to be involved in WrestleMania 39, it now won’t be quite as surprising if they’re announced to face each other.

Will John Cena be wrestling at WrestleMania 39?

Having John Cena on one night of WrestleMania 39 and The Rock on the other sounds like a dream scenario for WWE.

WrestleMania 39 is going to be in Hollywood, as WWE is no doubt going to remind us all numerous times between now and next April. That means it only makes sense to have the WWE stars who have gone on to movies and TV appear there. The Rock is a given, and the prevailing wish for him to have a dream match with Roman Reigns is still alive. But for maximum Hollywood, WrestleMania in L.A. also needs John Cena.

True, Cena hasn’t quite ascended to the level of Dwayne Johnson just yet, but he’s certainly made his mark. Along with an increasing number of film roles — Cena is in three films currently filming or in post-production — he struck gold as the title character in HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” series.

Yet Cena hasn’t left WWE behind altogether just yet, and he’s kept hopes alive for an in-ring return that he hoped would happen soon. It stretches the definition of “soon” a bit, but could that mean WrestleMania 39?

WrestleVotes thinks so, telling GiveMeSport that Cena “touches base every so often” and that he may very well be on the card in L.A.

WrestleMania is still WrestleMania and it’s in Los Angeles. If Cena is legitimately trying to be ‘the next Rock’ you should perform at WrestleMania in Hollywood, and I think he’ll be there and I think it’ll be wrestling. I’ll leave it at that.

Fightful Select reported during the summer that Vince McMahon might have been meeting with Cena trying to finalize his next match. Even though McMahon is no longer in charge of WWE, WrestleVotes believes Paul Levesque and his team will still try to get Cena into the fold.

Using Cena to put over a younger talent would be an ideal role for him, and one he’s shown a willingness to fulfill. He has teased a showdown with Austin Theory over social media in the past, though whether that would still be the direction WWE would take after a lot has changed remains to be seen.

In any case, it would certainly give WrestleMania a boost if Cena is participating, and with the event once again slated for two nights, spreading him and The Rock across Saturday and Sunday would be ideal for WWE. You may not be able to see Cena in a WWE ring right now, but maybe in early April, that will no longer be the case.