John Cena and AJ Styles are set to clash one last time before either one retires at WWE Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, on Saturday, October 11. Both Cena and Styles had been bemoaning the fact that WWE had no plans for them to wrestle, and WWE supposedly listened to fan demand and made the match. According to “Wrestling Observer Radio,” it was all a ruse.
“They did a little social media gimmick. Essentially, they pretended…[Cena] wants this match, and AJ said he wants this match, and they got fans to say they want this match, and Paul Levesque said ‘I hear you fans, and I’m gonna give you this match,'” Dave Meltzer reported. “So they used social media to do an angle…This match was always scheduled for Australia, always.”
According to Meltzer, all of Cena and AJ’s protests over not getting to wrestle each other were a way around the limited dates Cena has left on WWE TV and PLE. The company engaged in reverse psychology, telling fans they wouldn’t get a match, leading to fans to desire a match about which they otherwise might not have made much noise.
“They created demand for the match,” Meltzer said.
Cena has very limited time left on his retirement tour, with just the Crown Jewel match and select TV and PLE dates remaining. His final match will take place on December 13 in Washington, DC, on an edition of “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” There is still no word on his final opponent.
