Drew McIntyre is opening up about the John Cena match that never happened.
At WWE Crown Jewel 2025, Cena instead squared off against AJ Styles in what was billed as the final chapter of their storied rivalry. However, Cena later revealed in an interview that the original creative direction called for him to face McIntyre before WWE ultimately pivoted to Cena vs. Styles.
Now, McIntyre is sharing his side of the story.
Speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri of Shak Wrestling, the reigning World Champion was asked about missing out on the high-profile showdown with Cena.
“I can’t change the creative direction. I talked about getting that match with Cena and get in a situation on the microphone with Cena, just to prove what I’m capable of because I want to compete with the best and he is, or was, the best on the microphone. I heard what John said. Whatever people weren’t feeling what was going on, they decided to pivot. He outright asked, ‘Do you want AJ? The match was incredible. I can sit here and go, ‘Damn, what if? What if he tweeted my name?’ The reality is, he’s retired and I’m world champion, so I think it worked out just fine for Drew McIntyre,” he said.
Still, the “what if” factor lingers.
When asked if he was aware of the original plan for him to face Cena at Crown Jewel, McIntyre kept things measured.
“I know enough. I keep my head down, and I keep working, no matter what happens. I can’t take his phone and say, ‘Just tweet my name?’”
Check out the complete Drew McIntyre interview with Shak Wrestling via the YouTube player embedded below.
