John Cena’s retirement tour is over halfway done, and as Cena prepares for a match against Cody Rhodes for his Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, there is still a litany of opponents the champion could face before the end of the year. Recently, Cena appeared on a panel at FAN EXPO Denver, and was asked about a potential final face-off with an old rival: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Towards the end of the panel, a fan asked an out-of-character Cena if he would face off against “The Final Boss” as a farewell match to end his WWE career.
“Gosh, fantasy booking,” Cena began. “Man, it would be cool if John Cena could fight “The Rock” one more time. That, to me, that would be cool.”
Cena gently cautioned fans against setting expectations, citing his flexibility as the reason he has “survived and kept a level head” throughout his 25 year career with WWE. He expressed the importance of freedom and creative expression over the deliberate selection of opponents.
“I don’t like to choose opponents because a lot of times that doesn’t work out,” Cena explained. “What I like to do is get a plan and say, “Hey, well, can I, as the artist, can I be creative with the plan?” I’ve earned enough trust that they’ll let me do some stupid stuff, and I appreciate it.”
While Cena did not confirm a final face-off against Johnson in his future plans, Cena’s answer did not completely rule the match out. After SummerSlam, Cena will have eight more confirmed appearances on his retirement tour, with Clash in Paris and Crown Jewel currently the last opportunities for a Cena-Johnson match at a premium live event. Johnson has not been seen on WWE programming since Elimination Chambe, where Cena aligned himself with “The Final Boss” to cement his infamous heel turn.
