Former Rival 'Very Angry' About Apparent John Cena Retirement Tour Snub

They met in the main event of WrestleMania, but is time running out for John Cena to reignite one of his old rivalries before his retirement?
John Cena
John Cena | WWE

John Cena has acknowledged that it's just not possible for him to work with every Superstar that had an impact on his career before his retirement tour comes to an end. And with just five dates remaining, the window of opportunity to face the Greatest of All-Time is closing fast.

After locking up for the final time with the likes of Randy Orton, CM Punk and most recently Brock Lesnar, Cena's next trip down memory lane will take him to Perth, Australia, where he'll battle AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel.

A revisit of their battles over the WWE Championship from 2016 and 2017 was something the WWE Universe, as well as Cena and Styles themselves, had been pushing to see transpire for months on end. Now that it's officially happening on Saturday, October 11, there's at least one person who has publicly stated he's not thrilled about it.

When Cena first announced that he was going on a retirement tour, The Miz was one of the first people to express their desire for one more match. As Cena's available dates dwindle down, the two-time WWE grand slam champion is starting to lose faith that it'll happen following the Crown Jewel announcement.

“I was happy for AJ Styles, but very angry that it’s AJ Styles versus John Cena and not John Cena versus The Miz,” he told Adrian Hernandez of Unlikely. "I beat the guy at WrestleMania in the main event for the WWE Championship, one of the only people ever to do something like that, and I can’t get a match with John Cena."

The Miz may need help from WWE fans to get his shot at John Cena

The Miz
Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The Miz during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Miz got very fired up during his rant to Hernandez. It was the very last thing they spoke about in the video posted above and Miz even called on the fans to start clamoring for him to face John Cena like they did for AJ Styles. Especially given the history his has with the Never Seen 17-Time World Champion.

"I’m pretty upset," The Miz said. "Like, that’s my heart talking... Selfishly, I want that match."

Following Crown Jewel, John Cena will have four appearances left in his career. He'll be at two episodes of Monday Night Raw and Survivor Series in November and then his retirement match will take place at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13.

It's still unknown which Superstar will get the honor of being Cena's final opponent. Rumors have been swirling around people like Dominik Mysterio and Gunther, but nothing has been officially announced for any of his final four appearances.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com