If all goes according to plan, John Cena will wrestle in a proper singles match at WWE WrestleMania for the first time in over five years this April. Cena had completely missed the past two editions of the Showcase of the Immortals, with his most recent appearance coming in a cinematic match against Bray Wyatt at WWE WrestleMania 36 in 2020. With WWE United States Champion Austin Theory reportedly set as Cena’s opponent, this will also mark the first time that Big Match John has competed for a title at WWE WrestleMania since 2015, when he defeated Rusev to capture the star-spangled gold at WWE WrestleMania 31.
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Seeds for a John Cena vs. Austin Theory match were planted as far back as May 2022, when a hot-headed Theory confronted Cena backstage at his 20th anniversary celebration during an episode of Monday Night Raw. Theory has dialed up the taunts in recent weeks, even promising to step to Cena when he returns to WWE next Monday.
Even with the long-term build of a Cena and Theory feud, WWE almost went with another plan. According to WrestlingNews.co, Cena was once set to take on Logan Paul at WWE WrestleMania 39. These plans were “pencilled in” as of December 2022 but shifted to Cena vs. Theory and Paul vs. Seth Rollins by January.
The report added that WWE officials are very high on Theory, as they see the 25-year-old as someone who can help carry the company throughout the 2020s.
Paul has often emphasized his desire to mix it up with Cena, with numerous reports indicating that the social media star was pushing to wrestle the 16-time world champion at WWE WrestleMania 39 himself. Cena fanned the flame a bit as well, as he posted an image of Paul on his Instagram around the time that the rumor mill was swirling.
Paul’s program with Rollins was set into motion at WWE Royal Rumble, as he eliminated the Visionary from the multi-man battle royal. Rollins would go on to bash Paul during interviews, which led to the Maverick costing him the WWE United States Title at WWE Elimination Chamber earlier this month. Aside from those two premium live event interactions, the two have yet to come face-to-face on weekly TV.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on the WWE WrestleMania 39 card.
