John Cena’s 2025 WWE retirement tour featured the 17-time World Champion tangling with many of the biggest names in the company, but a singles match with Drew McIntyre never occurred. While the two stars were featured in the 2025 men’s Elimination Chamber match and faced off in tag team action during an August edition of SmackDown—where Cena and Cody Rhodes teamed up to defeat McIntyre and Logan Paul—fans remained hopeful for a one-on-one clash. Cena recently revealed that original creative plans actually called for a first-ever singles encounter between himself and McIntyre at Crown Jewel 2025 in Perth, Australia, but the company ultimately decided to pivot to a match between Cena and his long-time rival, AJ Styles.
During an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling, McIntyre discussed the change in plans and wanting to test his verbal skills against the “Cenation Leader.” The current Undisputed WWE Champion admitted that he had been pushing for the opportunity to share a segment with Cena to prove his own capabilities on the microphone.
“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,” McIntyre said.
The eventual Crown Jewel match between Cena and Styles was heralded as one of the best WWE matches of 2025. The contest served as a tribute to both men’s careers, featuring a series of homages to their past rivals and peers. Cena secured the victory after delivering a Tombstone Piledriver followed by an Attitude Adjustment, marking his 100th victory on a premium live event. Despite missing out on the singles clash with Cena, McIntyre has remained at the top of the card, recently capturing the Undisputed WWE Title from Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match.
McIntyre is preparing to defend his championship at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas against the winner of this Saturday’s men’s Elimination Chamber match. Meanwhile, Cena has officially transitioned into the next phase of his career following his final match against GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit SHAK Wrestling with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch the full interview on the SHAK Wrestling YouTube channel or follow their latest updates on twitter.com/Shak_Wrestling.
