It was a clash of generations at WWE SummerSlam 2021 when John Cena challenged Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. Reigns was ultimately went over in the bout, and Cena was attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar after the match concluded. According to Cena, that was not the original creative plan for the evening.
Speaking to O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Henderson on No-Contest Wrestling, Cena revealed that he was originally booked to win his record-breaking 17th World Title that night. The planned finish involved a match restart where Reigns would have quickly reclaimed the gold through “nefarious” means. However, the booking of Brock Lesnar just hours before the show led to a complete overhaul of the main event’s conclusion.
“In the last moment, we had a surprise guest booked, he came out after the match was over. Brock. They didn’t secure Brock until 5 PM that day. I was going to win 17. We were going to have someone come out and restart the match, Roman was going to take it back… Then, we secure Brock. [Talent relations] comes and says, ‘I need to see you. We’re switching the finish.’ ‘To what?’ ‘Roman over. Clean.’ ‘Okay. Let me talk to Roman and Paul,’” Cena said.
Cena noted that he was fully supportive of the change, emphasizing that the story of Roman Reigns’ dominance was more important than his own individual accolades. He credited Paul Heyman for understanding the selfless nature of the decision and worked with Reigns to craft a finish that made the “Tribal Chief” look as strong as possible.
“I said, ‘One spear. That’s it. Whatever match you want to have, that’s fine. You beat me with your finish once.’ I love Paul, Paul Heyman has been a great mentor. He gets it and he recognizes somebody who sees it’s not about them, it’s about the story. This is going to make Roman better. It switched. Right there. An hour before. It happens to everyone. I didn’t flip out. It happens all the time. I was supposed to win 17 that night,” Cena added.
Cena would eventually have to wait nearly four years to reach the historic milestone. Cena finally won his 17th World Title at WrestleMania 41 in April 2025, where he defeated Cody Rhodes to achieve the feat. Cena’s legendary in-ring career officially ended in December 2025 when he lost to GUNTHER in his retirement match. Following his retirement, Cena has transitioned into a full-time ambassador role for WWE and continues to pursue his acting career.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit No-Contest Wrestling with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
