On a recent episode of the Road Trip After Hours podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long and host Mac Davis discussed the ongoing retirement tour of John Cena and speculated on who would be the ideal opponent for his final match. The conversation followed a critique of the recent Wrestlepalooza event, where Cena was defeated by Brock Lesnar in a match that host Mac Davis felt “started so flat” that he turned the show off. Cena’s farewell tour is set to conclude with his final match at a special Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.
During the “Booker Man” segment of the show, Davis asked Long who he would book for Cena’s final match. Long, drawing on his experience as a long-time on-screen General Manager for WWE, proposed a dream match that would pit two of the biggest stars from different eras against each other.
“Well, if it was me and I know it wouldn’t happen, and I may be just thinking outside the box, but what I would like to have? I would have brought someone in special,” Long began. “…Cena and Stone Cold Steve Austin, that’s what I would have liked to seen.”
Davis expressed hesitation about the idea, arguing that bringing Austin back for one more match could tarnish his legacy. Austin officially retired from in-ring competition in 2003 due to injuries but made a celebrated return for a No Holds Barred match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. “I don’t think I want to see Stone Cold wrestle again because he left wrestling the right way to me,” Davis said. “He left, he said goodbye, and he never went back. And I still remember him as that ass-kicking individual Stone Cold Steve Austin because of that.”
Long, however, saw the potential for a compelling story that could justify Austin’s return for such a monumental occasion. He argued that the very fact that Austin has largely stayed away from the ring is what would make the match so significant.
“Well, that’s why it would work so good, because he’s one of those guys that didn’t go back on his word. He didn’t go back,” Long explained. “But just here, if you build it right and get a story to go on, then that’s something that may excite him and it makes him want to come back. It’s easy to do.” The hosts also acknowledged a fan’s lighthearted suggestion for Cena’s final opponent to be “Cowboy” Bob Orton.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Road Trip After Hours with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
