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John Cena recently returned to WWE RAW and challenged Austin Theory to a match at WrestleMania. Shortly after his appearance, The Champ teased this as his final appearance, and Matt Hardy recently speculated on why this is the case.
Cena's 23-year pro wrestling career has likely inspired many AEW stars, with names like Max Caster, who has even received praise from The Champ. Now that it looks like Cena's career could be reaching its end, who might live up to his legacy?
During the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran speculated that John Cena likely has something major planned if he's contemplating his retirement.
"For him to actually admit that? I feel like we’re all promoters at the end of the day, we’re all promoting ourselves and our brand, that’s also another very smart thing for him to say if he does have something substantial going forward because people would relish it that much more." (19:40 onward).
John Cena notably visited The Nightmare Factory, a wrestling school owned by AEW’s QT Marshall and Cody Rhodes, not too long ago. Following this, Marshall took to social media to share the historical moment.
Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
John Cena isn't the only wrestler contemplating retirement
While Bryan Danielson physically shares very few similarities with John Cena, the stars have both had quite an impact on the industry. Notably, the two have a history that stretches back as far as 2003, when the two wrestled on WWE Velocity.
Earlier in the same podcast, Matt Hardy recalled how the WWE audience forced Vince McMahon to push Bryan Danielson, despite his opinion of the star.
"He’s a guy who has helped break the glass ceiling when it comes to size, because I remember there were times when he first came and Vince [was] like: ‘He’s a vegan, dammit!’ The way he got over so organically at Mania that was a great example of WWE being forced to listen to the audience, being forced to follow what the fans want to see!" (16:45 onward).
If both John Cena and Bryan Danielson end up stepping away from pro wrestling this year, the industry as a whole will ultimately be dealt a massive blow.
If you use quotes from the article, please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription
