'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
When John Cena was embroiled in his feud with the Rock, he used the fact that the Rock 'left' WWE for Hollywood as a big fighting cry.
Well, over the last few years, Cena has become exactly what he chastised the Rock for being - a part-time superstar who left WWE to become a movie star.
While Cena is 40 and winding down his career, he is still a big deal, and is treated as such whenever he makes a return to the WWE.
A big-time match with the future hall-of-famer could be a jumping off point for a lot of younger superstars. He could also revisit one particular feud that didn't seem to end right.
Over the last week or so, several reports have come out mentioning potential matches with Cena at the Show of Shows in a couple months.
Here are six potential opponents for John Cena at WrestleMania 35. Some have been rumored about lately, while others have been teased by the superstars themselves. A few make logical sense, and wouldn't be hard to pull off this year.
#1 Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan was one of the six superstars included in the vignettes that offered the WWE Universe with new faces for the main roster.
But unlike the other five superstars he was shown with, Sullivan is the only superstar to have not appeared on either Raw or SmackDown.
A rumor suggested that he was unable to debut two weeks ago due to an anxiety attack. Since he left, he hasn't been in contact with WWE officials.
He was also allegedly supposed to kick off a WrestleMania storyline with John Cena before the Royal Rumble, but due to his health issues, the storyline might be scrapped.
Whatever the case may be, Sullivan was set to get a huge push, with a potential match with Cena in his near future. Pushes like that don't come along often, so if he can make it back in time for that, then all the power to him.
#2 Drew McIntyre
WWE.com ran a poll this past week naming five dream opponents for a WrestleMania 35 match with John Cena. Among the superstars were Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Braun Strowman, and the Velveteen Dream.
While Brock Lesnar is most likely due for a showdown with Seth Rollins, the other two veterans, Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman, don't make much sense since all three are technically good guys.
Velveteen Dream is in 'cool heel' territory, and who knows how he'll be portrayed on the main roster? Cena has actually been confronted many times by McIntyre during his recent returns to WWE, so perhaps that could lead to a match in April.
McIntyre is a believable threat, and is being built up as one of the top heels in WWE. His attacks on Kurt Angle, Dolph Ziggler, and Finn Balor have helped confirm that.
The quality of the action wouldn't be in doubt, and Cena could (hopefully) put over another younger superstar like he did for Finn Balor on Raw.
#3 The Undertaker
WWE attempted and mildly pulled off a match between John Cena and the Undertaker at last year's WrestleMania. It mainly consisted of Cena acting like a fan until he 'received word' that the Undertaker was in the building.
The match eventually happened but served as more of a squash match in favor of the Undertaker.
If Cena wanted to get his win back or have a proper match, it wouldn't be hard to conceive another storyline between the two culminating in a better match at WrestleMania 35.
The Undertaker isn't going to be suiting up for many more matches, but he was able to make it work for two matches with Triple H late last year. He appeared at both Super Show-Down in Australia, and Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
Since he still might be able to put on a believable match, another showdown between the two future hall-of-famers isn't out of the question.
Cena and the Phenom aren't going to be able to have a big match against each other for many more years, so the WWE might strike while the iron is still mildly warm this April.
#4 Velveteen Dream
As mentioned on the Drew McIntyre slide, among the names listed on the WWE.com poll was the lone NXT Superstar, the Velveteen Dream.
Dream is one of the most over stars on any WWE brand, and is currently without a big match at NXT Takeover: Phoenix.
His screen time has also been pretty limited recently, but sometimes when WWE takes a superstar off the screen for a bit, it is usually so that the fans forget about him or her in order to build up for a potential debut.
It's like when they want to swerve the fans off a potential title win by having the eventual champion lose a bunch of matches leading up to a title match.
Dream is more than ready for the main roster, and if Sullivan was pegged for a big match so soon in his career, why couldn't Dream be? He could more than hold his own on the mic and in the ring.
He is also a character that would like the big stage, and he just might try to make John Cena take in the Velveteen Dream Experience come April.
#5 Daniel Bryan
John Cena and Daniel Bryan have a lot of history both inside the ring and outside of it. They were sort of brothers-in-law when both were involved with Bella sisters.
Bryan and Cena also had one of the most memorable matches in WWE history, albeit for two different reasons.
Cena picked Bryan to challenge him at SummerSlam in 2013. Bryan was one of the most popular superstars, and Cena piggybacked on that with the match during the summer.
Bryan would end up winning the title from Cena, but he would lose it shortly thereafter once Triple H pedigreed him, leading to a Money in the Bank cash-in by Randy Orton.
Since Cena and Bryan have this history to build on, Slice Wrestling mentioned that a potential WWE Championship match between the two is being discussed for WrestleMania.
It would be easy to do, and WWE could always parlay Cena's quest to break his own record of title reigns into the storyline. Bryan would say he is fickle!
#6 Elias
Elias and Cena have crossed paths several times in the past couple years, with Cena getting the upper hand each time.
The Drifter noted as much recently when he sent out a tweet listing off every time Cena has basically crashed his performances.
It appeared to be in response to the WWE.com poll listing dream opponents for Cena at this year's WrestleMania.
Since he wasn't included, Elias took it upon himself to remind everyone of the history between himself and Cena.
A lot of times, social media positing is a precursor to future matches between superstars. WWE is strict about what it allows its superstars to post on social media, so perhaps this might be one of WWE's back up plans for Cena at WrestleMania should Lars Sullivan continue to remain out of contact with officials.
Elias would also make sense as a challenger for Bobby Lashley in an Intercontinental title match. The two have feuded on and off for the better part of the last year, so either feud would set the Drifter up for a big match in a few months.
