3 WWE stars John Cena can pay tribute to next

As John Cena's Farewell Tour rapidly nears its conclusion, the classic babyface version of him has been paying tribute to some of his great rivals over the past two-plus decades, such as CM Punk, Randy Orton, Edge, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and more, often by borrowing from their iconic signature moves.

With just six dates and at least four matches left, Cenia is sure to try to sneak in as many more tributes as possible. In this article, we shall discuss three WWE stars John Cena may choose to pay homage to next.

#3 The Miz

There is perhaps no man who has gone on as underappreciated as The Miz over the past decades in WWE. John Cena, however, has always made sure to give the guy his flowers and then some. Fans do not see in real-time just how much effort wrestlers put in day in and day out behind the scenes, but looking at The Miz's career trajectory and his colleagues' anecdotes, one can gauge that he is one of the hardest workers the business has ever seen.

The Miz is one of John Cena's great rivals, and lest one forget, he'll be the first to remind you that he defeated John Cena with the WWE Championship on the line in the main event of WrestleMania 27. They also rekindled this rivalry in a brief feud during Cena's two-month full-time run back in 2023.

In one of his last matches, Cena may choose to utilise a Skull Crushing Finale for a massive pop and homage. Alternatively, he may choose to borrow a line or two from his legendary wars of words with The Miz, be it the one leading up to WrestleMania 33 or the famous RAW promo involving Roman Reigns when The Miz put both men in their place as the Intercontinental Champion and the face that ran the place during that time.

#2 Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan, known as Bryan Danielson outside of WWE, in real life and in AEW, ROH, NJPW, etc., left WWE in 2021 to make the switch to the Tony Khan-led challenger brand. He retired, at least from full-time competition, last year in September when he lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley. Interestingly, Danielson is set to assume a full-time commentary role in AEW starting this week.

Nevertheless, given his importance and stature in AEW and Tony Khan's eyes, Danielson, one of Cena's great opponents and almost-brother-in-law, won't be a part of his Farewell Tour. That, however, shouldn't hinder Cena from paying tribute to The American Dragon, much like he did to Edge (Adam Copeland) in his match against Sami Zayn on SmackDown.

From a Running Knee, LeBell Lock, to a Yes! taunt or perhaps even the Yes! Kicks, he'd have numerous options. And while Corey Graves often switches allegiances based on who is being a bigger piece of trash at any given time, it would remain very likely that he portrays these, especially the Yes! Kicks, as homages to The Miz instead of Daniel Bryan.

#1 Batista

Batista is one of John Cena very greatest rivals, and in the truest sense of the term. The two began their rise to the top at a similar time and defined the Ruthless Aggression era, and today, they still continue their parallel career paths, from winning their first World Titles at WrestleMania 21 to being top and diverse actors in Hollywood, with major roles in Marvel and DC too.

WWE knew the equity of the big Batista and John Cena feud, to the point that they were initially kept on separate brands. During that time, they led their respective brands from the front too. While Cena's rivalries with Edge, Randy Orton, and CM Punk have arguably gone on to surpass his rivalry with Batista, they still do remain legendary arch-nemesis.

The easiest way for John Cena to pay tribute to one of his greatest rivals, too old and retired from wrestling to be involved with his retirement tour, would be the iconic Batista Bomb. Given the simplicity and iconic nature of the move, it would be amongst the easiest, and yet, the most impactful and resonant ones to replicate. Given the common nature of a powerbomb, however, it would serve well if the commentary team could relay its significance in the moment, something that Michael Cole has failed to do of late.