5 dream matches for John Cena if he returns to WWE

#3 Apollo Crews has found his groove for a dream match against John Cena in WWE

Apollo Crews has revealed that John Cena repeatedly used to ask him to explain the mindset behind his WWE character.https://t.co/Br7geax5E4#WWE #SmackDown

— Wrestle Tracker (@wrestletracker1) March 3, 2021

A few years ago, a WWE match between Apollo Crews and John Cena wouldn't have been an intriguing showdown. After all, Crews' onscreen persona wasn't exactly the most interesting character on WWE's main roster.

The man himself has talked about how Cena used to encourage him to figure out a compelling gimmick:

“When I first got to the main roster at the top John Cena was still working and he would always pull me aside and be like, ‘Who is Apollo Crews? We gotta figure this out. Who is Apollo Crews?’" Crews said on After the Bell. "At the time, I’m just like the most generic… it’s so embarrassing to even think about it. It’s like, ‘I’m this guy, I work hard, dah dah dah.’ He’s like, ‘Well, everybody works hard, but who are you?’”

In early 2021, Apollo Crews embraced his Nigerian heritage and carved out an exciting heel character for himself on WWE SmackDown. Crews is the current Intercontinental Champion, and he might be on the best run of his WWE career.

#ICChamp 🏅 pic.twitter.com/2jTCY1Nqt1

— Apollo (@WWEApollo) May 9, 2021

With that in mind, John Cena could finally find a worthy opponent in Apollo Crews if the former returns to WWE in the near future. Thanks to their contrasting characters, the two men may engage in an entertaining rivalry for the Intercontinental Championship.

John Cena's advice could have indirectly led to Apollo Crews' latest character development. So it would be quite fitting if WWE's higher-ups consider Crews' recent accomplishments and pit him in a dream clash against the Cenation leader.