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It's never too early to speculate on what we could see at WrestleMania, especially when one of WWE's biggest stars is virtually guaranteed to be in Tampa, Florida next April. Cena sat down with Sports Illustrated this week and touched on a number of topics, including his partnership with the FitOps Foundation.
The 16-time World Champion also talked about his future in a WWE ring. Cena says he's “very eager” to return to in-ring competition, and that fans can expect to see him make an appearance at his 17th consecutive WrestleMania.
“On the subject of WrestleMania, I can tell you this—I haven’t missed a WrestleMania since my first appearance at WrestleMania 19, and I do not plan to miss a WrestleMania for decades to come.”
Cena has a very full schedule these days, but I'll take the man at his word if he says he doesn't plan on missing out the "The Showcase of the Immortals". That does not guarantee he'll have a match on the card though. This year the "Dr. of Thuganomics" made his surprise return to interrupt Elias' live concert.
Cena's last WrestleMania match came in 2017 when he lost to the Undertaker in less than 3 minutes. Who could Cena battle in 2020? Let's take a look at a few possibilities.
#5 Randy Orton
The Viper issued the challenge, but will Cena accept? I have a feeling if it were up to him he would, but as the Cenation Leader told SI, it's not up to him.
"I never make the matches, I’m just grateful to be able to perform in WWE. Every day away from it, I miss it more and more and more. I’m becoming more honest with myself about how much I miss it."
These two Superstars have a storied rivalry that dates back to the mid-2000s, but they haven't faced off against one another since 2017. Maybe it's time to reignite this fight, or the WWE could always break new ground. Which brings me to...
#4 Ricochet
“The One and Only” has been one of the top booked stars on Monday Night RAW since being called up from NXT earlier this year. In the 8 months since joining the main roster Ricochet has already won the U.S. Championship, made it to the Semi-finals of the King of the Ring Tournament and has clean wins over heavy hitters like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Drew McIntyre.
So is it time for WWE's resident Superhero to square off with its Superman? It has the potential to be one heck of a fight for sure. Ricochet has the the speed and athleticism to put on a show with anyone he steps in the ring with. A program with Cena that culminates with a match at WrestleMania 36 could propel the high flyer into the main event scene.
One area where Ricochet would have to step up his game for this feud to be as successful as possible though, is his mic work. John Cena is one of the best trash talkers of all time. Even some of the best wrestlers with a mic in their hand have looked foolish when standing toe to toe with Cena.
Maybe having to get into a verbal throw down or two with the Dr. of Thuganomics is just what Ricochet needs to find his comfort zone.
#3 Samoa Joe
Cena has a long history with the Samoan Submission Machine. The two actually trained and competed against one another in the California based Ultimate Pro Wrestling in the early 2000s. UPW was associated with the WWE's developmental system back then, and it ultimately lead to Cena joining Ohio Valley Wrestling and later the main roster in 2002. Joe meanwhile spent years between the Indie Circuit, ROH, and Impact before making his way to NXT in 2015.
This is a match many in the WWE Universe have been hoping to see since Samoa Joe finally made his main roster debut in 2017. For one reason or another though it just has not come to fruition. It seemed like a possibility early on in 2018, but Joe ended up having to miss most of WrestleMania season due to injury. Joe is currently out of action with a broken thumb, but he should be back before next April.
A high profile feud and more importantly a major win on the "The Grandest Stage of Them All" is just what Joe needs to get his career moving in the right direction again. For the last couple years he just hasn't been able to break out, despite having all the tools to be a dominate force in the WWE. Regardless of the outcome, John Cena vs. Samoa Joe is a match we all deserve to see.
#2 Velveteen Dream
This match up was an idea that was brought up last year after John Cena made an appearance at MegaCon in Orlando. During a Q&A, he was asked if he would rather have a match with Adam Cole, Ricochet, or Velveteen Dream. Almost without hesitation he gave his answer:
"My answer is going to upset some people, but I’d rather face Velveteen Dream. You know in the Star Wars movies, the old Jedi can look at the young rookie Jedi and be like, ‘I think that’s the one.’ I get that weird, odd medical feeling about Velveteen Dream... I think there’s something special there."
That response sent the WWE Universe into a tizzy over the idea over that "dream" match. Especially after Velveteen posted this response on Twitter:
The biggest question surrounding Velveteen Dream right now is his health. He's been out of action for about a month now with a back injury, and it's not known when he's expected to return. His time off from TV though, does create an opportunity for WWE creative. Dream could make his return to any brand. He could come back to NXT or choose to sign with RAW or SmackDown as a free agent.
A brand switch, in theory, could set up a match with Cena at WrestleMania. We'll just have to wait and see what the plans for both men are moving forward. First things first, Dream needs to get healthy.
#1 The Fiend Bray Wyatt
Anytime a "Top 5 Opponent" list is put together these days it's bound to include The Fiend. He's the one of the hottest acts in the company. Given the direction Wyatt is on right now, a match with Cena certainly makes sense.
Bray seems to be on set on a revenge tour. Challenging those who got the better of him back in his Wyatt Family days. It started with Finn Balor, then Seth Rollins and now it appears as though he's moving on to Daniel Bryan.
There's a long list of people that Wyatt owes receipts to and that list includes John Cena. Many thought the Eater of Worlds should have gotten a career win over Cena at WrestleMania XXX, but that did not happen. In fact, Wyatt does not have a single win on the "Grandest Stage of Them All." Cena, The Undertaker, and Randy Orton were all victorious in Wyatt's only three WrestleMania matches.
How about he gets his first in Tampa next year? Considering how strong he's been booked since the Firefly Fun House debuted, I expect Wyatt to still hold the Universal Championship come April. I could see a scenario where Cena makes his surprise return at the Royal Rumble. He wins it for a record tying third time, and challenges Wyatt at WrestleMania.
John Cena taking on The Fiend with a chance to win his 17th World Title? Sign me up! As long as Wyatt goes over. He deserves it.
What do you think? Who would you want Cena to face at WrestleMania 36?
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Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
