5 unlikely superstars who could face John Cena after R-Truth

John Cena is one of the biggest stars in WWE history. He joined the main roster in 2002, and by 2005, he was already World Champion. Over the next two decades, he went on to win numerous others and even found success in Hollywood.

This year is a tough one for Cena fans. The Franchise Player is set to retire in December. Ahead of that, The Face That Runs The Place dethroned Cody Rhodes to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship at this year's Show of Shows.

With a limited amount of matches left and given that Cena is the Undisputed WWE Champion, it is quite surprising that he will soon battle R-Truth at Saturday Night's Main Event. The 53-year-old was the least likely of the stars who could fight the Last Real Champion. This means there could be more swerves for his final matches moving forward.

This article will take a look at five unlikely stars who could battle the 17-time World Champion next, which includes someone brand new to the company and also a Triple H favorite:

#5. JC Mateo could rise through the ranks unusually quickly

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JC Mateo might be best known to wrestling fans as Jeff Cobb. Prior to joining WWE, he was a notable name in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Lucha Underground.

Cobb made his WWE debut at Backlash where he helped Jacob Fatu retain the United States Title. In the time since then, he has wrestled one match for the company.

It would be an incredibly rapid rise to go from debuting in the promotion to battling Cena. The fast-paced move would be unlikely, but it isn't impossible by any stretch of the imagination either.

#4. Johnny Gargano has always been a Triple H guy

Johnny Gargano is an extremely successful star. On top of being a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, Johnny Wrestling held the NXT Championship, NXT Tag Team Titles, and the North American belt.

The talented performer has always been a Triple H guy. DIY quickly rose up the ranks in NXT as a tag team, but Gargano was also pushed as a top singles act by The Game. Not long after Triple H took over creative in 2022, he was instantly brought to the main roster.

With how much Triple H clearly loves the multi-time champion, it isn't completely unrealistic to expect a match between John Cena and Johnny Wrestling. While it is far from a match fans would expect, and even with the Triple H endorsement, it's admittedly unlikely, it absolutely could happen.

#3. Shinsuke Nakamura could step up and feud with the champion

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Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese wrestling legend. He joined the sports entertainment juggernaut in 2016 and has since won the NXT, Intercontinental, and United States Championships, including tag team gold.

The King of Strong Style is floating around a bit aimlessly in WWE at the moment. He held the United States Championship early this year, but hasn't done much since losing the belt.

With his devalued stock, most fans wouldn't expect Nakamura to challenge John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Title. With that being said, Shinsuke could step up so he has something worthwhile to do.

#2. Axiom could get a big rub from John Cena

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Axiom is one of WWE's newest main roster stars. Both he and his Fraxiom tag team partner, Nathan Frazer, have joined Friday Night SmackDown. The two have been a massive success since stepping up.

Fraxiom has managed to defeat Pretty Deadly, Los Garza, DIY, and even the Street Profits since making their official SmackDown debut. Despite their tag team success, though, it is important to remember they are both excellent singles stars also.

Axiom could get a chance to prove that if he battles John Cena. While there is no obvious link between the masked marvel and the Undisputed WWE Champion, the 28-year-old would get a huge rub from Cena, even if he's an unlikely opponent.

#1. Uncle Howdy and John Cena could feud in WWE

Uncle Howdy, who is also Bo Dallas, now leads The Wyatt Sicks. The stable also features Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, and Dexter Lumis. There is a belief that Alexa Bliss could join them as well.

The mysterious superstar is the brother of the late Bray Wyatt. The legendary Wyatt was a long-time rival of John Cena. They feuded multiple times throughout Wyatt's time in the company.

With that in mind, Uncle Howdy could step up and challenge Cena next. While he is far from somebody who fans assume will fight John Cena during his Farewell Tour, there is enough history there, thanks to the Bray Wyatt connection, where this unlikely match could make sense.

About the author

Ken is an American writer and host who started with Sportskeeda in May of 2022.

He has several years of writing experience on other platforms prior to joining Sportskeeda where he covered pro wrestling news. On Sportskeeda, Ken does a variety of projects but is primarily tasked with listicles, trends & features, and live coverage of WWE events.

He has interviewed pro wrestling personalities on his Armbars & Sidebars project. He's spoken to both wrestlers and personalities who have been seen in World Wrestling Entertainment, Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling, and beyond.

Ken has been a fan of professional wrestling for as far back as he can remember, long before covering the industry became his profession.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi