5 WWE Superstars who could retire John Cena by WrestleMania 36

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John Cena's WWE schedule is more limited than ever

The more John Cena stays away from WWE television, the more it feels like a very real possibility that his sports entertainment days could be coming to an end.

The 16-time world champion has spent more time on the silver screen than inside the squared circle over the last 18 months, and his busy schedule is set to get even busier following the news that he will play the lead role in The Rock’s new action movie, The Janson Detective.

As for his WWE career, Cena lost in less than three minutes to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 and early rumours have suggested that the two could have a rematch at WrestleMania 35.

Beyond next year’s show in New Jersey, nobody knows how long “Big Match John” really has left in WWE, but his multiple hints over the last few months certainly suggest that his in-ring days will soon be over.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who could retire the future Hall of Famer by the time WrestleMania 36 comes around.


#5 Randy Orton

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Nobody has faced John Cena more times than Randy Orton

Okay, so another Randy Orton vs. John Cena rivalry might not be at the top of everybody’s fantasy match wishlist, but what if it resulted in a retirement match where one of them would be forced to leave WWE for good?

The two legends were the biggest young talents in the company for close to a decade after coming through the OVW developmental system in 2002, so it’s no wonder that they had so many matches against each other over the course of their careers.

When comparing the two, Cena has had a more decorated career but there’s still plenty of time for Orton, who only recently turned 38 years old, to surpass his long-term rival’s many accolades – and accolades don’t get much bigger than retiring “Big Match John” on the grand stage of WrestleMania.

It could give a heel version of “The Viper” something to brag about for the rest of his wrestling days, while also cementing his legacy (pun intended!) as one of the very best of his era.

#4 The Undertaker

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It took just 2 minutes and 45 seconds for The Undertaker to defeat John Cena

Before we move on to the younger talents who would undoubtedly benefit more from retiring somebody of the calibre of John Cena, we cannot ignore the serious possibility of The Undertaker retiring his current rival.

WWE has been throwing more swerves our way than ever recently – just look at the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns rivalry and the Cena vs. Undertaker match for proof – and the assumption right now is that “The Franchise” will probably retire “The Phenom” at WrestleMania 35.

If that match does take place, there’s a chance it will carry a retirement stipulation for Undertaker – but how about WWE surprises everybody by having Cena put his career on the line too?

Recent reports suggest that ‘Taker has multiple matches left in him, while Cena is obviously transitioning to movies, so maybe this suggestion isn’t all that outlandish.

#3 Lars Sullivan

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Lars Sullivan is making a big impression in NXT

Getting a little too ahead of ourselves? Absolutely, but that’s what fantasy booking is all about, so let’s ignore the small matter that Lars Sullivan isn’t even on the main roster yet and appreciate the undeniable fact that “The Leviathan” is going to be one of the next big things out of NXT in the not-too-distant future.

Triple H tweeted a picture of a hand in 2014 with a caption that read “This fist could change everything”, and it has since emerged that the monstrous hand belonged to Sullivan.

Granted, that was almost four years ago, but the Colorado native has recently become a more important member of the NXT roster and it’s not impossible that he could be a featured star on Raw or SmackDown Live this time next year.

It would be a massive moment in WWE history, not just Sullivan’s career, if the 29-year-old were to be put in a position to retire John Cena – but WWE is all about making stars, and there aren’t many bigger ways to propel someone to stardom than this!

#2 John Cena

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John Cena is spending less and less time in a WWE ring

Do not adjust your reading device – that really does say that John Cena could retire John Cena by the time WrestleMania 36 comes around.

Rather than give the honour of retiring the five-time WrestleMania main-eventer to another Superstar, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Cena announced at some point in the next couple of years that he is taking a break from WWE to fulfil his acting commitments, much like The Rock did.

He has only been involved in two meaningful rivalries in the last year (Roman Reigns and The Undertaker) and both had very short build-ups, so it’s not like WWE is in any way reliant on the 16-time world champion to bring in viewers these days.

Besides, given some of the largely underwhelming ways WWE has used Cena as a ‘special attraction’ recently, it might not be such a bad thing if he took a confirmed hiatus from the ring for a few years.

#1 Braun Strowman

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Braun Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble

WWE has been slowly but surely giving Braun Strowman milestone moment after milestone moment over the last year – from breaking the ring with The Big Show to outlasting 49 other men to win the Greatest Royal Rumble.

“The Monster Among Men” has set his sights on becoming a WWE Hall of Famer one day, so it’s safe to say he’s going to keep breaking rings, records and anything else put in his way for many years to come.

Along with the multiple title reigns he is destined to rack up, there would be no more popular person to officially retire John Cena than Strowman.

WrestleMania is often seen as a platform for veteran performers to "pass the torch" to the best of the next generation, and Strowman is undoubtedly the best of the current crop.

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