John Cena to face current AEW star in his final match in historic full-circle moment? Chances explored

With the impending conclusion of John Cena’s retirement run becoming a major talking point in WWE, fans have naturally begun speculating on who could be the opponent for his final match. One name that could bring Cena’s career full circle could surprisingly be current AEW star Chris Jericho.

Rumors of the first-ever AEW World Champion heading back to WWE soon have not just been floating around as speculation on the internet, but discussions regarding the WWE legend coming back home have reportedly occurred backstage, amongst talent as well as higher-ups.

With his prominent on-screen role and backstage influence having gradually decreased over the past few years, there seems to be not much he can do for AEW (and vice versa) after a mixed six-year run with the company. What is undeniable, however, is that without Chris Jericho, AEW wouldn't have gotten the initial success it did, with Jericho somewhat of a founding father for All Elite Wrestling.

As for why Chris Jericho could poetically be a great final opponent for John Cena, the inaugural Undisputed WWE Champion was also the first-ever pay-per-view opponent for Cena in WWE, back in 2002 at Vengeance. A showdown more than two decades later would be a historic bookend to Cena’s legendary career, especially considering that his retirement match is seemingly confirmed to be happening at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13.

SNME is set to essentially become a proper PLE broadcast exclusively on Peacock (and not simulcast on NBC too) going forward, following the expedited move of WWE's PLEs to ESPN beginning next month with WrestlePalooza. The significance is obvious: the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion could end up practically being John Cena's final PLE opponent as well.

To have Jericho there for Cena’s farewell would tie together two generations in a way that almost no other opponent could replicate, considering that he has already faced legendary rivals like Randy Orton and CM Punk, and is set to soon clash with Brock Lesnar on this retirement tour. He has passed the torch and anointed Cody Rhodes as his successor, and even had a strange but brief feud with the man who considered and once again considers him his childhood idol in R-Truth.

Unless WWE plans to build up a young superstar and have him retire John Cena, or have The Rock somehow again surprisingly involve himself with John Cena's retirement tour, the only viable candidates to retire him would be AEW stars Adam Copeland (WWE Hall of Famer Edge) and the legendary Chris Jericho.

The latter is obviously more likely considering his contract status and potential move to WWE regardless of John Cena's schedule and plans, but being Cena's final opponent would perfectly mark his blockbuster return to WWE for one final retirement run himself, and being a massive box-office attraction over the next several months/few years in WWE.

Chris Jericho being John Cena's final opponent is possible, but extremely unlikely

Chris Jericho's AEW contract is reportedly set to expire by the end of this year, which does make sense considering that he officially signed with the company at its very inception, January 1, 2019. However, with John Cena set to retire this year, the only possible scheduling of this match, perhaps Cena's last one, may be hindered by the rumored exact date of Jericho's contract expiration.

Unless Tony Khan and Chris Jericho agree for him to leave AEW and go back to WWE in time for a role in Cena's retirement tour, the match cannot happen. Why? While there has been speculation regarding Cena extending his retirement tour until WrestleMania 42, and that will be a win-win scenario for all parties concerned, NBC's confirmation regarding his retirement match officially set to take place at Saturday Night's Main Event, following months of speculation regarding the same, has essentially put the kibosh on those hopes.

As for the chances of an early release for the inaugural AEW World Champion, given how antagonistic Tony Khan and WWE have been, especially when it comes to contracts, the chances are slimmer than ever, although Jericho's role in AEW, his relationship with Tony Khan, and the immense goodwill he commands just might hopefully end up being a redeeming factor. However, even if Cody Rhodes' AEW exit is the precedent (let alone CM Punk), then as a former head of a wrestling company would say: there's almost "no chance in hell."

That being said, wrestling history has shown that “never say never” is a mantra that always rings true. If Cena were to extend his run, or if Jericho’s situation were to change, the prospect of them meeting one last time would be a true full-circle moment - one worthy of closing the book on Cena’s unparalleled WWE career, and reopening the book for one final chapter in Jericho's career too.