John Cena "surprised" former WWE Champion when they first faced off

Despite being one of WWE's greatest performers, John Cena's in-ring capabilities have always been brought into question. AJ Styles recently shared his experience of working with Cena and how he was stunned by his skills.

After making his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, one of Styles' first feuds was against the 16-time World Champion in what was a dream match for many fans. With AJ being considered one of the business' best stars, many were wondering if Cena would be able to hang with the Phenomenal One.

Speaking on The Halftime Show, the multi-time WWE Champion spoke about Cena's skilled mindset as a wrestler and stated that he had some of his best-ever matches with him.

"A guy that surprised me with how good he was in the ring would be John Cena. John is not known for being a technical mastermind in the ring, but he’s pretty good. I had some of my better matches against this guy. His mind for how everything needs to work and transition-wise. He’s just good. He knows what he’s doing. It’s one of those things were you thought, ‘I’m the superior wrestler in the ring,’ but once you get in there with John Cena, you realize, ‘Well, okay, I didn’t know that. Let’s keep going.'" [H/T SEScoops]

Cena's third match against AJ Styles at the 2017 Royal Rumble saw him capture his record tieing 16th World Championship, putting him level with Ric Flair.

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John Cena may be back in a WWE ring very soon

2022 looks to be the first year since 2001 that has not seen the Leader of Cenation wrestle a match for WWE, with his commitment to Hollywood now being his number one priority.

However, the 45-year-old may be set to feature at next April's WrestleMania in Los Angeles. While speaking to Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport, WrestleVotes reported that "Cena should be there, and Cena should be wrestling".

"I know he touches base every so often, and although Vince is out of the picture, Cena still has a love for this place. John Cena and Triple H have a respect for each other," reported WrestleVotes.

During his time as a full-time WWE Superstar, Cena main-evented WrestleMania on five occasions, facing off against top stars like Triple H, The Rock, and Shawn Michaels.

Who would you like to see John Cena potentially face at WrestleMania 39? Let us know in the comments section below.