Surprising name will face John Cena before retirement, says WWE veteran

John Cena will retire from in-ring competition in WWE later this year, and there are many names lined up to face the legend before he hangs up his wrestling boots. Meanwhile, Dutch Mantell reacted to The Franchise Player's segment from Backlash and thinks R-Truth could face him down the line.

After WWE Backlash, John Cena gatecrashed the post-show conference to address the room full of journalists. However, he was interrupted by R-Truth, who ended up getting an Attitude Adjustment from The Last Real Champion, as the champion walked out.

Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran reacted to the segment after Backlash in Missouri and commented on the possibility of a match between Truth and Cena in the coming months before The Leader of Cenation retires from in-ring competition.

"They just lowkey it; I love that. Everybody knows, even a kid, they're only going to go till December (2025) with it. So, let's see what else they [Truth and Cena] do, and they'll [Management] see what else they can do with it. I like it," Mantell said. (From 1:06:04 to 1:06:26)

R-Truth on a match with John Cena in WWE

Over the past few years, R-Truth has been taking inspiration from his "childhood hero," John Cena, on WWE's main roster. Truth wholeheartedly believes in The Leader of Cenation and his actions, regardless of what the audience thinks of The Franchise Player.

In an interview on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the former United States Champion addressed the possibility of a match against John Cena. The veteran would be down to do it in the right way before The Leader of Cenation retires from in-ring competition.

"Y'all want to see that? But the only way we can see that, though, it's got to be the right way. The old me, I'm not a bad guy, I'm a good guy now, if you haven't noticed that. I'm a good guy. I kiss the babies, I hug people, I don't kick people in the nomads. So for that to happen, it would have to be a complete turnaround," Truth said.

It'll be interesting to see if the two collide inside the ring before the end of the year.

If you use quotes from the article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Aakaansh is a WWE news writer in Sportskeeda. After getting hooked on professional wrestling in 2008 watching WWE and TNA, he found himself admiring the work ethic and passion of the wrestlers for their craft, the business, and the industry as a whole.

With a post-graduate degree in writing, and currently pursuing a Master's degree in Communication, Aakaansh's knack for writing and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to SK seven years ago before he found a permanent place in the division in 2021, initially writing SEO content and transitioning to news in April 2022.

He is committed to producing detailed, factual, and unbiased reports free of opinion, which will resonate with both long-term and newer fans. When not writing about pro wrestling, Aakaansh is engaged in the dynamic worlds of pop culture, anime, and Fortnite.

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Edited by Aakaansh Sukale