3 WWE Superstars John Cena wanted to work with and 2 he did not
A 16-time World Champion, John Cena is arguably the most successful WWE Superstar of his generation.
Since making his main-roster debut in 2002, the WWE Superstar-turned-movie star has competed in more than 2,000 matches, including live events, and he has faced almost every top Superstar on the WWE roster in that time.
John Cena told Chris Van Vliet in 2019 that he does not like to request certain storylines or opponents – it was rumored at the time that he wanted to face Kurt Angle – because he cannot control who Vince McMahon wants him to go up against.
“That is beyond my control. My response to that is control the controllable. Everyone always asks me, ‘What do you want to do for WrestleMania?’ or, ‘What’s your dream opponent?’ and I have never, ever gone about our business that way. I do what is asked of when and then when I get what is told of me what I have to do, I try to make it super special.”
There are always exceptions, of course, as it has been revealed in various reports and media interviews that John Cena occasionally asked to face – or, in some cases, not face – a specific opponent during his time in WWE.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at three WWE Superstars that John Cena wanted to work with, as well as two that he did not want to work with.
#5 John Cena wanted to work with Roman Reigns
For many years, it appeared as though WWE was building towards a match between John Cena and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania one day.
WWE has been known to book torch-passing moments at WrestleMania – Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock being one famous example – and a victory over John Cena on WWE’s biggest stage would have solidified Reigns’ status as the company’s next top guy.
Speaking to inquirer.net in June 2016, John Cena name-checked Reigns when asked to choose somebody that he wants to face in WWE.
"I know that I always kind of test myself, whether it's new Superstars or established Superstars, and I know Roman Reigns has carved up quite a niche for himself and he has all the attributes to be a successful WWE Superstar for some time to come. I've heard he's good. I'd like to find out how good he is."
As it turned out, WWE’s decision-makers opted to book the long-awaited John Cena vs. Roman Reigns match at No Mercy 2017 instead of hyping it up as a huge WrestleMania encounter.
Reigns picked up the victory in 22 minutes and he went on to defeat John Cena on nine more occasions at WWE live events between December 2017 and March 2018.