'Maybe Cena didn’t want to wrestle' - Former WWE Champion reveals details of rejected WrestleMania match
John Cena is a certified part-timer these days in the WWE as the Cenation leader shows up only during WrestleMania season. While there are various reports about Cena's WWE WrestleMania 37 status, most fans would know that Kurt Angle originally wanted the 16-time WWE World Champion in his retirement match.
Vince McMahon would eventually reject Kurt Angle's proposal and book the Olympic gold medalist's last match against Baron Corbin.
Did Kurt Angle ever reach out to John Cena about the retirement match idea?
Kurt Angle revealed on the latest edition of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows that he didn't speak to John Cena but went directly to Vince McMahon. It's a well-known story that Vince McMahon was willing to give Angle the Cena match at WWE WrestleMania 36.
The WWE Hall of Famer was in no mood to wait another year as his body broke down and he was ready to retire. Kurt Angle was the first man John Cena confronted in the WWE, and he rightfully wanted the Franchise Player to be in his final match.
"No, I never reached out to John. I decided to go to Vince, and you know, talk to him about it, and you know, when I had the meeting with him, I'm not sure If he even contacted John. I wasn't expecting John to be at WrestleMania, so I went to Vince a good month and a half before WrestleMania to tell him I want John Cena at WrestleMania. I wanted it to be my retirement match, and I'd loved to have wrestled John because you know I started out his career, and I wanted him to end mine, and you know, I was hoping that he would put me in that match, but it just didn't happen."
I gave him a big hug: Kurt Angle on meeting John Cena backstage at WWE WrestleMania 35
John Cena ended up appearing at WrestleMania 35 for a special segment with Elias. Cena would get the 'Doctor of Thugonomics' gimmick back for one night, and Kurt Angle admitted that he was shocked to see Cena on 'Mania 35.
Kurt Angle didn't expect John Cena to be on the Show of Shows that year. Kurt Angle and John Cena shared a hug backstage as they hadn't seen each other for a long time. Interestingly enough, John Cena even knew about Angle's desire to wrestle him in the retirement match.
The match just couldn't have happened as, unfortunately, WWE and Vince McMahon had other plans.
While Angle didn't know the exact reason why Vince McMahon turned down the Cena match, he speculated that the Hollywood star might not have wanted to wrestle at WWE WrestleMania 35.
"I know, that's what made me go crazy. Oh my god, it's the thugonomics Cena, and I'm the Olympic hero. This would have been perfect. I didn't think he was going to do a throwback, and, ironically he did, and I saw him at WrestleMania, and I gave him a big hug because I hadn't seen him in forever, and I told him that I wanted him to be my retirement match, and he said, 'I know,' but it just couldn't happen. Maybe Cena didn't want to wrestle at WrestleMania, maybe that's the reason why it didn't occur, I don't know."
The Olympic Hero vs. The Doctor of Thugonomics at WrestleMania 35? Kurt Angle thinks it would have been perfect. What do you guys think?
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit 'The Kurt Angle Show' and give a H/T to SK Wrestling