The professional wrestling landscape is constantly shifting, and creative plans are often altered at the last minute by management. John Cena’s 2025 WWE retirement tour saw the legendary babyface tangle with many big names across the entire roster. However, a heavily discussed singles match with Drew McIntyre never actually occurred during the historic run.
Cena and the Scottish warrior crossed paths as part of the 2025 men’s Elimination Chamber match. They were also opponents on an August 2025 edition of SmackDown when Cena and Cody Rhodes teamed up to face McIntyre and Logan Paul. Despite these interactions, the two powerhouses never locked horns in a one-on-one contest.
‘Big Match John’ recently noted how original plans called for a first-ever singles clash between himself and McIntyre at the Crown Jewel 2025 premium live event. Cena ultimately faced his old rival AJ Styles instead to conclude that chapter. During an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling, McIntyre talked candidly about the sudden change of plans.
“I can’t change the creative direction,” McIntyre explained regarding the booking decisions. “I talked about getting that match with Cena and get in a situation on the microphone with Cena, just to prove what I’m capable of because I want to compete with the best and he is, or was, the best on the microphone.”
The current champion acknowledged the circumstances that led to the pivot behind the scenes. “I heard what John said. Whatever people weren’t feeling what was going on, they decided to pivot. He outright asked, ‘Do you want AJ?'” The resulting match was heralded as one of the best WWE matches of 2025 and a highlight of Cena’s divisive retirement run.
“The match was incredible. I can sit here and go, ‘Damn, what if? What if he tweeted my name?’ The reality is, he’s retired and I’m world champion, so I think it worked out just fine for Drew McIntyre,” he ended confidently.
McIntyre is more than likely to head into WrestleMania 42 as the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. However, his path through Las Vegas might be more chaotic than originally expected. During a recent WrestleVotes Q&A session on social media, it was noted that WWE’s current internal direction for the championship does not revolve around a standard singles contest.
The report states, “At this point, it’s shaping up to be anything but a singles match. The expectation is a five-pack or even a six-pack challenge.” The creative team appears to be building a massive spectacle to showcase the depth of the current roster.
“It’s wild to think that Aleister Black, Jacob Fatu, and Sami Zayn could all be part of the WWE Title match at WrestleMania. Whether it’s a four-man, five-man, or even six-man, but certainly won’t be a one-on-one match,” the report detailed. Such a chaotic environment poses a severe threat to McIntyre’s dominant reign.
Regardless of his future challengers, McIntyre continues to keep the WWE fans entertained with his relentless online persona. He recently revealed that his best social media insults actually come to him while standing in the shower. This creative process clearly fueled his recent viral rants mocking CM Punk for being selected as the cover athlete for the upcoming WWE 2K26 video game.
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