WWE Rumors: New, Final WrestleMania Opponent for John Cena Revealed?

PWInsider reported a new rumor regarding the final opponent for John Cena at his last WrestleMania as an in-ring competitor.

John Cena / wwe.com

Rumors continue to swirl regarding creative plans for John Cena and his final WrestleMania match, and now another potential big named opponent has been rumored to have entered the mix.

PWInsider reported this morning that rumored internal dialogue in WWE indicated Cena would face the current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, NV.

Cena is currently tied with Ric Flair for the most World Championship reigns, both at 16. A win over Rhodes, or potentially the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, would allow Cena to break Flair’s record prior to retiring from in-ring action in 2025.

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Flair has been vocal about his thoughts on Cena breaking his record. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Busted Open” in July, Flair said he didn’t mind if Cena broke it, but he’d rather see his daughter, Charlotte, be the one to break it.

“You want the honest to God truth? I think so much personally of John Cena. He’s just one of those really great guys, in my opinion. And I’ve known a few. In a perfect world, it would be my daughter, which I think would be the biggest thing that could ever happen. I told her one time, and she got upset — not upset but she didn’t like the comparison, I said, ‘You’d be as famous as Serena Williams if you broke that record that’s been there for so long.’ She didn’t like the comparison, but she’s as good an athlete as there is alive today. But if they do it with John, I have no problem. I’d be the first one to hit the ring and shake his hand.”

- Ric Flair

Yesterday, we reported rumors regarding Cena's potential last opponent at WrestleMania being Logan Paul, with the creative team largely against it. At press time, WWE has not confirmed the information regarding Paul or Rhodes.

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Rumors regarding The Rock’s status for WrestleMania 41 have also factored into creative plans for both Rhodes and Cena. Recent reporting has indicated that the Final Boss is not scheduled to appear in Las Vegas, reporting that The Rock himself has disputed.

Cena will begin his Farewell Tour next month, competing in his final Royal Rumble. Cena is slated to appear at all major WWE PLEs through the year. Cena has also been announced for the Elimination Chamber and is expected to compete at SummerSlam.

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