5 AEW stars who would be ideal opponents for John Cena’s last match

John Cena began his retirement tour on the RAW premiere on Netflix and will fully commit to WWE one final time. If by some turn of events he ends up facing off against one AEW name for his final match, who could this be against?

All Elite Wrestling is said to be the "alternative" to the Stamford-based promotion, and the 16-time world champion will retire without even touching the surface of their rival promotion. With everything he has achieved, he does not need to, as he has some goals in WWE that he wants to accomplish in his last year. This includes him breaking the record for most world title reigns.

With the Tony Khan-led promotion having some of the best in the world on the roster, there could be a whole bunch of people who would be great choices to retire John Cena. From familiar faces to dream matches, many great matches could be booked for the icon's final run.

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#1. Swerve Strickland

In 2024, Swerve Strickland proved to the world how great he was with one of the best runs in the entire industry. He gained great popularity and showed time after time in the ring why he was at the top of the company.

He wasn't as big of a deal as he is now when he was with WWE. This feud would be another way to prove just how big of a star Swerve had become, as he would surely bring the fight to John Cena.

The former AEW World Champion is one of the most dangerous individuals in the sport, and he may pull out his unhinged side to give John Cena a very high-action final feud.

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#2. Jon Moxley

Although they weren't considered to be full-blown heated rivals in the past, both John Cena and Moxley have found themselves in great promo battles in the last decade. The former has called out the AEW World Champion for his lackadaisical behavior and him not having what it takes to be the next big thing.

It would be interesting to see how a feud between the two would go today, seeing as Jon Moxley has transformed his physique and demeanor. This would be a pleasant surprise for Cena, as he'll be dealing with a whole new version of the former Lunatic Fringe.

Should this feud take place today, Moxley would have The Death Riders by his side, and who knows how far he'll go should things get physical between him and the WWE icon.

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#3. Kenny Omega

While John Cena has been the face of the company for the past two decades, Kenny Omega is an individual who is making a name for himself, competing in several major promotions around the world. He has also been called the best wrestler in the world who has never stepped foot in a WWE ring.

The same can be said until today, as The Cleaner is one of the pioneers of AEW and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. This will be an interesting dream feud, putting together two stars who represent different areas of the wrestling world.

Everything from a promo battle about their origins to the actual match, everyone will be tuned in to see whether Omega has what it takes to go head-to-head with someone who is called the "Greatest of All Time."

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#4. MJF

Similar to Kenny Omega, MJF is someone who, at his age, has already made a name for himself as one of the biggest stars in the world outside WWE. He is the longest-reigning AEW World Champion, so he has a lot of accolades to show for it.

Should this dream feud take place, the most anticipated part of this will be the promo battles. Friedman has been known to be unhinged on the mic, and facing one of the best trash talkers of all time should be a humbling experience for him.

Someone like MJF would be the perfect retirement feud for John Cena, as he could be the heel that would generate great heat from the industry as the villain of this story.

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#5. John Cena could turn back time with Cope (FKA Adam Copeland)

John Cena and Edge have crossed paths and have been bitter rivals on multiple occasions in the past few decades. At one point in WWE, there were two names at the top of the roster.

Now, they represent two different companies, but no one can deny their shared history. Cope is the only individual on the AEW roster with a reputation like this, and if given the chance, he would be the perfect man to retire John Cena.

This would be a burst of nostalgia with the fans, and their in-ring work would surely turn back time. Following the Rated-R Superstar's second life in wrestling, which began in 2020, they have not had the chance to share the ring. This dream match would be his chance to do so.

Unfortunately, all these will end up being dream matches, as it is nearly impossible for John Cena to end his career in AEW. But as it stands, there are a great number of individuals in WWE who would make perfect opponents for Cena's retirement tour, and fans should just stay tuned and enjoy his final run.