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John Cena is arguably one of the greatest pro wrestlers in the history of the sport. The veteran WWE Superstar has been a hot topic of discussion since announcing his retirement earlier this month. Tony Khan, who has signed a few of Cena's peers to AEW, just revealed what he thought of the legend.
The Face That Runs The Place made a surprise appearance at Money In the Bank PLE and announced that he will be retiring in 2025. The veteran of 25 years has been with WWE since 2001, signing his developmental contract just two years after beginning his wrestling journey. Many would include the 16-time World Champion in their Wrestling Mount Rushmore, and Khan would at least consider it.
AEW's President, CEO, General Manager, Executive Producer & Head Of Creative recently spoke with Maggie & Perloff and was asked if John Cena would be included in his Wrestling Mount Rushmore. Tony Khan praised the 10-time WWE Slammy Award winner for being one of the modern greats and gave his nod to Sting, who he had not only watched growing up but also had the chance to work with.
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"That's a great question. I think he definitely would be somebody anybody would have to consider, certainly, especially of the modern era. For me... a lot of the people on my Mount Rushmore are probably people I grew up on. But there are also a lot of people I grew up not only being a fan of, but have gotten to work with later in life. Sting, to me, is up there, and this past year we had Sting's retirement in AEW, and it was probably the greatest thing we've ever done in AEW," Khan said. [From 8:31 - 9:04]
The ROH owner also mentioned other prominent wrestlers he considered all-time greats, most of whom he grew up watching. Names such as Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, and Ric Flair topped his list but he gave flowers to Cena for being one of the best in modern times.
"It's a lot of guys I grew up on, on my Mount Rushmore. I think like, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, and Bret Hart, and Steve Austin. I'd have to think about Ric Flair... a lot of great options for that, but John Cena is one of the best wrestlers, and certainly one of the greatest of this modern era, without a doubt," he added. [From 9:22 - 9:41]
Khan only named Steamboat, Austin, Flair, and Hart in his Mount Rushmore in a September 2023 interview. Three years before that, he had also named Chris Jericho on that list.
Has Tony Khan ever talked with John Cena?
John Cena has been under contract with WWE for many years, which would prevent a promoter like Tony Khan from having any sort of official talks with him. However, that doesn't mean the life-long wrestling fans can't chat about the sport.
Maggie & Perloff recently asked Khan if he's ever made an offer or overture to the WWE legend, or if they've even had a conversation. The AEW-ROH owner noted that although he hadn't spoken with John Cena, his father attends AEW events whenever the company is in Boston and sits front row.
He also brought up the recent AEW - Shark Week promotions. The Warner Bros. Discovery show also features Cena as the host with some of his former WWE colleagues, and Khan touched upon cross-promotional work happening around John Cena, but stated that their paths hadn't ever crossed.
"No, I haven't. I've talked to his dad several times. His father comes to a lot of the AEW shows, so his dad is a regular in the front row. Any time we're in Boston, John Cena Sr. is a regular AEW guest and a very nice person. I've never talked to John. The closest we've come is we're both part of this big Discovery Shark Week promotion. He's hosting Shark Week and last week Shark Week sponsored AEW, so there's been a lot of cross promotion but we've never talked in person. Definitely both working with the great people at Warner Bros. Discovery, though," Khan said. [From 7:38 - 8:13]
John Cena's father, who has been involved with WWE and various indie wrestling promotions over the years, has been backstage at Dynamite events, including Big Business and Blood & Guts. The 80-year-old also sits ringside and has been spotted speaking with Khan.
