5 Possible Opponents for John Cena at WrestleMania 36

A while ago, a report surfaced that John Cena is interested in doing 'something substantial' at WrestleMania 36. It should be noted that the 16-time WWE Champion has never missed out on the show since WrestleMania 19 and, if this report is anything to go by, doesn't plan on missing out on this one as well.

With the assumption that the report is true, Cena would have to do something significant and start a feud sometime between the upcoming Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 36. His commitment to his Hollywood film projects, however, may keep him from doing a major program. Naturally, it would have to be short and sweet.

Keeping these factors in mind, here are five possible opponents for John Cena at Wrestlemania 36:

#5 Elias

This story writes itself. Cena was back in his 'Dr. of Thuganomics' gimmick when he interrupted Elias at WrestleMania 35. It would only make sense for the two to lock it up and finish what they started.

Elias would benefit from the match in the long run. Since returning from an ankle injury, he has done little of substance whilst being on WWE RAW (mostly). While he's currently a face, he would work great as a heel in the match.

WWE has conveniently forgotten storylines in the past, but the seeds that were planted at The Showcase of the Immortals earlier this year should grow and bear fruit in 2020. It's more fitting that Elias gets the rub going forward.

True, he's a four-time WWE 24/7 Champion but the belt doesn't necessarily hold any significance if compared to other mid-card titles. Of course, this ultimately comes down to what Vince McMahon deems fit.

Now, there is a big question of who would go over and the ideal answer would be the one who's constantly being featured on WWE TV. As of right now, fans should leave the booking to McMahon.

#4 Lars Sullivan

This was a match that was rumored for last year's WrestleMania, but nothing came to fruition. It's said things were changed because of Sullivan's mental health issues. Then, he suffered a knee injury that put him out for 6 - 9 months.

A recent report suggested that he could still be out till June 2020. But it all depends on how fast he recuperates. This is all assuming that he can get his knee sorted by the time WrestleMania 36 rolls around.

WWE had plans to make him the Big Monster heel and there's no better way to do that than to have him destroy Cena.

The company tried to do that when he destroyed Kurt Angle on an episode of Monday Night Raw earlier this year. It would only make sense for them to continue with this 'Destroyer of Legends' gimmick and give him an opponent that would put him over with the rest of the fans.

Cena has been more than willing to do what the company asks him to, and putting someone like Sullivan over could just be in his capacity.

# 3 Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle is probably one of the best wrestlers on the WWE NXT Roster at the moment. Considering the abundance of talent on the roster, that is saying a lot. Riddle, a former MMA and UFC Fighter is one heck of a technical practitioner and is able to combine his hard-hitting MMA strikes with his proficient mat wrestling skills.

In an interesting way, he's the perfect person for Cena to face at WrestleMania 36. Sure, Riddle vs Goldberg is certainly an appealing idea, considering the former is constantly taking shots at the latter. But this matchup has a real-world appeal as well.

In an interview with TMZ, Riddle stated that he wanted to "fight John Cena" after having a chat with him at Madison Square Garden. In the same interview, he also stated that NXT was more 'real' than the stuff on RAW and SmackDown.

The booking is quite clear as it could be promoted as 'Past vs Present', 'Old School vs. New School', 'Wrestler vs. Fighter', etc. There are tons of ways that this could go. While Riddle may eventually get his dream match against Brock Lesnar down the line, perhaps he should start with the face of the PG Era.

#2 Randy Orton

Perhaps the first question would be, do fans want to see a match that they have already seen several times before? It depends. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were able to do it time and time again, but that doesn't mean it will turn out the same for these two.

Recently, Orton engaged in his usual tomfoolery on social media when he posted on Instagram that he would love to have a match with Cena at WrestleMania 36.

Maybe, just maybe?

"“I wasn’t even aware of that. “I never make the matches, I’m just grateful to be able to perform in WWE. Every day away from it, I miss it more and more and more. I’m becoming more honest with myself about how much I miss it."

While it doesn't seem plausible at this point, anything can happen between now and WrestleMania. Randy Orton is The Legend Killer and it would only serve his purpose to go after a living legend in the form of John Cena.

It would make for great entertainment to see two old foes battle it out at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

#1 Goldberg

Cena and Goldberg have in common many opponents that they have taken on over the years. This includes the likes of Triple H, The Rock, The Undertaker, Batista, and even Randy Orton. There's quite a lot that they have in common, except for the fact that they have never faced each other inside the squared circle.

Both men are regarded as powerhouse wrestlers who have taken on the very best in the business. Cena is easily the more versatile of the two, despite some fans deriding his limited move set. Goldberg has been true to the style that has suited him over the years and it doesn't make sense for him to change it now.

Considering Bill back in WWE after retiring in 2016, he deserves a match that would blow the people's minds away. While Matt Riddle still remains the firm favorite, there's nothing compared to the kind of reception a John Cena vs Goldberg match would receive.

Cena is lucky enough to have had several matches over his career that have gone down as some of the best of all time (including the couple he had with The Rock). Fans would love it if he was next on Goldberg's list.

Who else should he face? Comment below..

Edited by Anurag Sharma