John Cena to fight 47-year-old NJPW legend during his WWE retirement tour? Exploring the possibility

At the 2024 Money in the Bank, John Cena announced he would begin his retirement tour in 2025. Since the 16-time World Champion made this announcement, many have been excited to see the opponents Cena will square up against during his retirement tour.

While names like Randy Orton have been doing the rounds, another surprising name that has emerged is NJPW star Hiroshi Tanahashi. For those unaware, Tanahashi too will begin his retirement tour in January 2025, which has led to much speculation about a possible match between him and Cena.

Although anything is possible in professional wrestling, it's unlikely to see John Cena and Tanahashi cross paths. As per reports, WWE, whom Cena represents, and NJPW, whom Tanahashi represents, have no plans of working with each other as of now.

While the two promotions did have contact in recent years, talks between them led to nothing. Hence, it's unlikely that fans might see Cena face Tanahashi during his retirement tour. However, even apart from the Japanese, there are many interesting feuds the wrestler-turned-Hollywood star can have.

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A wrestling veteran recently said John Cena could face someone he is very close to in 2025

Anyone who has followed wrestling knows about the legendary career John Cena has had in WWE. During his prime, Cena was the face of the Stamford-based promotion and represented the company very well. During this period, Cena had many rivals but also formed great friendships.

One such friendship Cena formed is with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. As per a wrestling veteran, while Cena and Rhodes are close, the two could compete against each other in 2025. Afa Anoa'i Jr. made this prediction in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling.

He said:

"I'd have to say maybe Cody. I know that they are pretty close backstage. I know that they would have a really good run, whether it would be one match or it would build, because I think you've got to stretch these things out. You don't want to hotshot such a huge match."

The last time Cena and Rhodes shared the spotlight was at WrestleMania 40 where the former helped The American Nightmare beat Roman Reigns and become the Undisputed WWE Champion. It will be interesting to see if this friendship turns into a rivalry when Cena returns next year.