Who was John Cena's original WWE WrestleMania 39 opponent? Likely reason why he is facing Austin Theory

On the latest episode of RAW, John Cena accepted Austin Theory's challenge for a match at WWE WrestleMania 39. The 16-time world champion has somehow taken time out of his hectic Hollywood schedule to finalize the dream title match rumored since last year.

WWE WrestleMania 39 would've been different for John Cena if the original plans for the event had been rolled out. According to reports, The Cenation Leader was penciled in to fight Logan Paul as of December 2022. Austin Theory was disappointed by the news. Eventually, plans were changed for Cena vs. Theory and Paul vs. Seth Rollins by January.

Logan Paul demanded a match against Cena at 'Mania after the latter showed appreciation for the former's performance at the Crown Jewel. Unfortunately, his pitch was rejected as the Show of Shows drew near. Instead, he returned at the Royal Rumble and initiated a rivalry with Seth Rollins by eliminating him.

Why isn't Cena fighting Logan at WWE WrestleMania 39? A potential reason given by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio is that Cena didn't have time to train The YouTuber. Meanwhile, he considers Theory a main-event star, much like WWE.

“The worry about Logan Paul is, the feeling is you need lots and lots and lots of practice and John Cena doesn’t have the time to do that practice,” Meltzer said. “Cena can go with Theory and Theory is experienced enough, so they don’t need lots and lots of practice to have a decent match.” (H/T SportsRush)

Big Match John was last seen in action in the December 31 edition of WWE SmackDown. Teaming with Kevin Owens, he defeated Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn to land the first massive blow on The Bloodline's armor.

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Will Austin Theory defeat John Cena at WWE WrestleMania 39?

Logically, Cena will give Austin Theory his WrestleMania moment this April. The veteran has a hectic Hollywood schedule to cope with. Winning the U.S. Championship and defending it week after week would be almost impossible, even though he has promised to destroy Theory.

A source told The Wrestling Blog that the creative team is discussing the possibility of a longer run for Theory as United States Champion after WWE WrestleMania 39. Although the report hasn't been clarified, it is the most probable outcome.

Nonetheless, John Cena capturing the United States Championship would bring back memories of the run he had in 2015-16. He is credited with being one of the greatest U.S. Title holders in history, having defended it almost every week, and laying the tradition of exciting Open Challenges for the gold.