Current WWE champion confirms match between him and John Cena is not happening

John Cena has only begun his reign as the Undisputed WWE Champion, and fans are already speculating about the various names he could defend his title against. However, NXT Champion Oba Femi has all but confirmed that he’s unlikely to cross paths with Cena on his retirement tour, which culminates by the end of 2025.

The Leader of Cenation won his record-setting 17th WWE world title by ending Cody Rhodes’ more than a year-long reign at WrestleMania 41. On the following episode of RAW, Randy Orton established himself as the first challenger for John Cena’s gold. The legendary rivals are expected to battle it out at Backlash 2025 next month, which goes down in The Viper’s hometown of St. Louis on May 10th.

While Cena is expected to have several matches on his retirement tour, Oba Femi has made it clear that fans shouldn’t expect him to face the veteran performer.

Speaking on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, the NXT Champion explained that though he wished to face John Cena, he was convinced it’s unlikely to materialize.

“I wish. I wish. But he’s in the twilight of his career. He’s winding down, I’m just getting started. I don’t know if our paths are going to cross in that fashion, I hope it does, but I don’t think so.” (H/T – Ringside News)

Dutch Mantell on John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41

On a recent episode of his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the WWE veteran explained that the underwhelming reception to Cena and Rhodes’ match at ‘Mania was probably due to fans being disinterested in the feud.

Dutch Mantell feels the unexplained absence of The Rock resulted in viewers losing interest.

“It’s almost like they’re seeing two guys that they don’t want to see in this main event because I think both of them still have their fans, and Cena, it’s almost like you’re going to watch something but you have this illusion in your mind, that’s how it’s gonna end because they knew that Cena was gonna win, but the thing that held them there, and the intensity that held them there, was that The Rock was going to show up.”

The Rock had aligned with John Cena at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025. However, he didn’t show up even once following the event, leaving fans puzzled.

About the author

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Arpit Shrivastava is a journalist who reports on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda. He is also an assistant content manager for the AEW team and has played a pivotal role in building it from the ground up. Arpit graduated in Political Science and Mass Communication. From writing for his college magazine while being a huge wrestling fan to pursuing journalism as a career, he has accumulated five years of experience in the industry.

During the course of his career, Arpit has written nearly 4k articles, garnering over 32 million reads. Besides covering the latest stories in the world of pro wrestling, Arpit mentors several up-and-coming writers and is also responsible for assembling a stellar team for Sportskeeda’s All Elite Wrestling division. Arpit gives utmost importance to fact-based reporting as he sources information only from reliable outlets. He believes in providing relevant information to readers, allowing them to form their opinions based on legitimate facts.

Among Arpit’s favorite wrestlers is MJF. He admires The Wolf of Wrestling for his cool, anti-authoritative attitude on television. Arpit is also fond of Sami Zayn’s never-say-die approach and underdog persona. In the women’s division, he looks up to Becky Lynch for her sheer aura.

Outside of pro wrestling, Arpit is a massive history and cinema buff. He spends his leisure time reading and following tennis and cricket.

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