With WWE legend John Cena wrapping up the final leg of his farewell tour, there could be new WWE stars waiting to challenge him.
In an homage to Cena’s own debut – where he arrived as an unknown challenger in 2002 that stepped up to Kurt Angle on an episode of SmackDown – there could be a young talent waiting to make a huge debut moment with the retiring John Cena.
Here are eight new WWE stars that could make their debut with John Cena.
8. Oba Femi
After having been a dominant champion in NXT over the span of two years, Oba Femi could be poised for a main roster call-up.
With Femi set to take on Ricky Saints at NXT No Mercy for the NXT Championship later this month, it could be that his over 250 day reign as champ could be winding down.
Able to transition to the main roster after defeat and not lose much of his character’s powerful presence, Femi could be an ideal NXT star to debut against Cena.
Bringing forward a new monster on the WWE main roster in Oba Femi by immediately challenging him with the likes of John Cena could be a career defining moment for Femi.
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7. Ricky Saints
Making the move from AEW to NXT in February 2025, Ricky Saints has yet to cross paths with John Cena.
While Saints is set to face off against Oba Femi for the NXT Championship on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at NXT No Mercy – a win or a loss wouldn’t rule him out of interacting with Cena.
Potentially able to arrive on the main roster as the NXT Champion, Saints could interact with Cena as a future face of the company.
Or if there were plans for Saints to join the main roster imminently – there would be no better launching pad than to interact on-screen with John Cena.
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6. Joe Hendry
While Joe Hendry remains contracted with TNA Wrestling, the company’s partnership with WWE has been fruitful in seeing more appearances by the fan favorite in NXT.
Having been vocal in the past about wanting to have a match against John Cena at some point in his career, time appears to be running low for Hendry.
However with the spontaneous nature of his character being summoned seemingly out of nowhere if anyone says his name meaning the interaction could come together fairly easily.
With Joe Hendry having been noted by Triple H to be someone the head of creative expects to play a major role in future creative, having him interact with John Cena makes perfect sense.
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5. Ethan Page
Already doing amazing heel character work in NXT, Ethan Page could be the perfect person to interact with John Cena.
Able to be deeply irritating, perhaps even Page could rattle the Zen Cena who has demonstrated his calm resilience in this final chapter of his farewell tour.
Also bringing to the main roster his recent partnership with Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice – debuting in a segment with John Cena or even a full match against the 17x Champion could be a major moment for the squad.
Being so grating that a loss wouldn’t squash his character – Page could be an amazing choice to have a showdown with Cena.
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4. Myles Borne
An NXT star on the rise that could make a memorable debut with John Cena is Myles Borne.
With a compelling backstory of triumph over adversity as well as an iconic look – Borne could very well be a next generation version of John Cena.
Making his main roster debut in a segment with John Cena could be an incredibly launching point for Borne.
Making his introduction to the main roster audience, the exchange wouldn’t have to result in an immediate main roster call-up but definitely could with Borne’s in-ring skills proven in NXT.
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3. Private Party
After dropping their AEW Tag Team Championship to the Hurt Syndicate in January 2025, Private Party disappeared from AEW TV.
As can be the case with talent on their way out of the company, the duo have yet to be called off the AEW bench with rumors that their contract were set to end over the Summer.
While a match itself could end up going to either Isiah Kassidy or Marq Quen, it would be equally interesting if the pair were just to meet Cena for a debut in-ring segment.
Able to immediately establish themselves as over-the-top characters in WWE the pair could capitalize on their characters, charisma and charm to make a big first impression.
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2. Charlie Dempsey
An NXT star that could be looking for a fresh start, Charlie Dempsey would be an intriguing showdown for John Cena.
A potentially interesting on-screen meeting could be a launching pad for Dempsey on the main roster.
With his NXT character seemingly a bit influx as members continue to drop out of the No Quarter Catch Crew, Dempsey could be looking for more challenges.
Able to pop-up on the main roster to challenge Cena, Dempsey could also appear on-screen with his real life father William Regal to add to the gravity of the moment.
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1. Julius Creed
While admittedly Julius Creed has already made his main roster debut – he could be relaunched as a singles star along with the guidance of John Cena.
While the Creed Brothers remain a strong tag team, the duo could definitely chart their own paths as singles stars with Julius Creed’s look and strength making him stand out as someone
With Chad Gable continuing to be on the shelf due to injury, perhaps there could be an on-screen angle featuring the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile getting an intervention from John Cena.
If Cena were to later appear with Creed for a singles match against a known dastardly heel – the audience could have a clear demonstration of how iconic Julius Creed could be as a fan favorite babyface.
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