17-time WWE world champion John Cena’s in-ring career is almost over, with his legendary career to come to a close at the December 13 Saturday Night’s Main Event special.
With only four WWE appearances left on John Cena’s calendar as an active competitor, there are only a few opportunities left for Cena to share the ring with a younger star before he hangs up the jorts for good.
In an homage to Cena’s own debut – stepping up to face Kurt Angle on SmackDown in 2002 – we could see a young talent make a huge debut with the retiring John Cena.
Here are seven new WWE stars who could make their debut with John Cena.
7. Tavion Heights
John Cena made his WWE debut on the June 27, 2002 edition of SmackDown, answering Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle’s open challenge.
If Cena wanted to pay tribute to this moment, there’s a former Olympic wrestler in NXT who could make his main roster debut in a similar fashion.
Having previously won bronze at the 2021 Greco-Roman wrestling World Wrestling Championship, Tavion Heights has been honing his craft as a professional wrestler in WWE since 2022.
It would be fitting to see John Cena face off with an Olympic level wrestler one more time, and propel a young star’s career to new heights.
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6. Mike D Vecchio
Following reports that WWE was interested in signing Mike D Vecchio following the European tryouts in March, Vecchio confirmed in September that he is now WWE-bound.
The Belgian star has already had a very small role in John Cena’s retirement tour, training and practicing moves with Logan Paul ahead of Paul and Cena’s singles match at Clash In Paris.
With Vecchio yet to wrestle an official match for the company, WWE has the opportunity to make him a star right out of the gate with a match against the most decorated world champion in WWE history.
While Cena vs Vecchio isn’t a match which many are predicting, it would certainly establish the new signing as a future star.
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5. Je’Von Evans
Je’Von Evans has been on the run of a lifetime since joining WWE in November 2023, something fans wouldn’t be able to ignore if he had a match against John Cena.
Following recent matches against the likes of NXT’s Oba Femi and TNA Wrestling’s Leon Slater, many fans are eagerly anticipating Evans’ full-time main roster call-up.
Evans recently wrestled on SmackDown answering Sami Zayn’s US Championship open challenge on the September 26 episode.
With the originator of US Championship open challenge set to retire at the end of the year, it would be fun to see Evans establish himself on the main roster officially with a match against Cena.
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4. Joe Hendry
It’s no secret that Joe Hendry wants a match against John Cena, with the TNA Wrestling star publicly pushing for this match on multiple occasions.
The latest Cena vs Hendry tease came on the September 25 iMPACT episode, with the former TNA World Champion giving extra attention to a “Hendry vs Cena” sign.
While Hendry is currently signed to TNA Wrestling, we have seen him wrestle some big matches in WWE, including a bout against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41.
All we have to do is say his name before December 13, and he will appear…
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3. Anthony Luke
WWE LFG star Anthony Luke has drawn a lot of comparisons with The Rock, someone who John Cena is very familiar with.
Following his appearances on seasons one and two of WWE LFG, we could soon see Luke appearing regularly on NXT, or one of the company’s other weekly in-ring shows.
A match between Cena and Luke would feel familiar and new at the same time, allowing the WWE LFG star to establish himself on the active roster.
With Cena retiring in two months, this bout would probably actually be once in a lifetime, too.
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2. Myles Borne
Early on in Myles Borne’s WWE career, many fans pointed out the resemblance between him and Randy Orton.
Borne has since established himself as a star in his own right, proving himself in impressive matches against the likes of Oba Femi and Charles Dempsey.
Again, a John Cena vs Myles Borne would be a fun way to give a nod to Cena’s past, while actually putting a new star on the map.
If Cena’s final match ends with the 17-time world champion raising the arm of a future main eventer, Myles Borne is a great candidate for this role.
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1. Oba Femi
With Oba Femi losing the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints at No Mercy on September 27, it has been heavily speculated that he will soon bring his dominance to the main roster.
With Femi destroying almost everyone in his path in NXT, WWE has the opportunity to quickly establish the former NXT Champion as a mega star by having him share the ring with John Cena.
John Cena has found himself fighting against dominators on numerous occasions, taking huge losses against the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and The Undertaker.
If John Cena intends to lay down for the three-second tan, having Oba Femi pick up this victory would catapult him into WWE’s main event scene.
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