John Cena has predicted that Randy Orton and Roman Reigns will both become new champions in the main event matches of WWE WrestleMania 42 Night One & Two.
For the second year running Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium hosts WrestleMania, and like last year, Cody Rhodes will be defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against a modern legend of wrestling: Randy Orton.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated on the red carpet at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame on Friday, April 17, Cody Rhodes’ opponent at last year’s WWE WrestleMania 41: John Cena, was asked for his prediction for the clash between “The Viper” and “The American Nightmare” at WrestleMania 42 Saturday.
Drawing parallels between Orton and his own quest to win WWE Championship number 17 last year, Cena explained why he “can’t bet against Orton”:
“I gotta think about that. I can’t bet against Randy Orton. I’ve known him for so long, I’ve known both of them for so long. And I’ve been in a similar position as a mentor for Cody, a teacher for Cody, someone Cody wanted approval from. It didn’t really matter, the kid’s a success anyway.
“I just think Randy’s got something to prove. I know what it feels like to say, ‘I want 17 and I’ll do anything to get it.’ Cody was the guy I took it from. Randy’s got that vibe about him, that’s pretty special.”
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Cena would then predict another title change when weighing in on the main event of WWE WrestleMania 42 Sunday, with the “Never Seen 17” predicting that Roman Reigns will dethrone his “wrestling soulmate” CM Punk:
“Gosh, it’s tough to bet against uce man. When the lights are on, prime time, he has become the man.
“Phil is my wrestling soulmate, I think you’re going to see one hell of a performance, but man it’s tough to bet against uce.”
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Roman Reigns was one of many WWE stars to thank John Cena in a video package before his retirement
A New Role For John Cena In His First WrestleMania Since Retirement
This year’s WrestleMania 42 marks a major change for John Cena, as the 17-time world champion serves as the show’s guest host, rather than actively competing.
Having been absent since losing to GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington D.C. on December 13, this weekend marks the first time that Cena will be back on TV, and the show should give fans some insight into how he will be used in the company going forward.
While there may be some tense face-offs with the likes of GUNTHER and potentially Randy Orton, don’t expect Cena to get physical over the weekend, instead we will likely see him have nostalgic meetings with the likes of brand new WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles and popular new signing Danhausen.
Whatever the case, Cena’s return will be welcomed by fans, and will kick off a new era in WWE for the “Greatest of all Time.”
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