John Cena Reveals Original Plans for His 17th World Title Win – John Cena revealed that his match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2021 almost ended very differently. The bout saw Reigns retain the WWE Universal Championship, followed by the surprise return of Brock Lesnar. However, Cena explained that the original creative direction had him winning his 17th World Title before plans shifted late in the day.
Speaking on No-Contest Wrestling with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Henderson, Cena detailed how the finish was reworked shortly before the show.
“In the last moment, we had a surprise guest booked, he came out after the match was over. Brock. They didn’t secure Brock until 5 PM that day. I was going to win 17. We were going to have someone come out and restart the match, Roman was going to take it back. This is creative. The way we were going to put together the match, we were going to give them a hell of a match. Everything out the door. No rules, no nothing. Tons of finishers because I was going to win, and then Roman was going to take it back. You have this hard fought battle, and through a nefarious set of rules, match is restarted. Then, we secure Brock. [Talent relations] comes and says, ‘I need to see you. We’re switching the finish.’ ‘To what?’ ‘Roman over. Clean.’ ‘Okay. Let me talk to Roman and Paul.’ We go in, ‘You got the news? What do we do?’ I said, ‘One spear. That’s it. Whatever match you want to have, that’s fine. You beat me with your finish once.’ I love Paul, Paul Heyman has been a great mentor. He gets it and he recognizes somebody who sees it’s not about them, it’s about the story. This is going to make Roman better. It switched. Right there. An hour before. It happens to everyone. I didn’t flip out. It happens all the time. I was supposed to win 17 that night,” Cena told O’Shea Jackson Jr & TJ Henderson on No-Contest Wrestling.
The revised finish resulted in Reigns defeating Cena clean, strengthening his title run and setting up Lesnar’s return. Cena later achieved his 17th world championship at WrestleMania 41 by defeating Cody Rhodes.
During the same interview, John Cena also shared new details about how plans changed during his 2025 retirement run, including a major switch for his match at WWE Crown Jewel 2025. Cena said the original direction called for him to face Drew McIntyre before plans shifted.
“I try to plan it as a year of creative experiences, but you have to be able to pivot. You don’t have Rock, you don’t have Travis (Scott). ‘We’re going to do this and this.’ AJ was supposed to be Drew. We pivoted. You want to have a feel good moment because they were listening to the data points. They do. It’s real,” Cena said.
The final decision led to Cena facing AJ Styles instead. According to Cena, fan reactions and internal feedback played a key role in the change. He pointed to mixed responses from the crowd during a segment with Brock Lesnar and compared that to the more positive atmosphere surrounding the match with Styles.
Cena also reflected on several standout moments from the tour, including appearances alongside Dominik Mysterio and interactions with GUNTHER.
“You have the Brock moment, people are pissed off. You have the AJ moment, and things are great. You have this three appearance run with Dom, which is fun. Then, the Ring General,” Cena added.
Cena’s in-ring career officially ended on December 13, 2025, when he lost his final match to GUNTHER. Styles, who later stepped away from WWE competition after the Royal Rumble 2026, received strong praise from Cena following their Crown Jewel bout. Meanwhile, McIntyre has redirected his focus toward his alliance with Logan Paul and his pursuit of championship opportunities heading into WrestleMania 42.
John Cena Reveals Original Plans for His 17th World Title Win
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