Drew McIntyre comments on canceled plans for a match with John Cena in 2025
While appearing on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, John Cena noted that he was initially supposed to face Drew McIntyre at WWE Crown Jewel 2025 instead of AJ Styles. During an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling, McIntyre commented on the situation…
“I mean, I can’t change the creative direction. I talked about getting a match with Cena, getting a situation on the microphone with Cena just to prove what I’m capable of because I want to compete with the best, and he is—or was—the best on the microphone.
I heard the quote. I heard what John said. You know, whatever—people weren’t feeling what was going on, they decided to pivot. He outright asked, ‘Do you want AJ?’ And the match was incredible. So I could sit there and go, ‘Damn, what if?’ or ‘What if he tweeted my name?’ But the reality is, he’s retired. I’m world champion. So I think it worked out just fine for Drew McIntyre.
[Did you know that was the original plan?] I know enough. And I keep my head down and I keep working no matter what happens. I can’t take his phone and say, ‘Just tweet my name.’
Things happen the way they’re supposed to happen. Many times, like I’ve mentioned already, I’ve been frustrated about things. I’ve been like, I know this was the right thing to do. But at the same time, you get somebody like Triple H leading the charge—someone who’s been there and done that a million times and genuinely does think about the big picture—and I’m sitting here now, champion.”