John Cena was reportedly lined up for a history-making moment during his farewell runbut plans may have changed after Brock Lesnar stepped back into the picture.
According to Billi Bhatti on The Dirty Sheets Wrestling Informer podcast, WWE was preparing for Cena to finally win the Intercontinental Championship from AJ Styles at Crown Jewel in Perth. That win would have made Cena a career Grand Slam Champion, filling the last gap in his Hall of Fame resume. But the return of Brock Lesnar at WrestlePalooza may have thrown the entire arc off course.
Bhatti explained that Cena was scheduled to work a storyline-heavy feud with Styles for the IC title. Instead, he ended up in a surprise match with Lesnarone that reportedly wasnt part of WWEs long-term creative direction.
That match with Lesnar came at a cost. According to Bhatti, it may have burned through three of Cenas limited contractual appearancestwo for the build, one for the matchleaving no room to build or drop the IC title.
Bhatti theorized that WWEs original vision had Cena winning the title, defending it in a rematch against Dominik Mysterio, and eventually putting someone over at Survivor Series or in his final match on December 13. Dominik, who currently holds both the Intercontinental and AAA Mega Championships, could have been positioned as a key part of Cenas farewell arc.
While Bhatti made it clear that not all parts of the arc were confirmed, he did stand firm on one key point:
With Cena vs. AJ Styles now confirmed for Crown Jewel as a non-title match, Bhatti said the match seems to be happening with absolutely no build, likely because of how Lesnars surprise return consumed Cenas remaining schedule.
Its unclear if WWE might revisit the Grand Slam angle or if that opportunity has quietly slipped away forever.
Do you think WWE should still find a way to give John Cena the Grand Slam before he retires? Or is the moment already gone? Let us know your thoughts below.
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