By almost any metric alive, John Cena has done everything there is to do in professional wrestling. He was the top star in the industry, at least in the United States, for over a decade, producing classic rivalries with the likes of CM Punk and Adam Copeland, winning 16 World Championships, and drawing in major crowds, even if some of those crowds were there to boo Cena. After a few false starts, he used his wrestling fame to successfully transition into a film and television career, much like former rivals Dave Batista and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. After years of anticipation, Cena finally turned heel, though the run didn't go as he had hoped for. And in the process of that run, he defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41, capturing a record-setting 17th World Championship in the process.
Add it all up, and it would seem like there'd be nothing else Cena could ask for as he continues to approach his retirement on the December 13 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. But there are always goals and wishes one can have even after accomplishing so much, especially when it comes to dream matches that could never happen. And that is where Cena, who became a wrestling fan during the first golden age of wrestling in the 1980s, does have one match he wishes he could have had, at least if he had access to a time machine. And when asked what that would be when appearing at Fan EXPO Chicago 2025, Cena revealed that match was with, arguably, the be all, end all star in WWE history.
"Just selfishly, Andre, because he was like the measuring stick," Cena said. "The folklore behind Andre the Giant is mythical, and both physical, as his presence, but also in, like, the folklore of the fraternity, of the brotherhood of wrestling, especially the WWF territory. I'm sure it's across the world, because Andre was a global phenomenon. But selfishly, yes. That would be the one, Andre the Giant."
It's an answer that likely won't surprise many. For one, Cena's career largely followed the formula that another one of Cena's idols, Hulk Hogan, perfected in the 80s. While many would argue that Cena was a better in-ring performer than Hogan and wound up having more interesting feuds in some regards, many of his earlier feuds were similar to the battles Hogan had with opponents like Andre, Big Bossman, and others; a bigger wrestler would get in Cena's way, the odds against Cena would seem rather grim, and ultimately he would overcome the odds and prevail. It was a storyline that played out to a T between Cena and the man many consider to be Andre's successor, the Big Show Paul Wight, with the two having matches that likely would've been similar to ones Cena and Andre would've had.
Of course, it also doesn't hurt that, as mentioned, Cena grew up idolizing Andre, and that Andre was involved in what Cena later described as his favorite WrestleMania moment ever. That moment was none other than Andre vs. Hogan at WrestleMania III, arguably still the biggest match to ever take place in a WWE ring and arguably the most important, given how Hogan's slam of Andre inspired many to become wrestling fans. Cena was already a fan of wrestling by that point, but the moment had a profound effect on him, with Cena later admitting that he got goosebumps watching Hogan pick Andre up for the slam. Between that, and Cena's Hogan fandom as well, it makes all the sense in the world that Cena wishes he and Andre could've replicated something similar, if time travel had been possible.
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