Drew McIntyre is opening up again about missing out on John Cenas retirement tour but this time, hes revealing there was even more planned behind the scenes than fans realized. After it was previously confirmed that McIntyre was originally set to face Cena at WWE Crown Jewel 2025 before plans shifted to AJ Styles, Drew had already addressed the situation publicly in February, taking a calm approach and accepting WWEs decision to pivot. Now, while speaking to Chris Van Vliet on April 2, 2026, McIntyre revisited the situation and revealed that the Crown Jewel match wasnt the only plan that changed. When reflecting on how he handled being pulled from Cenas retirement storyline, McIntyre made it clear that adaptability is part of the business, even when things dont go as expected. When pressed further during the interview, McIntyre confirmed there were additional plans in place, but stopped short of revealing full details, suggesting multiple creative directions were explored before the company settled on Cena vs. Styles. McIntyre also made it clear that while the match with Cena never became public, it was something he personally would have liked to see play out especially alongside the eventual Styles bout: So it wasnt public, myself and John. I would have liked to see what me and John could have done and still get the AJ match. Despite the missed opportunity, McIntyre isnt looking at it as a setback. Instead, hes treating it as just another example of how quickly plans can shift in WWE and how important it is to stay ready no matter what direction things go. Do you think WWE should have stuck with Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena or did they make the right call pivoting to AJ Styles instead? Let us know your thoughts below. Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication. G Add as a preferred source on Google
