Tony Khan Reveals Truth Behind John Cena Facing AEW Star In WWE

AEW/WWE

Tony Khan has revealed the truth about the idea that John Cena could have faced an AEW star in WWE during his retirement tour.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Adam Copeland suggested that Tony Khan would have allowed him to wrestle John Cena in WWE.

Copeland would suggest that “knowing how the mindset is” in WWE, he realized it wasn’t going to happen, although he believed that Khan would have allowed it.

Speaking to Metro, the AEW owner would comment on the possibility, revealing that there wasn’t a conversation between Copeland, Khan or WWE, saying:

“I was never asked, and as far as I know, Adam was never asked, so it’s hard to say. But when there have been opportunities to collaborate, I have been collaborative in the past.

“I never got asked, but if I had been presented a plan and the dates and the information of what was going on, yeah, I would have supported it.”

Reiterating that a conversation hadn’t taken place, Khan would confirm he would “not have undermined” any plans if both parties had been able to hold a discussion.

Cena would retire as an in-ring WWE star at December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, losing by submission to GUNTHER.

What Might Have Been

John Cena’s retirement tour saw “tons of pivots” when it comes to WWE creative, with the star suggesting that the audience reaction led to a more agile method of storytelling.

With Cena having a lengthy history as a WWE star, there was no doubt many opponents from his many feuds who could have stepped into the ring for one last hurrah. Zack Ryder was one such name, returning during the tournament to determine Cena’s final opponent, in a match won by LA Knight. For the former Ryder, he would later sign a new WWE contract, returning as Matt Cardona.

Cardona may have found his path from the independent scene back to WWE, but the case of Copeland would have been an interesting one. An AEW star, Copeland may be remembered as Edge, but he is currently signed by a company that doesn’t have a direct relationship with WWE and has a TV deal of its own. TNA Wrestling may be in a similar position when it comes to having a TV deal, but it is also in a long-running partnership with WWE, allowing a crossover of talent between products.

There’s a strong likelihood that there will be no official comment on why WWE didn’t reach out to AEW to secure the services of Copeland, leaving it has a “what might have been” when it comes to a retirement story.

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• AEW
• wwe
• tony khan
• John Cena
• Adam Copeland

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