John Cena vs. Logan Paul is Prime Example of WWE's Growing Problem with HHH's Booking

The peak moment of WWE's 2025 European tour will happen in France when the company presents Clash in Paris.

This card for this show is lacking multiple top names and stories, relying heavily on its biggest promise: a battle between John Cena and Logan Paul.

The GOAT will step into the ring with The Maverick in one of the last matches of Cena's WWE career.

After his match with Paul, The GOAT will only have eight dates left in his career. Even if he still has a few big premium live events left, the opportunities are dwindling.

This is one of the most important matches left in Cena's career, so why does it feel like a throwaway contest that accomplishes very little going forward?

The answer to that question is not simple. It connects to WWE's creative failures as a whole, particularly focused on the direction of the company with Triple H at the creative helm.

The Timeline That Led to a New WWE Era

July 22, 2022: WWE announced the formal retirement of Vince McMahon following a board review of hush money paid out by the former CEO, a story that Joe Palazzolo and Ted Mann of the The Wall Street Journal broke just two days prior.

July 30, 2022: In McMahon's absence, Paul Levesque (a.k.a Triple H) took over the primary creative lead in the final build to SummerSlam, producing a highly acclaimed show.

September 6, 2022: WWE announced that Levesque had been promoted to Chief Content Office, becoming the permanent creative lead for the product going forward.

January 10, 2023: Just four days after returning to WWE, WWE announced that he was unanimously elected Executive Chairman and would begin the process of selling WWE.

Following this time, McMahon was not directly involved with creative, but there were signs that he would occasionally interfere with story direction while focusing on the WWE sale.

September 12, 2023: Todd Spangler of Variety reported WWE's acquisition by Endeavor, merging WWE with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings.

January 26, 2024: McMahon resigns from TKO in a statement provided to ESPN's Mike Coppinger following a lawsuit filed against WWE, himself, and John Laurinaitis by Janel Grant alleging sexual abuse, details provided by The Wall Street Journal.

April 7, 2024: WWE completes the second night of WrestleMania XL, a show TKO would declare to be its most successful and highest grossing event in WWE history.

By the end of WrestleMania XL, it was clear that WWE was truly committed to the vision of a new creative head, who was charting the course toward arguably WWE's most financially successful era ever.

The final vision of Levesque was presented on screen as Cody Rhodes celebrate with the COO, taking on the mantle of his top star in a new creative future.

Any scandal involving the former Chairman was pushed aside as something only connected to a past era and a man that was no longer with the company.

WWE was moving forward under the vision of Levesque, looking to break new records financially while satisfying fans creatively.

2024: The 1st True Year of The HHH Era

While Triple H played a strong role in the creative vision of WWE dating back to 2022, outstanding circumstances make it easier to consider 2024 the true beginning of his creative vision for WWE.

While a financial and critical success, the road to WrestleMania XL was rocky, especially involving the main event scene.

Cody Rhodes won the men's Royal Rumble, seemingly calling out Roman Reigns only for The Rock to arrive with the goal of fighting The Tribal Chief at 'Mania.

Fan outcries righted the course, leading to Rhodes booking his rematch with Reigns while Rock turned into The Final Boss and became The American Nightmare's biggest obstacle to glory.

This led to an exciting two-night spectacle where Rhodes alongside Seth Rollins lost to Rock and Reigns on Night 1, only for Rhodes' allies to align and assist him in toppling The Tribal Chief and The Bloodline.

The main event scene continued to focus on Rhodes and The Bloodline through the rest of the year. Solo Sikoa tried to take over the family, pushing him as the major rival for The American Nightmare through SummerSlam.

Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton worked together to rise up the ranks. Rhea Ripley solidified herself as WWE's top woman while raising Liv Morgan closer to her level.

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre delivered one of the most memorable feuds of the modern era, setting the stage for a much-needed return to form with Hell in a Cell.

Gunther became WWE's true dominant heel figure, capturing the World Heavyweight Championship, after a solid first title reign for Damian Priest.

The only major nitpick of this year was a lack of focus on the tag team divisions, mostly relying on The Judgment Day's relevance to mask a lack of stories.

The foundation was building, and fan were invested in a product that genuinely felt as hot as the Attitude Era.

Early 2025: Hope for an Anticipated Road

The start of 2024 brought with it some concern but also anticipation.

During the slow period of the winter, Solo Sikoa's push halted as WWE seemed to lose faith in his ability to improve while in a top role. Roman Reigns put him down on the Raw on Netflix debut and never looked back.

However, Reigns was setting up to rise back up the card, setting the stage for a rivalry with Seth Rollins and CM Punk.

Cody Rhodes was without a rival after definitively taking down Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble, and his title reign was beginning to grow stale.

WWE though had a plan, connecting Rhodes to John Cena's retirement tour, one last year in WWE before The GOAT walked away for good.

The potential of this angle was accentuated by a truly shocking heel turn by Cena at Elimination Chamber, beating down Rhodes alongside The Rock and Travis Scott.

Meanwhile, WWE was taking a chance on a mega-popular Jey Uso to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship despite Jey losing definitively multiple times to The Ring General in the last year.

Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair were finally set to collided one-on-one. Even when WWE complicated it by getting Iyo Sky involved, it still felt big time.

Tiffany Stratton faced one of her idols, a returning Charlotte Flair, though the two felt far from cordial, throwing out unnecessary personal barbs at each other weekly.

The midcard divisions were lagging behind despite solid champions holding the Intercontinental Championship (Bron Breakker) and United States Championship (LA Knight).

The tag team division felt almost non-existent, even WWE pushing a newly signed Motor City Machine Guns starting in October. A dramatic New Day heel turn at Big E's expense went nowhere fast.

Still, WrestleMania is always a special night. WWE could not afford to lose steam by delivering a lackluster show.

WrestleMania 41: The Honeymoon Phase is Over

While WrestleMania 41 was a financial triumph once again, announced by TKO as WWE's most successful WWE event of all time.

However, the fan and critical reception was significantly more muted. Most of the card for the two night event came off an afterthought.

Jey Uso completed his journey to the World Heavyweight Championship, but he did not show he could hang with Gunther in the ring.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte Flair was a sloppy fight that seemed to indicate the two legitimately could not safely work together.

Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky and Bron Breakker vs. Finn Bálor vs. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta were the only major exceptions, delivering quality action that still stands as some of the best of 2025.

It all came down to the main events to deliver since this show lacked the depth and excitement of WrestleMania XL.

On Night 1, Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins was a massive drama, highlighted by a game-changing heel turn by The Visionary and Paul Heyman.

It set up a new top threat on Raw that would define the brand's major focus throughout the entire year in a similar manner to The Bloodline last year.

On Night 2 though, Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena was a complete disaster. The match never really got off the ground, relying heavily on Cena hamming it up as a heel.

Finally, it ended with another Travis Scott appearance, who did almost nothing along the way to sell why he was involved. The Rock was nowhere to be seen and would not appear again on WWE television up to the present day.

The GOAT won, but he looked like he was not ready to carry the mantle in the ring anymore.

Fans were left wondering if 2025 could truly match up to the lofty promises of 2024, making the show must-watch TV.

It was the first time it truly felt like WWE might not be on an upward swing creatively with Triple H at the helm.

The John Cena Retirement Tour

Even going into 2025, WWE clearly stated that Cena's final year would be the focus point of the brand. This was an angle that needed to succeed.

Throughout 2025, only Seth Rollins' heel rise has matched up to Cena in terms of excitement and spectacle.

The problem though is that the excitement and spectacle were not backed up by good creative.

This is not just individual opinion but a truth backed by Cena himself, who would back off on his own heel turn just days before SummerSlam by saying he was given bad advice by people that did not back him.

Until SummerSlam, WWE could not get a handle on what a heel Cena could be. He was cheating up a storm and fighting his most-established rivals, Randy Orton and CM Punk.

He was calling his entire run up to this point a test of a fan base that never respected him, yet the audience was quickly losing interest in booing the veteran. They wanted to cheer him.

Nothing was working, and a mulligan going into SummerSlam put Cena back on the right track, delivering a significantly better second match with Cody Rhodes at the show to make up for WrestleMania.

It all felt a bit too-little-too-late though, especially given WWE's attempted pivot to follow: Brock Lesnar and Logan Paul.

Moreover, WWE has done little to build excitement for the overall product in the meantime since everything Cena has done was incredibly insulated from an overall show that lacks direction.

Why Logan Paul?

Triple H bet everything on fan nostalgia during this John Cena retirement tour, complicating that nostalgia with a heel turn fans would not accept.

This left the rest of the show awaiting what little opportunities there might be to work with The GOAT.

However, all signs point to only Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul getting a real rub from working with Cena in his last year.

While The American Nightmare could have benefited from working with The GOAT, the messy booking led to Rhodes leaving SummerSlam in a worse place than he was going into 2025, receiving mixed reactions throughout the night.

The Maverick though could still benefit from his match with Cena if there is any value to pushing Paul in WWE.

The once immensely promising rookie has done little of substance over the last couple years. The Maverick is not a top heel and competes inconsistently on television.

His appearances come off more as stunts, a long-running celebrity angle, over building a rising star.

Part of this comes down to The Maverick mostly hitting his ceiling early. Fans have not taken to him as a character, mostly disliking him for his persona outside of WWE.

He is not growing as a character, and his in-ring work has stagnated to deliver solid but forgettable matches beyond the occasional drone shot.

Cena himself delivered a promo last week explaining why he should be facing other stars instead of Paul, and nothing about WWE's direction says that Cena is lying.

Where is WWE Going?

As a dead-end match, John Cena vs. Logan Paul ends at Clash in Paris, headlining a card with little hype.

The GOAT will compete at Wrestlepalooza in September (likely against Brock Lesnar) as well as Crown Jewel in October, Survivor Series in November, and Saturday Night's Main Event in December.

These are the final major show stops for Cena's retirement tour, the one defining story of 2025, yet the hype for these events is lacking.

The heat is dying down for the product as a whole, but the number of stars that feel like they are on the rise is steadily lowering.

Seth Rollins is in a great spot. Cody Rhodes can still stand out as one of WWE's top names, though Roman Reigns might be ready to take back the number one spot, now that he finally seems to have direction again.

Where are the names that were supposed to develop in 2025? Where are the stars that should have gotten the rub even from working on the same card as Cena?

The women's division feels out of sorts despite a loaded talent pool. WWE has done little to carry on the momentum from Evolution 2025, and no one is anywhere near contesting the men for the main event spot based on booking.

The tag division is truly in shambles. The midcard division generally have good champions, especially "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and Becky Lynch as the Intercontinental champions, but no one is getting a chance to step up around them.

Newly signed talent like Penta and Rey Fenix as well as re-signed stars like Aleister Black and Rusev are midcard fill-ins past the initial return hype.

The product is fine while the talent pool is great. The biggest problem is simply that so little feels like it matters.

Why should anyone get excited to see Cena vs. Paul or Cena vs. Lesnar (again)? What is there to anticipate beyond the next star to step to the men's world champions?

There is absolutely no reason WWE should have already gotten to this point with a fresh creative team and a fan base eager to see anything and every thing.

What is the Hope?

WWE cannot rely on John Cena for much longer. The company will need to refocus back on the big names. That is easy with Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.

However, there are others that could still use the opportunity to work off John Cena. Jey Uso and LA Knight could use a bump from The GOAT endorsing them before he leaves.

More importantly, WWE needs to remember that this is a team effort, and there are too many talented stars down the card that can play a greater role.

John Cena vs. Logan Paul, a match with limited hype and very little stakes, should not be the main event of a WWE PLE.

A similar match for The Maverick certainly should not fly in 2026. That is a spot to elevate the women like Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair, Roxanne Perez and (hopefully returning soon) Liv Morgan.

The tag team division does not need to be an afterthought as tag matches have main evented WrestleMania in recent years for a reason.

"Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, Solo Sikoa, Becky Lynch and Giulia need a clear hierarchy of exciting challengers to their gold.

That way, WWE can rely upon variety over just the top two stories to come out of the men's main event scene.

Hopefully, Triple H understands that a creative pivot is needed for the sake of the company and especially the talent.

2025 was a downturn but not a complete disaster. It would only be a failure if WWE stayed down this path, simply relying on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins alone in 2026.