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John Cena's Dad on Son's WWE Future; Andrade Rejected NXT; Cody's Favorite Match
March 31, 2021
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
John Cena Sr. Talks Son's WWE Future
John Cena is primarily focused on his acting career in Hollywood right now, but his father has little doubt that Cena's relationship with WWE will continue for a long time to come.
During an appearance on the UnSKripted podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), John Cena Sr. had the following to say about his son's future with the company:
"I think that John Cena will always be connected with the WWE or professional wrestling in some form or manner. Managing, backstage, NXT, whatever. He'll always be part of that business. I think you see already, and it's just me, less and less the other side that he's doing now. Doesn't mean he's finished. I hope nobody believes he's finished because my prediction...only my prediction, I have not spoken to him...he will be back."
Cena is one of the biggest stars in the history of the business, as his 16 world title reigns are equaled only by Ric Flair. For well over a decade, Cena was the face of WWE and was essentially always the company's go-to guy.
That hasn't really been the case in recent years, though, as Cena has focused more on acting and made only periodic appearances for WWE.
Cena wrestled only twice in 2019 and did not compete at WrestleMania 35, although he did appear to interrupt Elias' musical performance with a rap.
Last year, he wrestled only one match, that being the Firefly Funhouse Match against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.
Cena is not being advertised for WrestleMania 37 on April 10 and 11, and he has made it clear that he won't be able to attend the show because of the fact that he is shooting for the Peacemaker HBO Max series in Vancouver.
Since Cena has been part of WrestleMania in some way essentially every year since his debut in 2002, it will be an odd sight if he doesn't show up at WrestleMania 37.
Even so, Cena's father seems confident that Cena is far from done in professional wrestling, meaning his fans still have plenty to look forward to in the coming years.
Andrade Says He Turned Down Return to NXT
Andrade has provided some interesting information in recent days regarding what led to the end of his WWE run, including an opportunity he turned down.
The Mexican star divulged on a media call (h/t Phillip Hendrix of Ringside News) that Triple H tried to get him back on television by offering him a spot in NXT:
"He then told me, 'How about a run on NXT?' I told him that I wanted an opportunity on SmackDown or Raw. I didn't want to be someone who stayed in the back complaining, but complaining among the wrestlers. I don't want to complain to the wrestlers, but talk to the office and say I want an opportunity. I don't want to be four or five years doing nothing and just receiving a check. I was asked for maybe a year in NXT, then return to the [main roster] and see how things change."
Andrade first rose to prominence in WWE as a member of the NXT roster, as he overcame a slow start as a babyface by turning heel and aligning himself with Zelina Vega.
That led to instant success, with Andrade beating Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship in 2017 and holding it for nearly five months.
Andrade got called up to the main roster in 2018, and while he accomplished some good things, such as feuding with Rey Mysterio and winning the United States Championship, he never reached the heights most expected.
His stable with Vega and Angel Garza never really got off the ground, either, and it came to screeching halt on the Oct. 12 episode of Raw when Andrade faced Garza in a match.
That ended up being Andrade's final appearance on WWE programming, and after several months of not being used, he was granted his release in March.
One can't help but wonder what could have been had Andrade accepted Triple H's offer and built himself back up in NXT, but it is understandable if Andrade was in search of a new opportunity.
Cody Reveals His Favorite Match
AEW star Cody Rhodes gave a unique answer Tuesday when asked to name his favorite match he has been involved in.
As part of a Twitter Q&A, Rhodes named his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match against Nick Aldis at All In because of how loud the crowd was.
Cody also mentioned his first match against Darby Allin, a match against Kenny Omega in ROH, Legacy vs. D-Generation X in WWE and his recent tag match with Red Velvet against Shaquille O'Neal and Jade Cargill.
However, Rhodes ultimately concluded that his "true favorite has yet to happen."
That suggests Cody plans for his matches to get even bigger and better in the coming years, which isn't particularly surprising since he is one of AEW's top stars.
He has already battled it out with many of the biggest names AEW has to offer, including Chris Jericho, MJF and Allin to name a few, but there are plenty of dream matches still available to him.
The fact that Cody was willing to take a chance by starting AEW in the first place shows how ambitious he is, and his answer to the question of his favorite match further drives home that point.
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