3 top AEW stars who can easily defeat heel John Cena

John Cena shocked the world at the Elimination Chamber 2025 PLE after turning on the fans for the first time in almost 20 years. Cena won the Men’s Elimination Chamber match in Toronto, Canada, earning a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41.

After the match, he turned heel by viciously attacking former champion Cody Rhodes, aligning with The Rock and Travis Scott. He would go on to become a 17-time world champion at WrestleMania 41 and successfully defend his title against his arch-nemesis Randy Orton at Backlash.

He also beat up his biggest fan, R-Truth, in a singles match at Saturday Night's Main Event. Cena is now set to have a match against one of his greatest rivals, CM Punk, at Clash of the Champions.

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Since John Cena has turned heel at a time in his career when no one expected him to, there is tremendous shock value, and even though we are seeing John Cena run back rivalries with his greatest adversaries throughout his career, there is a certain newness to it as the roles have completely been reversed.

As a result, fans of pro wrestling are also speculating about AEW stars who could have been part of John Cena’s retirement tour and also defeated him in encounters if they weren’t divided by promotions.

In this listicle, we will look at three such AEW stars that can easily defeat heel John Cena.

#3. Bryan Danielson can put heel Cena in a Yes Lock

John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship was the main event of SummerSlam 2013. It was what kickstarted the story of the Yes Movement, one of the greatest underdog stories ever told in the history of the company.

That story also elevated Daniel Bryan from a mid-carder to a perennial main eventer, and it all started with the Leader of the Cenation. Their match was hailed as a classic, and Daniel Bryan would defeat John Cena with his new finisher, the Running Knee, to win the championship at Summerslam.

Both guys were babyfaces during the rivalry, but if they were to get the opportunity to run it back another time, this time with John Cena as a bad guy and the already beloved Bryan Danielson championing the fans, it would be an absolute treat. A heel Cena won’t hold back on the microphone, and neither would Bryan Danielson. Given their previous record, Daniel Bryan has a solid chance of walking away with the win.

#2. John Cena can run it back one last time with one of his greatest rivals

Adam Copeland, a.k.a. Edge, is one of, if not John Cena’s greatest adversary, and their feud spanning 2006–2009 is one of WWE’s most iconic, defined by intense personal stakes, contrasting characters, and high-stakes matches. This rivalry was what transitioned John Cena to the new face of the company, whilst also establishing Edge as a main event heel.

To run it back one final time, but this time with John Cena as a bad guy and Edge as the babyface, would be nothing short of a dream.

The promo battles could have been epic with all the callbacks and references they could have made to their former selves. Given that Edge has won four and lost two televised matches against Cena, it also turns the ties in his favor heavily.

Sadly, given that they are part of rival promotions now, we won’t get one of Cena’s greatest opponents to take part in his retirement tour.

#1. A dream match against Kenny Omega

AEW International Champion Kenny Omega will be taking on AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada in a winner-takes-all match at AEW All In. While this match is definitely a dream encounter, we all know what the bigger dream match is, the one we are potentially never going to see—Kenny Omega vs. John Cena.

Given that Kenny Omega is a fan-favorite babyface right now and John Cena is an intense heel, if them facing off would have been an option, this would probably be the best time. The two men never managed to wrestle each other owing to their different career paths, but each one seems to acknowledge and respect the other.

Kenny Omega has praised Cena’s contributions to pro wrestling previously on his Twitch stream, and Cena has acknowledged Omega by posting his picture on his Instagram account.

Given how much the two men have contributed to pro wrestling, it would be safe to say Kenny Omega vs. John Cena is big enough to not only be part of Cena’s retirement tour but be his final match had they been wrestling for the same promotion.

Edited by Arsh Das