4 Reasons why John Cena beat AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel 2025

John Cena made his final WWE appearance in a foreign land at Crown Jewel, and fans undoubtedly loved every second of it. The Franchise Player faced the ‘ Undisputed Boss of the Bullet Club’ AJ Styles at the PLE, reviving the massive rivalry both men had back in 2016.

Both Cena and Styles put on a stellar performance, trying everything they had in their arsenal to take each other down. Not only that, but both legends used moves from other superstars’ playbook as well, giving tribute to some of the biggest names in the entire industry, and ended up making headlines all around the world.

The ending moments of the match featured Cena delivering a tombstone piledriver, followed by an AA to pick up his 100th PLE victory. While millions around the world have been celebrating Cena’s victory, let’s check out a few reasons why the latter picked up the win over AJ Styles at Crown Jewel.

#4. John Cena is a much bigger star

While AJ Styles is one of the greatest names to ever grace the squared circle, John Cena is undoubtedly the Greatest Of All Time. The Franchise Player has been a pioneer in the industry for decades, and was undoubtedly the bigger star when compared to the Phenomenal One. This could be the reason Cena defeated Styles at Crown Jewel.

#3. John Cena is on his Retirement Tour

One of the major reasons for John Cena’s victory at Crown Jewel was that the latter is on his Retirement Tour. Cena only has four dates left to sum up his entire career and leave his boots in the ring, and fans have been quite emotional over the Franchise Player’s retirement.

Cena vs Styles was a match fans wanted, and it would have been quite questionable if Styles was given the victory on Cena’s Farewell Ride. The Greatest of All Time still has at least one match left in his career, and his win against AJ Styles turned out to be absolutely amazing.

#2. WWE has no immediate plans for AJ Styles following Crown Jewel

AJ Styles has officially announced that he will mark his retirement from the squared circle sometime in 2026, and fans are just not ready for it. While Styles’ Retirement is nigh, WWE hasn’t featured him in any big match apart from the one at Crown Jewel.

Moving forward, the company might not have any big plans for the Phenomenal One just yet, which could be the reason why the company chose Cena to pick up the win.

#1. John Cena needed the victory after WWE Wrestlepalooza

WWE Wrestlepalooza featured Brock Lesnar decimating the Franchise Player in a manner that left the world stunned. The Beast Incarnate completely squashed Cena at the PLE, leaving fans worried about the latter’s health as well. With a big loss at the PLE, Cena desperately needed a win ahead of his retirement.

This could be one of the biggest reasons Cena defeated AJ Styles at Crown Jewel and ended up earning back all the momentum that he lost at Wrestlepalooza. Fans will now have to wait and see what else WWE has in store for the Franchise Player next.

Edited by Ishaan Rathi