"He don't need Cena," "He ain’t doing too well" - Fans erupt after WWE omits top AEW star ahead of John Cena's retirement

A major AEW star was suddenly omitted by WWE from a major John Cena promo this year. Fans have reacted to this with some hoping this was an indication of them coming back to the company.

Back in June, during Cena's feud with CM Punk, he recreated Punk's pipe bomb promo. He then took the same route and namedropped several friends of his from outside WWE. These included the likes of Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Cardona, and Nic Nemeth

WWE has reposted the promo, as Nemeth and Cardona recently returned to the company for John Cena's Last Time is Now Tournament. But it was noticeable how they cut out the part where he mentioned Castagnoli. This was surely due to his being signed to AEW.

Fans have reacted to this and hoped that this was an indication that he was going to be the last one among them to make his way back to WWE. Some fans hoped he would be Sheamus' replacement in the tournament after he had to pull out due to a shoulder injury.

Others mentioned how, in comparison to Nic Nemeth and Matt Cardona, he was not doing so well, as he was with the Jacksonville-based promotion. One fan claimed the opposite, as they believed that he could soon replace Jon Moxley as the leader of the Death Riders.

---

The AEW star was recently referenced by another top WWE name

A few days ago, on Monday Night RAW, Claudio Castagnoli was referenced during the show, as one of his iconic moves was used during a match on the show. This was during the six-man tag team match between John Cena, Sheamus, and Rey Mysterio against the Judgment Day.

At one point in the match, Sheamus was able to grab Dominik Mysterio, hold him by the legs, and spin him around the ring, similar to the way Claudio would do it. The Celtic Warrior took to social media as he acknowledged how he had paid tribute to his former tag team partner.

"The Bar was raised in NY last night.."

Claudio Castagnoli has created countless memories in WWE, but there is no denying that he is thriving in AEW. He is Jon Moxley's main enforcer in the Death Riders and continues to be dominant in the ring.

Edited by Enzo Curabo