John Cena almost breaks down in tears at WWE Crown Jewel 2025

John Cena almost broke down in tears at Crown Jewel. The Last Real Champion faced AJ Styles at the premium live event in Australia with only four dates remaining on his retirement tour after the night.

The two stars put on a classic as the match saw a lot of back-and-forth action. Both Cena and Styles pulled out moves paying tribute to their rivals over the years. While the Never Seen-17 borrowed moves from his WWE opponents, the Phenomenal One went with moves of his rivals from TNA.

One such moment saw Cena hit Styles with a Sister Abigail in a moving tribute to Bray Wyatt. This led to the fans taking out their phones as the "fireflies" came out, acknowledging the late WWE superstar.

The camera then panned to Cena, who looked visibly emotional and on the verge of tears. He even looked up to the heavens once, paying his respects to Bray.

Bray Wyatt and John Cena had a storied rivalry in WWE. The two met in a memorable match at WrestleMania XXX, where the Cenation Leader prevailed. The two would clash again on the Grandest Stage, this time at WrestleMania 36.

It led to the cinematic Firefly Funhouse match, where The Fiend Bray Wyatt beat Cena.

John Cena paid tribute to other WWE stars during the match

Cena's match with AJ Styles saw the 17-time WWE World Champion pay tribute to his rivals from the past by using their moves.

He pulled off The Miz's Skull Crushing Finale and also put Styles in The Accolade, borrowed from Rusev.

Cena also locked the Boston Crab, paying tribute to AEW's Chris Jericho. He also attempted a 619 but was stopped by Styles with a clothesline.

The match ended when Cena hit Styles with a Tombstone Piledriver followed by an Attitude Adjustment to get the three-count.

Edited by Sherjeel Malik