John Cena sends a heartfelt message to 8-time WWE champion ahead of AEW Worlds End

WWE star and legendary wrestler John Cena recently shared a unique message to an AEW superstar. His recent Instagram post featured Claudio Castagnoli.

Claudio faced a last-minute heartbreak on AEW: Christmas Collision this week. He was in a Continental Classic Blue League match against Roderick Strong. The star was almost guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals if he won. However, Strong caused a huge upset and won the match, sending Castagnoli out of the tournament.

John Cena’s Instagram posts often come without captions and are usually open to interpretation. This week, he shared a photo of Claudio Castagnoli hitting his patented Cesaro Swing on The Great Khali. During his time in WWE, Cesaro was widely regarded as one of the pound-for-pound strongest competitors on the roster. Pulling off the move on Khali highlighted his remarkable strength. Interestingly, December 27 also marks the Swiss Superstar’s birthday, with AEW posting a special message for him on social media. The post could be Cena’s subtle way of wishing Castagnoli a happy birthday ahead of AEW Worlds End this weekend.

John Cena retired from in-ring action

Earlier this month, John Cena closed out his career with a farewell match at Saturday Night's Main Event. He faced Gunther in his final outing at the special event in the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

It was an emotional setting as the 17-time World Champion took to the ring one final time. Cena withstood initial punishment from Gunther and fought back strongly. He even seemed like winning the match with a couple of Attitude Adjustments. However, the Ring General slapped a Sleeper Hold, forcing the legendary star to tap out.

After the match, the entire locker room showed up to honor the legend and pay tribute. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk put their respective titles on Cena's shoulders, letting him pose with the gold one final time.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar