Drew McIntyre reveals details on canceled John Cena match

Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena sounds like a WWE dream match, and though it was scheduled to take place last year, it never happened. 

McIntyre discussed the missed opportunity with Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling at the WWE 2K26 hands-on event.

“I mean, I can’t change the creative direction,” McIntyre said. “I talked about getting that match with Cena, getting in a situation on the microphone with Cena, just to prove what I’m capable of. Because I want to compete with the best, and he is, or was, the best on the microphone.”

McIntyre was originally scheduled to wrestle Cena at Crown Jewel in Australia last October. Those plans were scrapped shortly after Cena sent out a post on X asking if fans wanted to see him wrestle AJ Styles, and sure enough Styles eventually got the match at Crown Jewel. Cena later said his opponent was switched to AJ Styles so they could give the crowd “a feel-good moment.” 

“I heard the quote. I heard what John said. Whatever people weren’t feeling what was going on, they decided to pivot. He outright asked, ‘Do you want AJ?‘ And the match was incredible. So, I could sit there and go, ‘Damn, what if?’ Or, ‘What if he Tweeted my name?’ But the reality is, he’s retired and I’m World Champion, so I think it worked out just fine for Drew McIntyre.”

McIntyre reiterated there is nothing he could have done to force his way into the match.

“I keep my head down and I keep working, no matter what happens. I can’t take his phone and say ‘Just Tweet my name.’”

McIntyre and Cena never had a singles match. They have shared the ring for tag matches and multi-person matches, including three times in 2025: at the Elimination Chamber, Royal Rumble, and when Cena and Cody Rhodes defeated McIntyre and Logan Paul on the August 8 SmackDown.