John Cena and Austin Theory are set to clash at WrestleMania 39.
The match was made after Cena appeared on the March 6 episode of Raw. The WWE United States Champion crashed Cena's homecoming before the 16-time world champion could say anything and challenged him to a title match at WWE WrestleMania 39. Cena rejected the challenge and stated that nobody cared about Theory and no one believed him because he didn't belief in himself. He called himself the Ghost of Christmas Future, as he compared Theory to who he was during his Ruthless Aggression phase. Cena stated that Theory didn't have heart and soul.
Theory responded by questioning where Cena's hustle, loyalty, and respect had gone. He referenced Cena's bald spot, and Cena said he'd rather have a bald spot than have fake crowd noise piped in because the real fans didn't care about him. He noted that Cena would be letting down the fans by refusing to compete at WrestleMania.
--------------@JohnCena absolutely ROASTED #USChampion @_Theory1 on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/o3iYMLlrCo
— WWE (@WWE) March 7, 2023
That remark caught Cena's attention. He stated that he wasn't saying no for himself. Instead, he was trying to protect Theory, as he said the young star wasn't ready. Cena told Theory that if they faced off at WrestleMania, Theory would lose everything, even if he lost the match. That said, Cena stated that because Theory brought the fans into it, he'd turn to them to see what they wanted to do. The fans cheered loudly when Cena asked them if they wanted to see him face Theory at WrestleMania. As a result, Cena announced that he would challenge Theory for the WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 39.
"At #WrestleMania, for the #USTitle, it's gonna be @_Theory1 vs. @JohnCena!"#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/NVaYwCUbEo
— WWE (@WWE) March 7, 2023
Cena's match with Theory will mark his first time competing in a singles match (that was legitimately announced) at at WrestleMania in front of fans since he faced Rusev at WrestleMania 31. He faced The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34, but the match had not been officially announced. Cena battled Bray Wyatt in the cinematic Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36.
A matchup between Cena and Theory has long been teased by both stars. In various interviews, Theory has express the desire to have a bout with Cena, while Cena has often praised Theory as one of the next big stars in WWE.
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