John Cena’s illustrious WWE career will end on Saturday night in Washington, D.C., in a match with European titan Gunther in what will be a celebration of the star’s twenty-plus-year career with the company.
In preparation for his final match, Cena has done the rounds with interviews over the course of the last week, most recently talking with a pro wrestling enthusiast and entertainment interviewer, Chris Van Vliet. During the pair’s conversation, a question that has popped up throughout Cena’s career was thrown at him again: Who does he think is the greatest wrestler of all time?
While Cena has brushed off the topic before, sometimes throwing out multiple names that he feels are up there, he showed zero hesitation on who he truly thinks is the best to ever step foot inside the squared circle: “The Phenomenal One,” AJ Styles.
“[AJ’s] the best to ever do it,” he said. “ …There’s not a lot he can’t do, and he makes difficult look easy. But that is not God given talent. That is practice. When you see difficult become seamless, it’s because it’s been done 10,000 times.”
Styles, formerly the centerpiece of rival company (now working partner) TNA Wrestling, came to WWE in 2016 and has not looked back since. After arriving, Cena and Styles began a feud that would be one of the defining parts of both their careers, as the charismatic WWE star and ring purist outsider elevated their games to new heights.
Cena and Styles would have one more match during Cena’s year-long retirement run, with the two tearing the house down at a WWE PLE event Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia.
Styles, 48, the same age as Cena, has also openly announced that he is winding down and a retirement could come in the next year or sooner.