411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction: Will John Cena Ever Wrestle Again?

Welcome back to the 411mania Wrestling Fact or Fiction. I’m your host Jake Chambers.

This week we are kicking off the (semi) annual Larry Csonka Memorial Wrestling Fact or Fiction Tournament. We all remember the legendary writer and editor here at 411mania who we lost way way too early; now, almost 6 years ago. A completely irreplaceable voice in the world of pro-wrestling criticism, we like to pay tribute to his memory and writing every so often to never forget what he meant to this site and his readers.

I’m going to put together a gauntlet style tourney this time, so that means whoever wins today will move on to face a new opponent in the first round. And we’re starting off with the two runners up from the last tournament – two incredible reviewers in their own right, and awesome contributors to Fact or Fictions in the past: Ryan Ciocco and Theo Sambus.

Definitely two writers Larry would have loved to have worked with. So let’s get right to the action!

Statement #1: John Cena will compete in another official professional wrestling match in his life.

Theo Sambus: FICTION – I know, I know, ‘Never say Never’ in wrestling, but John Cena is an astute businessman and he cares about his image, his brand. He’s a man of his word, and he was adamant about not tarnishing his legacy; while he’s proved that right now he still very much can go, that’s not going to be the case for long. Cena has a healthy acting career so doesn’t need the payday in the slightest, and there isn’t a creative pitch in the world that would make it make sense for Cena to step back into the ring. He’s accomplished literally everything, and had the PERFECT sendoff (don’t @ me, that finish with Gunther was SUBLIME!). We scratched the nostalgia itch already thanks to moments like the Mania XL main event appearance and the smorgasbord of nods to the past in the Styles/Cena match, so there really is no reason for Cena to step back inside the ring. Undoubtedly the COMPANY would want to pop a rating or a ticket gate if he were up for it (I’m sure they’d jump on that in a heartbeat) but as long as John Cena is making the decision, it’s not happening. He’s Cena Nuff, and his time is up.

Ryan Ciocco: FACT – Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, ever stays retired in wrestling. That is the equivalent of me saying that I am SO MAD with the Eagles/Flyers/Phillies/Pacers and I am done watching them and I am never coming back. Turns out, I am never quite done with any of them, and it turns out that no one is ever truly done with professional wrestling either.

Will Cena return this year? Probably not. Could he return next year, when WrestleMania heads to Saudi Arabia? Well, we know that if the Prince wants something he gets it (within reason of course, not unlike the time they wanted Yokozuna on a show back in 2017. I’d hate to have been the person in WWE who explained that to them), and so if the Prince wants Cena, you better bet your sweet Saudi currency that Cena will be there. And you better believe, also, that Cena won’t be there to just host the show. It could be a situation where, like at WrestleMania 34 when Cena challenged the Undertaker, the match isn’t very long. But it will still be a match that Cena competes in, of that, I am sure.

Statement #2: You can explain in kayfabe why Smackdown’s champion and top contracted star, Cody Rhodes, is able to show up at a recent live Smackdown 10 minutes before the show is scheduled to end, in a company bus, and being less injured than other prompt superstars like Chelsea Green or Drew McIntyre. 

Theo Sambus: FICTION – This one is particularly egregious as we’re talking about Cody Rhodes, quintessential company man. If this were regarding a top heel champion, I could totally see the kayfabe reasoning being that he’s simply there for contractual obligations, maybe a dark match after the taping – that’s absolutely the kind of play someone like MJF would make. In Cody’s case, it doesn’t fit his character at all – this is the guy that talks about leading by example, putting the hours in, grinding away. He’d be first in the building, night in, night out, showing to everyone what a true workhorse champion looks like. So no, I don’t feel there’s a way of giving any legitimacy to Rhodes arriving at the arena for the last 10 minutes of a live broadcast, unless they heavily played up the idea that he was actually given the night off but desperately wanted to give the people their money’s worth (or get in one more tiny plug for Wheatley vodka). Orrrrr perhaps he felt compelled to get involved in whatever shenanigans may have been going down at the time, and couldn’t possibly stay away! Who knows? Maybe we’re all being unfair – the man could have simply got stuck in line at Starbucks.

Ryan Ciocco: Well, FACTLY speaking, Cody Rhodes does have a private bus. We have seen this before in the past because he’s had fights in the parking lot in both AEW and WWE in and around his bus. Rhodes is also the champion, therefore he IS allowed more quarter than a lot of the roster, even the longer tenured guys in WWE, such as Randall Keith Orton, ESQ or Drew McIntyre.

To be honest, Nick Aldis is just THRILLED to even have Cody show up period, because despite a certain sector of the fans getting tired of him winning the World Title seemingly at a level that people would consider spamming, Rhodes is the most marketable name that he has on the Smackdown side of things. Bigger than what CM Punk and the OTC are doing on Raw? Debatable, but it does stand to reason that The Grandson of a Plumber remains a big deal.

Statement #3: You can also explain, in kayfabe, why Smackdown GM Nick Aldis can tell Sami Zayn that there is no more room for him on the Wrestlemania card, yet a few days later on RAW, Seth Rollins, who was only minutes prior medically cleared to wrestle, seemingly gets a new match booked for Wrestlemania with Gunther, who also had been MIA for multiple weeks. 

Theo Sambus: FACT – This one I feel we cooooooould squeeze some kayfabe reasoning out of. If we’re assuming both GMs do indeed have the full and final say on the Wrestlemania cards, and both Aldis and Pearce feel the pressure to perform and put on the best card possible, it stands to reason that they’d happily shuffle things around to make way for a marquee match-up such as Rollins vs Gunther. Equally I feel it massively plays into the idea that Sami Zayn is constantly overlooked – the proverbial ‘B+ player’ in the eyes of the company. Aldis palms him off with a ‘sorry pal, the card’s all done’ but then miraculously finds room for other ‘bigger’ stars? That is undoubtedly a play Zayn can make if he does indeed go through with the rumored heel turn. Of course, Zayn has since managed to garner a Mania spot, defending the US title against Trick Williams, and Aldis himself has said Sami ‘made a spot for himself’ open up. Maybe that’s a little retcon to imply he wanted to light a fire under Sami’s ass? The other potential kayfabe take is that Aldis and Pearce are given a specific number of ‘slots’ for Mania, and therefore the Raw slot for Gunther/Rollins had nothing to do with Aldis, who had already used up his quota? OK, we’re clutching at straws here…

Ryan Ciocco: FACTLY speaking, Sami Zayn is an amazing wrestler. WWE should forever be in his debt for competing in one of the most entertaining bouts in WrestleMania history with Johnny Knoxville, and he’s held multiple titles in NXT and WWE, and he was such a fun part of the Original Bloodline as the “Honorary Uce”. And, when all else fails, we could always go back to the tried and true story with Kevin Owens. All we had to do was switch them back and forth from best friends to bitter enemies, and voila!
But come on, man! What are we even doing comparing Zayn to Seth FREAKING Rollins right now? Rollins not only was seen as the leader of the SHIELD by some people, but he also became the Visionary, the Revolutionary, the face of both the Authority and the WWE, and he’s held nearly every single piece of hardware in the WWE! Is it underhanded to tell Sami that there are no spots available for him on WrestleMania only to turn around and put Rollins and the Career Killer Gunther on it? Yes, of course it is, but it’s better for business! Rollins is money, and people want to see Gunther get his comeuppance for retiring John Cena, AJ Styles, and Goldberg (okay, maybe not so much HIM). This writes itself, and it works!

¡SWITCH!

Statement #4: Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega should main event this year’s AEW ALL IN PPV.

Ryan Ciocco: FACT – There are two elements at play regarding my answer here. The first one is, of course, the fact that All-In London does take place in, get this, ENGLAND! Obviously, the Billy Goat BRUV is from the home of the Union Jack, and I must assume that someone from England competing anywhere in their home country hits harder than an American born talent competing in their hometown. Considering the number of times a big name company like AEW or WWE head overseas, wrestling at home for a wrestler who is British, Irish, Scottish, etc hits differently.

And then there is the other element at play, which is much simpler to equate, and that is the fact that both Ospreay and Omega are the best at what they do. Considering the recent timelines of both being out due to medical issues, when you get a chance to line this match up, you do it and you do it freaking BIG! I’m not sure if Omega and Ospreay win their respective title matches at Dynasty, but that makes for some nice sweeteners for a Main Event match at All-In London if they do, truly.

I’m not sure when they will announce it, but I am certain that the announcement of Will and Kenny in the main event (and titles, if any, be damned) would move tickets for the event quickly.

Theo Sambus: FACT – I’m ever so slightly biased as I already have my tickets for All In, and this is a match I’d simply love to see live. When they were teasing MJF/Ospreay again, I wasn’t wild for it, purely because that’s the match we had at the last Wembley All In, and I’d much rather see both guys in different settings. Ospreay vs Omega is probably the most prestigious match AEW could put on at this point, so it’s common sense that that would main event in front of 40,000+ fans on the biggest show in the AEW calendar.

There is still the question mark over Kenny’s health (I’m sure they’re playing up the ‘ticking timebomb’ element for the MJF feud, but there will always be doubts about how much longer Omega can go), and at this stage he may not want the pressure of main eventing in such a high profile spot. With that said, AEW may not get another chance to do this – if they’re sticking to alternate years at Wembley Stadium, who’s to say Omega will still be wrestling in the summer of 2028? Post-neck surgery, the same could be said for Ospreay to be honest. This is quite possibly a now or never opportunity for the company to have one of those ‘moments’ so highly sought after in pro wrestling. Ospreay finally getting that home turf championship win would be huge… you never know, he might end up getting another tattoo for the occasion!

Statement #5: The Don Callis Family in AEW is too big, and that’s a problem.

Ryan Ciocco: FICTION – The science behind a group being too big or not big enough really comes down to one thing for me, which is whether every competitor in said group is able to move about freely in storylines and in the ring and not be left behind and forgotten in the shuffle. And, by and large, every member of the DCF (as I like to shorten it to for my Dynamite reviews) has something going for them.

There is also the element of variety in what they do, who they are, and where their standing is on the card. For instance, Kazuchika Okada was already a made man coming over from New Japan, but guys like Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita have won undercard titles and have blossomed into believable main event stars and potential future World Champions. Mark Davis has found new life as a singles wrestler who just dunks on people, and El Clon and Hechicero are naturally gifted Lucha Libre stars who get the job done for Dandy Don. And hell, you even have the B-Team in RPG Vice to eat the pins for the family!

Theo Sambus: FACT – Individually, I’m a big fan of a large percentage of the Don Callis Family. It’s helped give a consistent spotlight to talent that could have otherwise been lost in the shuffle, or treated as sporadic talent for ‘spectacle’/exhibition matches, like Hechicero for example. I absolutely adore Hechicero’s work, and while I’d happily watch him in a vacuum, it was refreshing to have him mixed into weekly storylines. The DCF has given a bunch of guys in the midcard something to do, keeping them relevant and visible. But has it truly helped any of their careers? Kyle Fletcher is of course the big standout, having massively found his feet as a singles superstar. A large part of that is due to his exceptional in-ring work, which you’d have to believe would have been recognized without the on-screen support of Callis, but I do wonder if Kyle himself would have been afforded as much mic time on his own. Having the regular DCF skits each week has helped him hone his craft as an all-around performer, and for that we can credit the continued presence of the Don Callis Family.

Outside of Kyle Fletcher, it’s a different story. We can push Okada and Takeshita aside as already established stars, but others perhaps haven’t fared quite so well. A big part of the problem is that the DCF are duplicating the types of talents already in their roster. Archer & Cage had their moments but were basically stooges; were they doing anything different than RPG Vice now, who are often sent out to eat finishers from whoever may be feuding with the Family this week? Hechicero was originally brought in as the hired mercenary…and that’s now the Andrade role. We saw Volador Jr join the group very recently in CMLL… how will he carve out a niche for himself? Who would he be competing against that someone else, say El Clon, couldn’t? Of course, injuries have massively afflicted the group during its existence, and that’s worth noting as it’s not like we’ve had the entire group active at one time and all on-screen together, but there’s an element that feels like lazy booking. “We need to think of a way to organically get over this new heel foreigner here…NAH, CHUCK HIM IN THE DON CALLIS FAMILY!”

Callis is tremendous at what he does, and he can still garner genuine heel heat (which is no mean feat in the 2026 landscape of professional wrestling), but there’s no denying that semi-frequently he is ALL OVER Dynamite and/or Collision. Backstage promo (multiple), in-ring promo, ringside managerial services, AND joining the commentary desk for multiple matches…there are times where he is massively over-exposed, and that starts to draw focus from the talent. Adding more and more talent creates more ‘necessity’ for Callis to be out there for kayfabe reasons, and it runs the risk of spiraling even more.

My big fear is… what is it all leading to? What is the endgame for this ever-deepening roster of talent Don Callis is assembling? An epic ‘NWO vs WCW-style’ standoff? To what end? Callis doesn’t have a stake in AEW in kayfabe terms, and has very little to gain apart from the monetary grab bags (which we’ve already seen being played out on screen) and his desire to see the DCF with all the gold. In an ideal world, we’re already approaching the end game. Perhaps those seeds of dissent planted by Okada and Takeshita respectively will be enough to tear the entire family apart? I will be very intrigued to see where Kyle Fletcher’s allegiances lie long-term, and it feels like the ‘ProtoShida vs ProtOkada’ tug of war is heading towards a climax sometime soon.

Statement #6: WrestleMania would be better if it went back to being a one-night event.

Ryan Ciocco: FACT – WrestleMania WOULD be better if it went back to being a one-night event. The phrasing of this question avoids me having to say FICTION for the actual wrestling itself. But would the WWE risk losing ticket sales, merchandise sales, and the money that comes from having a second night from their biggest show of the year and the biggest show in wrestling period? The fact is that WWE has been running the two-night version of WrestleMania since 2020 and considering that this will be the seventh edition since they started that, I don’t see it happening.

Also, from a geographical standpoint, the Show of Shows coming to any city boasts the local economy due to the large number of fans flocking to said area, even if they can’t get into WrestleMania. Two nights of WrestleMania means more economical growth during the weekend that the show runs, although how that works for a place like Las Vegas when it is already such a tourist attraction is interesting to consider.

In my mind, a WrestleMania for one night featured a more focused and concentrated match run and booking style. For the two night WrestleMania, you risk having some matches that would probably be better off on Raw or Smackdown just for the sake of stretching out the show all weekend.

Theo Sambus: FICTION – I’m a two-nighter convert! I do think events like Summerslam are overkill being stretched across Saturday and Sunday, but for the Grandaddy of ‘em All, Mania totally gets a pass at being two nights. The roster is stacked, and trying to keep it to one night means we get a BOAT LOAD of thrown-together multi-man matches to try and squeeze everyone onto the card for that big WM payday.

Looking at this year’s card, I’m ecstatic to see so many singles matches planned (10 across both nights at the time of writing), with decent, well-thought-out builds. Wrestlemania should be about the biggest stories of the year coming to a head for a huge peak in emotional investment and storytelling. That’s a luxury that cannot be afforded in a single night edition of Mania.

Look at some of the stories outside of the obvious main events getting the time and space during the run up to Wrestlemania to create genuine engagement. Oba Femi dominated NXT over the past year – oh, he thinks he’s ready for the main roster? Send the Beast Incarnate to welcome him to the big leagues. Jade Cargill thinks she’s the ultimate Women’s champion – will she be quite so confident against the biggest star in women’s wrestling from the past decade, Rhea Ripley? Then we’ve got the long-time coming Judgment Day implosion, giving us Finn Balor vs Dom Mysterio. Trick Williams getting to show up and show off in his Mania debut a singles match against Sami Zayn. AJ Lee’s return to Wrestlemania in a battle of the generations against Becky Lynch. With only one night dedicated to Wrestlemania, we don’t get all those encounters… well, either that or it’s an eyelid-straining 7-hour extravaganza again. No thank you, sir.

Great stuff from both writers, but now it’s time for YOU to vote! Who do you want to see move on to the next round in the gauntlet?

Thanks again to Ryan and Theo.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday, you can join in on the fun right here with Ryan Ciocco during his live coverage on the site of NXT and AEW Dynamite.

And be sure to come back on Saturday to link up with Theo Sambus for 411’s weekly live Collision coverage!

A job only one many ever could have done it all, but these guys are carrying on in his spirit. Thank you Larry, and we’ll see you next time for the second round!