John Cena's WWE WrestleMania 41 opponent should be top SmackDown star, says Hall of Famer
WWE legend John Cena is on a mission to become a record-breaking 17-time World Champion before he retires. Meanwhile, Hall of Famer JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) recently expressed his desire to see The Franchise Player face the SmackDown superstar, Cody Rhodes.
Before heading into WrestleMania 41, The American Nightmare is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens at this year's Royal Rumble. At the same premium live event on February 1, 2025, John Cena will compete in the 30-man over-the-top elimination match.
On a recent episode of the Something to Wrestle podcast, JBL stated that he would love to see The Cenation Leader face Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title at this year's Showcase of The Immortals. The veteran believes this would be the biggest match in wrestling.
"I'd love to see Cody [Rhodes]. Obviously. I'd love to see against Cody for the title. I think that's the biggest matchup in wrestling. I think it'd be fantastic. I think those two guys, they're both very smart guys, and I think that would be absolutely incredible," Layfield said. [H/T: Fightful]
The Wrestling God acknowledged potential matches against Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns but emphasized that the 47-year-old star would deliver an exceptional performance against any of them.
"But if it's Randy [Orton], if it's Brock [Lesnar], if it's Roman [Reigns], I mean, [John] Cena is not going to have a bad match, I promise you that. All those guys I mentioned can really work," he added. [H/T: Fightful]
JBL further shares that by beating Cody Rhodes, John Cena can surpass a WWE legend's record
The Face That Runs The Place currently holds the record for most World Championships, tying the legendary Ric Flair with 16 reigns. John Bradshaw Layfield wants Cena to break this record.
During the same interaction on the Something to Wrestle podcast, WWE Hall of Famer was intrigued by the possibility of John Cena breaking The Nature Boy's record to become the 17-time World Champion by beating Cody Rhodes.
"But I'd love to see him against Cody, you know, headline WrestleMania for the title. Nobody knows what's going to happen. Is he going to break the famous record or not? I think that'd be incredible," JBL added. [H/T: Fightful]
Only time will tell if The Franchise Player wins the Men's Royal Rumble Match and potentially faces The American Nightmare at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.
