John Cena made his triumphant return to «Monday Night Raw» in Boston, marking his first appearance on the red brand in quite some time and booked a WrestleMania match with Austin Theory for the United States Championship.
It took a bit of convincing.
Cena received a huge pop from the crowd and even got emotional when he took the stage. He ran to the ring and heard the cheers of the fans in his home state. As he was about to recover, he played Theory’s music and walked out to address the legendary WWE superstar.
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John Cena returns to WWE after Roman Reigns and Edge battled for the WWE Universal Championship during Money in the Bank at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas on July 18, 2021. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
Theory, the reigning United States Champion, said he came out to give Cena a «gift»: a match at WrestleMania 39 with the title on the line. Dinner said no.
Cena explained that Theory has not earned the right to give such a «gift».
«You’re a generic kid with fancy sneakers and sunglasses indoors and you have nothing here,» Cena said pointing to his guts. «And dude, I’m not speaking to you from a high place. I’ve walked in your shoes. There’s a sign that says ‘Austin Theory is a John Cena wannabe.’ Dude, I’m your ghost of the Christmas future. And right now, you’re in that ‘ruthless aggression’ phase. And ‘Ruthless Aggression almost got me fired. What a great opportunity it was, but you could see I didn’t believe in myself and the opportunity just wasn’t enough.’
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Cena said that Theory «had no heart» or «soul». Cena said that the Boston fans were in the building because they believed in him, but not in Theory.
Austin Theory enters the arena during WWE Raw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on November 22, 2021. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
«You’re a pair of underpants away from being a jabroni,» said the former WWE Champion.
Cena said Theory had one of the best names in the business because «in theory» it should check all the boxes that WWE executives want and fans should want to see him.
«But nobody cares and you are wasting our time», Cena.
The theory would have some barbs of its own.
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Austin Theory reacts during WWE Raw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on November 22, 2021. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
The WWE rising star questioned whether Cena was «giving up» and questioned whether Cena lived up to his calling card: hustle, loyalty, and respect.
«You know what I realized, being my childhood hero and all this,» Theory said. «Boston, I want you to pay close attention to this because they’re right and they talk a lot, but they’re right about this: you don’t want to meet your hero. Because all they do is disappoint.»
Cena explained that he didn’t say no because he «gave up.» He said Theory wasn’t ready, but he left it up to the fans, and they agreed a match was best for them.
dinner vs. Theory is now ready for WrestleMania in Los Angeles.
Cena last fought on the December 30 SmackDown in a Tag-Te Match with Kevin Owens. The two defeated Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn and kept Cena’s annual streak of WWE in-ring appearances alive. Before that, he faced Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2021.
John Cena prepares to battle Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2021 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 21, 2021. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
On Raw, he last fought live in a fatal four way against Finn Balor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre.
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Theory won the United States Championship in a triple threat match at Survivor Series WarGames in November.