John Cena gets acknowledged by AEW commentary team ahead of WWE Crown Jewel

It’s not uncommon for a WWE superstar to be namedropped in AEW, as multiple superstars have done it over the years, although most of them took shots directed at WWE. That seems to be no longer the case, as the name of WWE legend John Cena was recently brought up on AEW Dynamite.

John Cena is one of the most popular and widely recognized superstars in sports entertainment. Also known as The Cenation Leader, he has accomplished a lot in his long career in WWE, with the most notable achievement being the 16-time World Champion. On top of that, he also has a successful career in Hollywood as well.

John Cena featured on AEW programming

In the most recent episode of AEW Dynamite this week, Hikaru Shida faced Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women’s Championship. During the match, the commentary team did a brief advertising for TBS network, and while doing so, they namedropped the 16-time WWE World Champion John Cena.

Cena is currently set to host Wipeout alongside Nicole Byer, and the show is airing on the TBS Network. This fact was highlighted by the AEW commentary team. Excalibur jokingly said that he “knows that guy,” referring to the host of the show, and Taz then joined in, confirming that the host is John Cena. It made for a great moment, showcasing that mentioning stars from their rival promotion isn’t always done with the intent to take shots at them.

Cena hails Randy Orton as his generation’s Shawn Michaels

Overall the rivals that John Cena has faced in his long career in WWE, the name of Randy Orton tops the list. Ever since they joined WWE in 2002, Cena and Orton have gotten toe to toe with each other several times. Although they are on good terms now and have even heaped praise on each other, the bad blood between the two back in the time of their rivalry was almost considered to be real.

Speaking on WWE’s YouTube channel, John Cena reflected on his past rivalry with Randy Orton. While talking about their match at WWE Bragging Rights 2009, The Cenation Leader did not hesitate in praising his former rival for how good he was in the ring and even named him as “the Shawn Michaels of his generation”.

“Randy is my generation’s Shawn Michaels. He has an understanding of nuance and how important it is. He has the best timing of anybody. Like he’s always there, he’s never late. He shows emotion as a performer. He’s incredible. He makes them difficult. Looks simple. Every second feels like an hour”, said John Cena.

However, Cena isn’t the only one who has reflected on their lengthy feud and expressed appreciation for their rival. A few weeks back, Randy Orton sent a video message to the 16-time World Champ, thanking him for all he’s contributed to WWE. The Viper also acknowledged the influence Cena had on him, inspiring Orton to deliver his best every time he stepped into the ring. It’s heartwarming to witness two future Hall of Famers discuss their past differences and commend one another.

Randy Orton has been absent from the ring for over a year due to an injury, while John Cena is about to go on another hiatus soon, as the SAG-AFTRA strike has come to an end. Although the chances are slim, we would love to see these two WWE Legends share the ring once more.

Would you like to witness a final showdown between John Cena and Randy Orton? Share your thoughts in the comments below.