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Lesnar's WrestleMania status, Cena's next opponent & unfortunate Roman news
Inside: Why did Lesnar beat Cena?
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WWE has confirmed that a multi-time champion will be at WrestleMania 42. The Stamford-based promotion will return to Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, in 2026 for The Showcase of the Immortals for the second consecutive year.
Brock Lesnar returned to WWE programming last month at SummerSlam following an absence of two years. His last appearance on The Grandest Stage of Them All was in 2023 at WrestleMania 39, where he defeated Omos. Earlier today, the global juggernaut confirmed that The Beast Incarnate will return to The Show of Shows next year. WWE shared a poster of the premium live event slated for April 18 and 19. Brock Lesnar is also featured on the poster along with several top stars.
 A top WWE star has accepted John Cena's challenge. In the past, The Franchise Player has said that he has never picked his opponents in WWE and deals with what is handed to him. However, he appears to be advocating for a specific match against an old rival. Ahead of this week's RAW, Cena took to X/Twitter to ask the fans about their thoughts on him possibly facing AJ Styles. Later, he posted a message again, this time calling out Styles as well as WWE's Chief Content Officer, Triple H. The Phenomenal One has responded to the 17-time WWE World Champion. On X, Styles replied to Cena and said he heard the fans and is ready to have one final dance with the GOAT. |  Former Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is among the most popular stars in professional wrestling. However, The OTC failed to find a place on a major annual ranking for the second year running. Pro Wrestling Illustrated released this year's PWI 500 earlier today. While Reigns' archrival Cody Rhodes ranked at the top for a second year in a row, his former stablemate Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose) took the second spot. Other WWE Superstars to make it to the top ten of the PWI 500 are Gunther (third spot), Jey Uso (sixth spot), and Seth Rollins (eighth spot). Roman Reigns missed out on the PWI 500 just like last year, as he could not meet the required criteria. This is unfortunate news as, despite being one of the best wrestlers in the world, The OTC wasn't considered due to his part-time schedule. |
FROM THE RUMOR MILL
John Cena's retirement from WWE is around the corner, as he has five dates remaining before December 2025. Meanwhile, a new report suggests the reason behind The Franchise Player's loss at Wrestlepalooza. It's common for legends and veterans to put over younger talent on their way out when they are set to retire from in-ring competition. John Cena had the same intentions in mind with his 30-plus dates at the beginning of the year when he returned for his retirement tour.
However, Cena had a lengthy feud with Cody Rhodes and faced names from his past. The only new star he faced in a one-on-one match was Logan Paul at Clash in Paris 2025. According to a new report from the Wrestling Observer Radio, there was a reason behind Brock Lesnar's shocking win in Indiana. On the Wrestling Observer Radio, it was reported that John Cena's call was to put new stars over on his way out by losing to them. The Franchise Player also wanted to make big stars before his retirement. However, it was reportedly Triple H's call to let Brock Lesnar go over the 17-time WWE World Champion at Wrestlepalooza. One of the reasons behind the call was reportedly due to the company having plans for Brock Lesnar in the future, as he's not retiring anytime soon.
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John Cena suffered a devastating loss against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. Given that The Cenation Leader is on the final leg of his Farewell Tour with only a handful of appearances left before he hangs up his wrestling boots, fans expected Cena to defeat his long-time rival last Saturday. However, not only did he lose, but the bout ended up being one-sided.
That said, just before this week's Monday Night RAW, The Franchise Player stirred the pot, asking fans for their thoughts on a potential match against AJ Styles on X/Twitter. While the response was unanimously positive, this came as a surprise to everyone, with many believing Cena was going against the company's plans for his final few matches. The Franchise Player doubled down by posting another post about facing The Phenomenal One, this time, even tagging Triple H. After the poorly received match against Lesnar, this could be a deliberate attempt by the creative team to win the WWE Universe's support. This development may lead to Triple H introducing himself into the mix and punishing John Cena for defying the authority by having the 17-time World Champion lose another match.
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ANALYSIS CORNER
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins currently hold the top championships of their respective brands. While one is the Undisputed WWE Champion on SmackDown, the other is the World Heavyweight Champion on RAW. The superstars will collide in a marquee match at Crown Jewel in Perth next month in what will be a Champion vs. Champion bout.
Rollins and Rhodes will fight each other for the prestigious Men's Crown Jewel Championship. This will be a battle of supremacy, as two of the biggest stars of their respective brands will go head-to-head. Even though both are equal contenders to win, The Visionary should be the one to walk out of the premium live event as the winner of this high-profile match.
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