John Cena Claims He Has Never Chosen An Opponent, So Why Is Triple H Saying Otherwise?

Speaking with Justin Barrasso about his favorite opponents, Cena claimed that, throughout his entire 23-year career, he has never once chosen who he faces in a WWE ring.

I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and I’ve never once chosen my opponent. I’ve always lived by the philosophy that life will give you opportunities every single day, and you have to do the best you can every single day with what life gives you. So whoever challenges me for that last match, I’m going to give it my best shot. - John Cena

Not only does that mean Cena didn't ask for Lesnar to be brought back, but any time you might have assumed he requested to face someone specific, or for an opponent to be changed, you've been mistaken. If Cena is telling the truth, of course.

Triple H Heavily Implied Cena Requested Lesnar Be Brought Back

Someone isn't being entirely honest though, as Triple H has stated the exact opposite. When asked about Lenar's return, The Game pivoted to talking about Cena's "wishlist". He claimed that Cena had suggested a list of opponents he wanted to face on his retirement tour, and that WWE was doing all that it could to build that wishlist and give Cena the final year he wants.

The most likely scenario is Triple H is trying to deflect some of the bad press WWE has received for bringing Lesnar back before his involvement in the Janel Grant lawsuit has been resolved. The multi-time WWE Champion was named in the suit that accuses Vince McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking, with claims Grant was used as a pawn to convince Lesnar to sign a new deal.

Even before Lesnar was named in the suit, and his inclusion was just heavily implied, The Beast was removed from WWE 2K24, and rumored plans to bring him back at the 2024 Royal Rumble were seemingly scrapped. Lesnar is not in WWE 2K25 either, but he is now an active member of the WWE roster once again following his SummerSlam return.

The decision to bring Lesnar back continues to bite WWE in the behind in a variety of ways. Not only due to Cena disputing Triple H's claim that he wanted WWE to bring Lesnar back, but also because it has since been reported that the company continued to pay the returning star his full, very hefty salary during his two-year absence.

This story was originally reported by Justin Barrasso of The Boston Herald.