Kurt Angle ends fans' hopes of him facing John Cena

John Cena. Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WWE Hall of Famer ends fans' hopes of him facing John Cena

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 12:58 AM ET

John Cena's retirement tour is slowly winding down. His final match is scheduled for Dec. 13, where he will undoubtedly headline the Saturday Night's Main Event Premium Live Event.

Currently, there's no indication of who Cena will face as his final opponent. With four months remaining on his retirement tour, there is plenty of time for WWE to figure that out and create a compelling storyline to tie things together.

Unfortunately for some of WWE's fan base, the idea of seeing Cena get into the ring with Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has now been dashed. When speaking on the " Mic Check with Ken Anderson" podcast, Angle admitted that his body is too "banged up" to make an in-ring return.

"I wish I could, man," Angle said (h/t Fightful for the transcription). "I can’t. But that would be very tempting, but there’s just no way possible. I have to have my shoulders replaced. I had five neck surgeries, two back surgeries. My body just is really banged up. There’s really nothing I can do."

A potential retirement match against Angle would have been the perfect full-circle moment for Cena. He made his WWE debut against Angle back in 2003. Angle became Cena's first major rival, with some memorable bouts in 2003, 2004 and what is now a classic win at No Way Out in 2005.

Angle's farewell match came at WrestleMania 35, ending in a loss to Baron Corbin. During a 2023 appearance on "The A2theK Wrestling Show" podcast, Angle revealed that he originally asked Vince McMahon to face Cena in his retirement match.

"I wasn't able to be the Kurt Angle I expected myself to be, so, I decided I was going to retire at that WrestleMania against Baron," Angle said. "But, I called Vince, and I said, 'Listen, no disrespect to Baron. I love the kid, I think he's talented as heck, but I'd really love to wrestle John Cena' ... Vince said, 'You know what? No, because you're doing a program with Baron Corbin. You have to finish this program.'"

The idea of Cena and Angle in one last match is an exciting one. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it will ever be on the cards, and as such, the search for Cena's final opponent continues. And looking at the list of his opponents throughout his retirement tour, you wouldn't be blamed if you didn't have high hopes.

WWE has four months to figure things out and give Cena the final match he deserves. Otherwise, his entire retirement tour has been nothing more than a giant fumble, with his heel turn the crown jewel of the creative team's recent failures.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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