The Miz points the finger at you and a few “certain circumstances” for not getting a rematch against John Cena.
Sean Rueter has been immersed in pro wrestling analysis since the late 2000s, writing for SBNation and Cageside Seats since around WrestleMania 28. While he may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of famous Cena rivals, The Miz and Cena have a deep history. Recalling their feuds and storylines over the last decade and a half often brings back warm memories—like the Awesome Truth angle building toward their first Once in a Lifetime clash, or the mixed-tag match at WrestleMania 33.
Yet there was no Miz vs. Cena match in the run-up to John Cena’s retirement outing, scheduled for tomorrow night, December 12, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. The A-Lister reflected on this in conversation with Jimmy Traina on the SI Media podcast:
“Literally, two years ago, I was in the ring—at Barclays Center in Brooklyn—tagging with him, a full-circle moment. I didn’t think that would be my last match with John Cena, but I suppose it will be.”
“That’s a little upsetting. I remember when he launched this whole ‘The Time is Now’ era, announcing a retirement in a year. I was the first person to throw my name in the hat, saying, ‘I want to face John Cena. I want to take on John Cena one last time. The Miz versus Cena,’ and it never came to pass.”
“I could list all the reasons. I don’t know what it is. Could it be that the fans didn’t push for it? I saw AJ Styles tweet, Cena replied, and it made me think: that’s all it would have taken—one tweet, and for the fans to back me, to vocalize that they truly wanted it. That’s all I needed.”
“I guess my fans didn’t do that, so I blame them. Shocking, isn’t it?”
Miz did not reveal a definitive reason behind the missed match, and he admitted he may not even know the full answer. When Traina asked whether Miz approached WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque about one more Cena bout, Miz said:
“I went to everyone. It wasn’t a flat-out shot down. There were moments where it could have happened, but things happen in this business that nobody knows about, and you don’t need to know. There was a moment where it could have happened, and then that moment faded because of certain circumstances, and it never came back.”
Yet Miz isn’t furious about it. He explained: “I could be angry, but after all these years in WWE, I know things change. Domino effects occur: one thing here moves another thing there, and something can’t happen. I’ve learned to accept that, focus on what I can control, and make the best of the situation.”
For Miz, the key is identifying what you can control and concentrating on it. Cena’s retirement moment remains uncertain—retirements in wrestling often prove temporary—so is there a chance for a future Cena vs. Miz showdown?
If you want to hear Miz’s full thoughts, you can listen to his entire appearance on the SI Media podcast with Jimmy Traina.
