For the first time since he became the face of the John Cena is a heel. The wrestling world has been buzzing ever since Cena aligned himself with The Rock in the closing moments of the Elimination Chamber live event, and all eyes are now directed towards WrestleMania 41 when he'll challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

With roughly 30 scheduled dates left before his retirement at the end of 2025, Cena will look to make the most of this new persona as his year-long retirement tour rolls on. But who will step up to face the now-sinister 16-time former world champion? Let's dig in:

7 Cody Rhodes

The American Nightmare

The good news is we're getting this at least once. And in a perfect world, you have Cena win the match at WrestleMania 41 through underhanded means, then run it back to get the WWE Championship back on Rhodes before the end of the year. You can have the rematch at SummerSlam, give Survivor Series the boost it's been sorely lacking or hype up whatever Cena's final booked appearance of the year winds up being (judging by the calendar, that would be the Dec. 29 episode of WWE Raw at the latest).

Like most of these, there's a lot of history to dig into. Rhodes held up Cena as his idol long before he was ever perceived as the main eventer and has openly talked about trying to live up to Cena's example of what it means to be the face of the promotion. Rhodes could also be the one to eventually snap Cena out of this villain turn, but that's a story for another day.

6 CM Punk

Bring Back 2011

Punk made it clear on WWE Raw that he's furious with Cena - both for turning his back on the principles he claimed to stand for over 20 years but also for stealing Punk's opportunity to finally main event WrestleMania.

"Hustle, loyalty and respect for 20 plus years, and now everybody sees what I've known all along, that you've been selling all these people, and all these kids bulls—," Punk said regarding Cena. "Who gave up in the Elimination Chamber? It wasn't me. You'll never see CM Punk give up on his dreams of main eventing WrestleMania. Ironically Mr. 'Don't Quit', Mr. 'Don't Give Up', you gave up on yourself. You gave up on all of these people, you gave up on all those kids. The joke's on you. I'm going to see you down the road, and I'm going to get my hands on both of you bald frauds and when I do, you're going to 'make a wish' that I never did!"

The pair's solid chemistry led to a run of great matches in the early 2010s. Even though it's been 12 years since their last singles encounter, it's not hard to imagine they could pull it off again.

5 Randy Orton

One Last Time

Cena had an extensive list of rivals from his full-time run as the face of WWE. But here's the thing - he won't be able to wrestle most of them during this retirement tour. Batista is in Hollywood, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are both retired and Edge is over in AEW. And unless they have him turn back into a babyface quickly, a third match with The Rock is unlikely.

But then there's Randy Orton, one of Cena's oldest foes. Their rivalry was beaten into the ground to the point of parody in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but to have them wrestle a singles match in 2025 is more of a nostalgia act. Only this time there's an actual hook - Orton is the face and Cena is the heel, a never-before-seen dynamic.

4 Roman Reigns

The Tribal Chief

Once you get past Cena vs. Rhodes and Cena vs. Punk, there isn't a bigger match WWE can book right now than Cena vs. Reigns III. And there's plenty for both men to sink their teeth into:

• Reigns hasn't challenged for the Undisputed WWE Championship since losing at WrestleMania XL.
• A feud between Reigns and the new "Corporate Champion" could finally set the stage for a Reigns vs. Rock match at WrestleMania 42
• Cena can flex his acting muscles by portraying a cowardly champion, knowing full well that he's 0-2 against Reigns on pay-per-view.

3 Bron Breakker

The Next Big Thing

While the presentations are different, in many ways Bron Breakker represents Cena in his early WWE years. He's portrayed as an unstoppable powerhouse, loaded with potential and circled by fans and pundits alike as a future pillar of WWE's main event scene.

Watching Cena take on a rising star from the new generation talent while simultaneously outrunning Father Time could make for some excellent storytelling. Side note - this storyline would also work with a Cena vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi matchup, though it's unlikely that Femi will get the call-up in time to lock horns with Cena.

2 Teaming With The Rock

The Hollywood Mega Powers

While The Rock's schedule will prevent him from competing at WrestleMania 41 this year, the idea of him teaming up with Cena for a match later on in the year is too tempting to up. The opponents could be some combination for Rhodes, Reigns, Punk and Seth Rollins, and it could be a massive draw for one of the B-tier live events or an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. It doesn't even matter which side wins - when you're able to put that much star power in the ring together, you don't up on the opportunity.

1 Sami Zayn

An Ultimate Underdog

Zayn has firmly established himself as a beloved babyface, one who still hasn't managed to win a world championship in his lengthy WWE career. And yet, no matter how high the odds are stacked against him, fans get invested every time he tries to win the big one.

A Zayn vs. Cena match where Cena is the cowardly champion looking to retire with his 17th reign intact would fit right into that formula. Zayn likely won't be the one to knock him off his perch, but it'll be a must-see main event if there's even a 1% chance Zayn might win.