Competing in one of his final matches, John Cena beat former rival AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday.
The match basically saw both men exchange finishers and signature moves from other wrestlers before Cena got the pin with the Attitude Adjustment.
Prior to the final finisher, Cena hit Styles with a tombstone, Randy Orton’s draping DDT and RKO, the Walls of Jericho, Skull-Crushing Finale and Sister Abigail.
Styles also got in his tribute to Shawn Michaels with a picture-perfect Sweet Chin Music for a near-fall.
Given Cena is retiring at the end of the year, most fans seemingly weren’t happy he lost to Brock Lesnar in dominant fashion at Wrestlepalooza last month, which perhaps inspired The GOAT to do right by his fanbase.
Coming out of Wrestlepalooza, Cena had no obvious opponent for Crown Jewel, but he essentially polled the WWE Universe with a post on X that read, “#CenavsStyles. Thoughts?”
Once it became clear the bulk of the WWE fanbase wanted to see Cena and Styles lock horns one last time, the veteran followed up by posting, “I do not choose my opponents, but I (even through tough times) ALWAYS listen to the fans. AJ Styles, are you listening? Better yet, Triple H ….. are YOU listening???”
Styles responded by writing, “I hear them loud and clear. Let’s do it, I’m ready,” and it wasn’t long before Triple H made the match official for Crown Jewel.
Once Cena vs. Styles was booked for the event in Western Australia, Cena made it known he appreciated the fans for making their voices heard:
After being the top guy in TNA, ROH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Styles finally signed with WWE in 2016, and he went on to have a memorable series of matches against Cena over the course of his first year with the company.
The Phenomenal One beat Cena at Money in the Bank 2016 and SummerSlam 2016 before Cena got revenge by beating Styles for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2017, which tied him with Ric Flair for the most world title reigns in wrestling history with 16.
Both Cena and Styles were at their height back then, but with the former retiring at the conclusion of 2025 and the latter perhaps following him into retirement not long after, Crown Jewel represented one final opportunity for them to share the ring.
Both men showed they have plenty left in the tank, but it was Cena who emerged victorious and built momentum with only a few advertised appearances remaining in his career.
