From being The Prototype of Ruthless Aggression to being the most iconic heel of all time, John Cena has fought and climbed to become one of the biggest stars in WWE’s history. Time and again, he has proved that he can execute any move flawlessly, put on a show of a lifetime, and be a safe name to work within the squared circle.
This was evident because, in his long and illustrious career, he has proved his in-ring skills against the greats of the games like The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and so many more. While all these matches feature him against some of the biggest names in professional wrestling, Cena could have also added Hulk Hogan’s name to the list.
However, Hogan shed light on how Vince McMahon had to pull the plug on the plan, in what could’ve been the perfect sendoff for the WWE veteran.
Hulk Hogan recalls Vince McMahon scrapping his last fight with John Cena
Over the years, the Hulkamania has run wild, and has thoroughly entertained the fans. With a massive physique and a larger-than-life personality, Hulk Hogan has all the rights to call himself the greatest star of his generation, even stealing the limelight from the main event match at WrestleMania 18.
Though he is long retired from professional wrestling, he recalls how he never had the opportunity to have his dream final match completely out of the picture.
During an exclusive interview with Chris Van Vliet, Hollywood Hogan recalled the time when he was on an important call with the then boss, Vince McMahon, where he almost hooked him up with Cena, planning a storyline to face him, until disaster struck. He said,
Vince had me all hooked up with Cena and I said I’d do it. Vince and I were talking every week and we were putting the plans together, you know, like the old days where I was in the office every day, him and I were talking every day, and all of a sudden I’m on the phone with Vince I was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh, my back.’
The member of the NWO was disappointed that his back gave up on him, as he was recovering from his third or fourth surgery. Thus, forcing the Genetic Jackhammer to rethink his decision and never give the fans that one iconic match.
He added,
My back went out when I was talking to Vince on the phone. I just had back surgery number three or four at that time and I had to go right in immediately and get cut on. So that was it for that, but I thought that was going to be my last match then you know, but that never happened and then it just kind of faded away.
The Sterling Golden wrestled for the last time in January 2012 at an IMPACT wrestling tour, where he competed in a six-man tag team match where he, Sting, and James Storm defeated Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, and Bully Ray. Thus, hanging up his boots with a victory.
WrestleMania 25: The PPV that could’ve featured the once-in-a-lifetime match
Back in the 90s, when The Hulkster was an absolute Juggernaut of a star, where he won numerous titles, headlined PPVs on countless occasions, and filled arenas with his name alone. It is clear to say, that he alone carried the company on his back for several decades. Night after night, putting his body on the line has not been merciful at all.
After all the WWE Hall of Famer, reveals on the IMPAULSIVE podcast about how he had 25 surgeries in the past decade, including 10 on his back alone. Despite being beaten up from his back surgeries, where walking was a big question mark, he expressed his desire to really have his last match against Mr. Hustle, Loyalty and Respect at the Greatest Stage of them All.
In the same interview with Chris Van Vliet, the Sterling Golden stated that his “last match” was out of the picture, and blamed the “surgeries” for it. He said,
I would have loved to have had that last match, but now it’s completely out of the picture. You know, I’m just too beat up from the surgeries. I think if I took a couple of bumps, you probably would have to cut up me again.
He added more details on his last match against John Cena, which he believed would have taken place at WrestleMania 25, which took place in Orlando. He said,
But no, I really wanted to have that last match. I wasn’t sure, I think it was WrestleMania 25 in Orlando.
The veteran teamed up with Cena in his last match for WWE in a tag team match in 2006, where the two defeated Randy Orton and Mr Kennedy. Thus, getting a proper sendoff from the company in which he poured his life.
WrestleMania 41 will be a two-night event taking place on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, 2025.
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