In what would be a move against All Elite Wrestling, WWE is reportedly discussing moving John Cena’s final, historic retirement match to a new date where it would air head-to-head with AEW’s Worlds End pay-per-view in December.
The news was reported by Bryan Alvarez on today’s episode of Wrestling Observer Live. Alvarez stated that while the plan is not yet finalized, the discussion to move the match is actively happening within WWE.
“Originally, the final John Cena match was going to be in early December, Saturday Night’s Main Event,” Alvarez said. “And this is not confirmed, okay, but it does look like there is now discussion that the date will be moved so it will be head-to-head with AEW World’s End”.
This potential move follows the recent report that WWE will run a premium live event on Saturday, September 20, headlined by John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, which will go directly against AEW’s All Out pay-per-view. Alvarez noted that he had previously heard another head-to-head event was in the works for this year.
John Cena’s retirement match is expected to take place in his hometown of Boston, while AEW’s Worlds End is scheduled for the NOW Arena in Chicago on Saturday, December 27. The decision would be the most direct counter-programming move by either company to date.