John Cena and AJ Styles are set to face off in a highly anticipated match at WWE Crown Jewel on October 11, 2025, with WWE creating a distinctive promotional strategy to build excitement around this encounter. This John Cena AJ Styles match marks a significant moment during Cena’s farewell year as an active WWE Superstar, promising a notable showdown in Australia.
Background of the Match and Fan Expectations
John Cena confirmed that 2025 will be his final year competing inside the WWE ring, prompting fans to suggest various opponents for his late-career matches. AJ Styles emerged as a favored choice due to their memorable feud in 2017, culminating in a match regarded by many as one of the best performances of Cena’s career. Despite this, Cena’s Farewell Tour faced criticism for repetitive opponents, especially after a decisive loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza, which frustrated both fans and Cena himself.
During a recent WWE RAW episode, Cena directly addressed these frustrations by calling for a rematch against AJ Styles, urging WWE Executive Triple H to heed fan requests and arrange the bout at Crown Jewel. Triple H obliged, officially confirming the match’s inclusion in the event.
“.@JohnCena vs. @AJStylesOrg is a match we all want to see. And at #WWECrownJewel…we will. Saturday, October 11 on @espn & @netflix.” — Triple H
How WWE Developed the Storyline Leading to Crown Jewel
According to Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer, the buildup to the John Cena AJ Styles match was strategically crafted through social media and television appearances rather than solely relying on traditional promos. Meltzer explained that the storyline, which involved Cena paying tribute to wrestlers he would no longer face, was actually a way to tease this match that had always been planned for the Australia stop of Cena’s Farewell Tour.
“They used social media to do an angle. By the way, this match was always scheduled for Australia, always. So the whole deal about Cena and AJ with the idea that Cena was doing the tribute to him because he wasn’t gonna get to wrestle him, that was actually to build to this match. That was not actually ever the case.” — Dave Meltzer
Meltzer further highlighted how WWE intentionally crafted a narrative that made the match appear unlikely to happen, in order to generate interest. Cena appearing to pay tribute to Styles while Styles delivered an intense promotional speech on RAW, criticizing his booking, served to elevate anticipation for the eventual clash.
“The idea was that they would tell people, ‘you’re not gonna get this match,’ which meant people were going like, because nobody’s gonna like clamor for the match. You know what I mean? It wasn’t something that people were gonna naturally clamor for. So to create a demand for the match, they created, they basically told the story that Cena’s paying tribute to him because he’s only got limited dates and AJ ain’t getting it. And AJ did that speech, the dark speech on RAW during the American commercials about how I’m mad about how I’m being booked and they’re not, whatever. And it was all to build up this match. So that was the unique way of doing it, that’s all.” — Dave Meltzer
Context and Anticipation Ahead of Crown Jewel
The John Cena AJ Styles match holds extra importance as a capstone for Cena’s in-ring career, offering fans a fresh and meaningful confrontation beyond the repetitive opponents from earlier in his Farewell Tour. This encounter also reflects WWE’s willingness to innovate its storytelling methods, blending in-ring action with social media angles and behind-the-scenes narratives to generate buzz.
With both wrestlers having previous history and strong fan support, the upcoming match in Australia is expected to renew interest in Cena’s final campaign and provide a fitting chapter within WWE Crown Jewel’s lineup. The tension surrounding Cena’s Farewell Tour, combined with AJ Styles’ outspoken comments and the strategic buildup, creates a charged atmosphere ahead of the October event.
Fans will be watching closely to see which competitor emerges victorious at Crown Jewel, anticipating a contest that has been carefully shaped to maximize drama and wrestling excellence.
.@JohnCena vs. @AJStylesOrg is a match we all want to see. And at #WWECrownJewel…we will.
Saturday, October 11 on @espn & @netflix. https://t.co/PhF5NM6AoC pic.twitter.com/Z7nsRuXwTb
— Triple H (@TripleH) September 23, 2025
