Rob Van Dam Reveals That He Was Set To Face John Cena During His Retirement Tour (And Why It Didn't Happen)

Rob Van Dam Reveals That He Was Set To Face John Cena During His Retirement Tour (And Why It Didn't Happen)

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam has confirmed that he was scheduled to be among John Cena's final opponents during his retirement tour, and explains why WWE had to pull the plug on the match. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Sep 09, 2025 09:09 AM EST
Filed Under: WWE

John Cena's retirement tour has been a bit of a mixed bag for fans, particularly as he spent much of it as a heel. Now, the clock is ticking on the Peacemaker star's professional wrestling career, and he only has a few dates—and opponents—left. 

In a new interview, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam has revealed that he was in talks with WWE to return for one final match with Cena following their legendary clash for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand in 2006. 

"I wanted to be one of the return matches for John Cena and his retirement tour. I was talking to them," RVD confirmed. "There was a lot of interest, without giving away too many details, you know, we were probably going to do it."

Unfortunately, any talks reached an abrupt end when RVD suffered a double heel fracture at an independent wrestling event in April. That's left him sidelined for the past five months, and the fan favourite former WWE Superstar confirmed that there's currently no firm date for his in-ring return. 

RVD hasn't wrestled full-time in WWE since 2014, though he has made sporadic appearances for the company since then. However, he's primarily competed on the independent scene, as well as in companies like IMPACT Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah, AEW, and MLW. 

In the same interview, RVD doubled down on his defence for Matt Riddle, saying his recent comments were "a complete shot at the oversensitive IWC, because they can’t handle it when someone has a different opinion than them." He added, "I knew that would ruffle feathers, clutch some pearls."

Earlier this year, Cena reflected on his match with RVD in front of an incredibly hostile Philadelphia crowd. "The audience was pretty bad. The event started at about seven o’clock, and we went on last, and at around seven, they were so audibly chanting 'F*** You, Cena,' so I know when I went out at ten o’clock, it was going to be pretty gnarly."

"It was the most stupid decision of my life, but I told Rob, 'Hey, let’s go out through the audience,'" he continued. "And I just wanted to see what would happen. I thought I was going to get my a** kicked."

You can hear more from RVD in the player below. 

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