AJ Styles Reveals John Cena Went Off Script in Their Final Showdown to Make a Major Sacrifice

AJ Styles’ showdown with John Cena at Crown Jewel 2025 made history—and came with a surprise: a special announcement Cena wrote for him. Speaking to Justin Barraso of the Boston Herald, Styles finally lifts the lid on the message and what it means for his future.

AJ Styles and John Cena just gave us one of those rare big-match moments that actually lives up to the hype. Their Crown Jewel 2025 showdown was already a marquee pairing, but Cena pulled a move before the bell that made the whole thing feel bigger: he wrote a special ring introduction that put Styles and his pre-WWE legacy front and center. For someone of Cena's stature, that is a very deliberate, very classy choice.

The intro that set the tone

Styles told Justin Barraso that Cena's words totally blindsided him in the best way. The line that popped the crowd and Styles himself: calling AJ "the definition of Total Nonstop Action." Instead of the usual 'this is all about John Cena' treatment, Cena used his own entrance to spotlight his opponent's journey outside WWE, including 18 years carrying TNA on his back. You almost never see that acknowledged that directly on a WWE mic.

"It definitely caught me off guard... He took this from just being about John to making it about John and AJ Styles. It's something he didn't have to do, but that's John."

Not subtle, and that was the point. Cena wanted the match to feel historic. Mission accomplished.

27 minutes of callbacks and chemistry

Once the bell rang, they went nearly 27 minutes and laced the match with nods to veteran wrestlers they both admire. Styles says that whenever they share a ring, it just clicks. He even called Cena the one person he trusts most in there, which tells you everything about how this came together. Also very AJ: he joked that they are drastically different in basically every way, except the whole wrestling thing. He credited Cena's weirdly consistent superpower too: knowing exactly what the crowd needs and how to treat people the right way.

The deep-cut gear choice (and why it mattered)

Styles showed up in a nearly one-for-one recreation of gear he wore in October 2005 for the first TNA episode on Spike TV — which, at that point, was the biggest moment of his career. It is also the look he wore opposite Cena on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's January 2006 issue. He admitted he has no idea where the original set went, so his gear-maker researched and rebuilt it from scratch to match the TNA version. He said this was a shoutout for anyone who remembered that magazine cover.

One location note the broadcast dropped: RAC Arena in Perth. That is an eye-raising detail attached to something branded as Crown Jewel 2025 — not exactly the city you expect for that event. File it under: wrestling loves to keep you guessing.

What this means for AJ's timeline

The match was presented as their last dance. Styles has already said on WWE's YouTube, in a conversation with Michael Cole, that once Cena retires, he plans to follow him out in 2026. WWE, reportedly via Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, is mapping out a retirement tour for Styles. No dates yet, but the intent is clearly to make his final run feel special.

• Match: Styles vs. Cena at Crown Jewel 2025, went about 27 minutes with tributes sprinkled throughout
• Cena's custom intro: called Styles "the definition of Total Nonstop Action," spotlighting his 18 years in TNA
• Styles on Cena: says their chemistry is "magical," trusts him more than anyone in-ring, praises his read of the crowd
• Gear tribute: recreated his October 2005 TNA-on-Spike look; same vibe as his PWI Jan 2006 cover opposite Cena; original gear is MIA
• Future: billed as their final meeting; Styles says he will retire in 2026 after Cena; WWE is planning an AJ retirement tour (schedule TBD)

One last wrinkle

If you caught the broadcast listing Cena as a 17-time world champion, you are not alone — that number got thrown around here. Wrestling math is a whole thing, but either way, the bigger takeaway stands: Cena deliberately used his spotlight to cement AJ Styles's full career — TNA and all — as part of WWE canon. That is a rare nod, and it made an already big match feel like a genuine career moment.