John Cena

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, Edge and Triple H issued statements of gratitude toward The Undertaker ahead of his "final farewell" at Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view.

"30 years competing at the very pinnacle of any industry is unheard of. Let alone the wrestling industry which ages you in dogs’ years. I cannot stress that enough. We won’t see something like this again. I’ve had the pleasure of being a small part of that ride. Thanks Deadman," Edge said on Instagram. 

Undertaker is set to make an appearance at the pay-per-view, which will ostensibly serve as his retirement ceremony. The Deadman has not appeared on WWE television since his well-received Boneyard match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania.

While the possibility of a swerve exists, WWE has been pushing Undertaker's appearance as a genuine farewell after 30 years in the business. Undertaker made his first appearance in WWE at the 1990 Survivor Series, making this a perfect full-circle moment for his career.

Taker himself has been building this up as a legitimate retirement, telling Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports he does not believe he'll ever compete inside the ring again.

"You know, I have to deal not only with my thoughts and my conscience, but I also have to deal with Vince's thoughts and his conscience," Undertaker said. "A lot of times, they're not always on the same page. Vince's line is, 'You never say never.' But where I'm at, I don't see myself getting to a point where I'm going to be physically better in a couple of years than I am now. I'm going to be a couple of years older and a couple of years slower. So yeah, I mean, I just don't see it. Not in the capacity where I'm going to get in the ring and actually work. Whether I have some sort of role, that's a different thing, but my days in the ring I think are long gone now."

Cena, Edge and Triple H have all dropped matches to Taker at WrestleMania, with the former losing in a squash at WrestleMania 34 and the latter losing at WrestleMania XXIV.

Triple H faced Undertaker three separate times at WrestleMania, losing on all three occasions.

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Angle Refers to Cena as WWE's GOAT

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle had some great battles with John Cena during his career, and there is no question that Cena earned the Olympic gold medalist's respect.

In response to a video of his match against Cena at No Mercy 2003, Angle referred to Cena as the greatest WWE Superstar of all time Monday:

The No Mercy match was significant in that it was the last time Cena was forced to tap out.

Angle and Cena had many more battles after that in both tag team and singles matches, and they always seemed to have great in-ring chemistry.

The respect between Angle and Cena was so great, in fact, that Cena presented Angle for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.

While it can be argued that there were better in-ring workers or bigger stars than Cena, the fact that he remained on top for so long in WWE is something that can't be ignored.

Cena headlined pay-per-view after pay-per-view and won a record-tying 16 world titles. He is primarily focused on his burgeoning acting career currently, but he finds time for the company that helped make him famous.

Most recently, Cena faced Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36, and although he lost, he was the talk of the show in many ways.

Cena and WWE will always be synonymous with each other, which is likely a big reason why Angle puts Cena on such a high pedestal.

Undertaker Thanks Fans for Support

Ahead of his 30-year anniversary in WWE, The Undertaker took to Twitter on Monday to thank the fans who have supported him over the years:

Taker was responding to a tweet by Sony Sports India promoting an upcoming tribute to his career.

Although The Undertaker previously wrestled in other promotions under different names such as Texas Red, The Punisher, The Master of Pain and Mark Callous, his televised WWE debut occurred at Survivor Series 1990.

The Undertaker was revealed as the mystery member of "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase's Survivor Series team, and he made an instant impact by eliminating Koko B. Ware and Dusty Rhodes.

He went on to become one of the most successful and beloved Superstars in WWE history before seemingly ending his wrestling career at WrestleMania 36 earlier this year.

After beating AJ Styles in the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania, The Undertaker said he was ready to ride off into the sunset, although he also left the door open for a potential return under the right circumstances.

An Undertaker match or appearance at Survivor Series 2020 next month would be fitting since Survivor Series is where it all began for The Deadman.

Even if The Undertaker never sets foot inside a ring again, he has established himself as the benchmark against which all other professional wrestlers are measured.

Scarlett Provides Injury Update on Kross

Two months after relinquishing the NXT Championship due to a shoulder injury, Karrion Kross seems to be making progress in his recovery.

On Monday, Scarlett posted a video on Instagram of Kross pulling a rope to lift her and her friend while seated in a basket.

Scarlett accompanied the video with the following caption: "Everyone loves a comeback, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes. We're getting closer... and he's about to be the deadliest piece on the board."

Kross immediately went on a dominant run upon debuting in NXT and went on to beat Keith Lee for the NXT title at NXT TakeOver: XXX, but he suffered a shoulder injury during the match and was forced to give up the championship.

The title was then put up for grabs in a Fatal 4-Way Iron Man match between Finn Balor, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Balor and Cole tied, which led to a singles match between them for the title.

Balor prevailed and later retained the NXT Championship against Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver 31, but he suffered a broken jaw that required surgery.

The status of the NXT title is now somewhat up in the air, which places an even bigger spotlight on Kross and his attempt to get back in the ring.

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WWE Superstar and actor John Cena married girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh in a private ceremony in Tampa on Monday, per Mike Johnson of PW Insider.

Numerous sources confirmed Johnson's report, including TMZ Sports and Cydney Contreras of E! Online.

Per an April 2019 report from Mike Vulpo and Jessica Cardenas of E! Online, Shariatzadeh, a Vancouver native, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia in electrical and electronics engineering.

She currently works as a product manager for Aviglon, a Motorola Solutions Company, performing "a wide variety of duties that include overseeing product launches and working with external third parties."

Cena and Shariatzadeh began dating in early 2019, per TMZ Sports. 

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Cena Says Wrestling Career Isn't Over

John Cena is primarily focused on his burgeoning acting career in Hollywood, but the 16-time world champion isn't done with WWE yet.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, Cena discussed why he came out with a children's book called Elbow Grease: Fast Friends and also addressed his wrestling future: "I have a very young audience in WWE, a lot of kids and families. And as my in-ring career with WWE is not as active, although not over, I wanted to continue to send messaging to those younger viewers."

Cena has not appeared on WWE programming since WrestleMania 36 in April. Cena faced Bray Wyatt in the much-talked-about Firefly Funhouse match, which was more of a cinematic experience than an actual match.

That bout took place with no fans in attendance because to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning it has now been nearly two years since Cena last wrestled in front of fans.

Cena has long made it clear that WWE is his home and always will be, so it wasn't particularly surprising for him to say that he isn't yet retired from in-ring competition.

Although Cena could easily retire now at the age of 43 given all he has accomplished, he also likely has plenty left in the tank, especially if he picks and chooses when, where and who to wrestle in the coming years.

Many have wrestled well into their 50s, including The Undertaker, so Cena should have plenty of matches left in him for as long as he wants to keep going.

WrestleMania 33 was Cena's last WrestleMania as a full-time wrestler, but he still faced The Undertaker the next year, took part in a major segment at WrestleMania 35 and then faced Wyatt this year. That suggests Cena is willing to make himself available for the biggest show of the year, much like Taker always has.

Given his star power and status as one of the most popular and decorated WWE Superstars of all time, having Cena at arm's length is a good thing for WWE.

Reigns Reveals His Wrestling Mt. Rushmore

One of the toughest debates in wrestling is choosing four wrestlers who stand out above the rest as part of a proverbial Mount Rushmore, but universal champion Roman Reigns tried his had at it this week.

During an appearance on Complex's Load Management podcast (h/t WrestlingInc's Austin Lee), Reigns threw his wrestling Mount Rushmore nominations into the fray:

"I'm just going to start with 'Taker—that's the easy one in my mind, especially when it comes to overall. I think especially when it comes to the way he's continued to do it, it's The Rock. Now we're getting into a really tough zone, because you have to add Stone Cold Steve Austin because of what he stood for and transitioning the game.

"I almost put these two dudes in the same category—Hulk Hogan and John Cena. They are really similar with the kind of characters they were and the audience they drew."

Reigns skirted the system to some degree by mentioning five wrestlers instead of four, but it is difficult to argue with his picks. The Rock, Austin, Hogan and Cena are arguably the four biggest stars in wrestling history, especially in terms of crossover appeal.

The Undertaker is in a different category since he never attempted to make the move to Hollywood, but essentially everyone inside the wrestling business and every fan respects what he has been able to accomplish for the past three decades.

Reigns is a big star in his own right, and now that he has turned heel and aligned himself with Paul Heyman, he has a chance to go on the best run of his career.

It is difficult to say if Reigns will ever put himself in position to be considered Mount Rushmore-worthy, but it is difficult to argue with the notion that he is the biggest full-time WWE star of the past decade or so.

Wrestling Mount Rushmore opinions vary from person to person, but given Reigns' status as a locker room leader and someone who grew up in a wrestling family, his opinion carries plenty of weight.

Cardona Discusses AEW Status

Matt Cardona has not been seen on All Elite Wrestling programming in recent weeks, and he explained why this week.

During an appearance on the Pro Wrestling Junkies Podcast (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan), Cardona divulged that he signed a short-term contract with AEW that expired after All Out on Sept. 5. Cardona added: "That's the place to be right now. To be there even for a month, and do a couple of matches, was a lot of fun. It was great to just be out there and be myself again. Hopefully, we'll do it again soon."

Cardona also expressed his desire to become a full-time member of the AEW roster at some point.

Most wrestling fans know Cardona for his WWE run as Zack Ryder. Under the Ryder name, Cardona was part of WWE's main roster from 2007 until his release in April.

Cardona held the United States, Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships, but he was used as an enhancement talent for most of his time with the company.

He initially made a big impact in AEW by saving his real-life friend, Cody, from an attack at the hands of Dark Order.

Cardona then teamed with Dustin Rhodes, Scorpio Sky and Q.T. Marshall in a winning effort against Dark Order at All Out.

There is plenty of value in having a veteran like Cardona on the roster, especially since he has name recognition from his time in WWE and because of his Major Wrestling Figure Podcast.

Given those factors, it seems likely that AEW will find a more permanent spot for him on the roster in the near future.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

WWE legend John Cena is starring in an upcoming HBO Max series Peacemaker, which will be a spinoff from his role in the newest Suicide Squad film. 

"The exact plot of the series is being kept under wraps, but it is said it will explore the origins of Peacemaker, a man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it," Variety's Joe Otterson wrote.

The latest Suicide Squad film is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters on Aug. 6, 2021. Production on Peacemaker will begin in "early 2021."

Viewers will be seeing a lot of Cena next year.

The release of F9, the next installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to IMDb, Cena also has a role in Project X-Traction, an action film that also stars Jackie Chan due for a 2021 release.

He has two more projects, Vacation Friends and The Janson Directive, in pre-production.

With each step forward in his acting career, a substantial return to wrestling looks less and less likely. The 16-time world champion hasn't stepped inside the ring since WrestleMania 36 in April. That was a largely story-focused match taped beforehand that required Cena to do little in terms of wrestling.

The 43-year-old It's impossible to say when the 43-year-old will show up in WWE again for more than a ceremonial one-off appearance.

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Latest on Reigns-Heyman Relationship

You may have noticed several small differences between Paul Heyman's partnership with Roman Reigns from his one with Brock Lesnar. For one, Reigns actually speaks. Lesnar-Heyman was a partnership and friendship; Heyman was booked as seemingly Lesnar's only close confidante on the roster. This isn't the case with Reigns, who is clearly in control of a subservient Heyman.

These subtle differences were on purpose, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling News Observer. Meltzer said the current storyline is based around Heyman being "done" in wrestling after Lesnar's loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. 

Heyman was done in wrestling with Lesnar gone and had nothing left to offer until Reigns made the call to bring him back to the fold. As a result, Heyman is indebted to Reigns for saving his career and keeping him in the business.

Heyman is still Heyman, but this is a fun little wrinkle to the story rather than just making Roman a Lesnar stand-in.

Bret Hart Talks Punching Vince

The story of the Montreal Screwjob is such well-trodden territory that there is rarely any "new" information that comes out from it being discussed by involved parties.

However, Bret Hart is offering clarification on one oft-cited talking point: Vince McMahon never offered him a "free shot" to punch him after the match. 

"The Undertaker had a take on it. His take on it a few months ago—and they always say stuff like, 'Vince probably said before he walked in that he was going to let me take a shot at him.' I don't remember that ever happening, and I don't remember Vince saying anything like that to me in my dressing room that he's going to let me take one shot at him. There was no one shot [offer]. I took my own shot. I doubt that's the case. [McMahon] never saw it coming," Hart said on Confessions of the Hitman.

Hart added that the only reason McMahon met with him after his "loss" to Shawn Michaels was to save face with an angered locker room. He said McMahon never believed there was actually a chance that Hart would punch him.

"I think Vince gambled that I was going to take the high road and say a few words to him, and then I would walk out or grab my stuff and leave the dressing room, and that would be the end of it, and he could say, 'At least I confronted him,'" Hart said.

Cena Talks TLC, Fear of Heights

John Cena has never been one for high-flying maneuvers during his career for several reasons. One, of course, being he didn't need them in his repertoire to become one of the most iconic stars in wrestling history. Another being WWE likely didn't want its biggest star risking injury.

However, Cena revealed the biggest reason: he has a fear of heights. The 16-time champion spoke about his 2006 TLC match with Edge, in which he performed a five-knuckle shuffle off a ladder, admitting the spot scared him.

"I have a fear of heights. Once again, I only did what I knew I could do," Cena said on WWE Untold. "And through the match, I knew every spot I did was hopefully a new take on a maneuver that fans have already seen tens of thousands of times before.

"Also, since it hurts every time you fall off a ladder, you get a gauge of what to expect. That helped me through the process."