The Miz Claims He Was Supposed To Fight John Cena at WrestleMania 42 Before Plans Changed

The Miz says he walked into WrestleMania 42 expecting to fight John Cena — but that showdown never happened.

Speaking to Complex Graps Wrestling Podcast about what was supposed to go down at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Miz revealed that he believed he was about to square off with Cena on WWE’s biggest stage. Instead, the moment shifted when Cena gave him the spotlight rather than throwing punches. Miz made it clear that he entered the situation ready for a fight and fully expecting things to turn physical.

“When I was out there, I was expecting to have to fight John Cena. John Cena was like, ‘No, have your moment, here’s a microphone. Do what you do best.’”

For Miz, the expectation of fighting Cena made the moment feel massive before anything even happened. The two have history dating back to their WWE Championship clash at WrestleMania 27 in 2011, which only added more weight to the possibility of another showdown years later.

Instead of getting the fight he expected, Miz said he pivoted into a promo moment that was supposed to include a major reveal tied to the American Gladiators reboot. He explained that he was ready to roll out footage he believed would make headlines coming out of WrestleMania.

“I’m about to talk, I’m about to give everyone a never-before-seen footage of American Gladiators, this new American Gladiators, I’m about to throw it out there at WrestleMania. Huge right? This is big.”

But the biggest takeaway from Miz’s comments wasn’t the reveal — it was the missed opportunity to fight Cena, something he clearly believed was about to happen before the moment changed direction. The situation didn’t unfold the way he imagined, especially once the segment was interrupted and spiraled into chaos.

“And who interrupts it? Danhausen.”

Miz later described how the moment completely shifted from what he had pictured, especially given the stage and the expectations tied to WrestleMania inside Allegiant Stadium.

“That’s not the way you want to have a WrestleMania moment, especially at Allegiant Stadium. That’s not what I imagined my moment would be.”

The Miz and John Cena share a long WrestleMania history, and the idea that Miz walked into WrestleMania 42 expecting another fight adds a new layer to what fans saw play out on the show.

Do you think WWE should have followed through with a John Cena vs. The Miz fight at WrestleMania 42, or did the way things played out work better for the show? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.