The Miz Says He Was First to Call Out John Cena for Final Match And Blames His Fans For It Never Happening

John Cena is set to wrestle his final match against GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, closing the book on an era. But not everyone got the farewell they were hoping for — especially The Miz.

In a new interview on SI Media with Jimmy Traina, The Miz opened up about missing out on a one-on-one retirement match with John Cena, despite doing everything in his power to make it happen. Miz says his history with Cena runs deep, going all the way back to his early WWE days.

“I feel like I have been slighted, if you will, because I feel like I have one of the most profound histories with John Cena. I’ve been tag team champion with him. I beat him in the main event of WrestleMania. I’ve had multiple WrestleMania matches with John Cena. How many people can actually say that? I mean, literally the beginning of my entire career was kind of with John Cena.”

He added that the last time they shared a ring was the night after WrestleMania 40 on RAW, when Cena and Miz teamed with R-Truth to take on The Judgment Day. Miz didn’t expect that would be their final chapter.

“I didn’t think that would be my last match with John Cena, but I guess it will be. It’s a little upsetting.”

When Cena announced his year-long retirement tour in summer 2024, Miz was quick to jump at the opportunity to be involved.

“I was the first person—literally the first person—to put my name in the hat and go, ‘I want to go up against John Cena. I want to take on John Cena one last time. The Miz versus Cena.’ And it never came to fruition.”

Why didn’t it happen? Miz has a theory — and he’s pointing fingers at his own fans.

“Could it be the fans did not literally ask for it? Because I mean, when I saw AJ Styles tweet and then Cena tweet back—and it’s like, that’s how these matches start. That’s how this could have happened. Like, all I had to do was tweet, and all I had to have was the fans have my back and say that they truly want this and be vocal about it. That’s all I needed. Well, I guess my fans don’t do that. And so, I blame them.”

Traina asked if Miz went to WWE management directly to push for the match, and Miz confirmed he tried, “I went to everyone.” But it wasn’t just a flat-out no. Miz explained that the opportunity was real — it just disappeared.

“It’s not even like that it was shot down. There were instances where it could have happened, right? And things happen in this industry that nobody really knows about—and you don’t need to know about, right? There was a moment where it could have happened. And then that moment went away because of certain circumstances. And so it never came back.”

Despite the disappointment, Miz says he’s learned to accept it and focus on what he can control.

“I could be angry, right? I could sit there and say like, ‘Oh, I’m so mad. I’m so angry.’ Or I can look at it and go, ‘Okay. All right. What do I… I try to not [be mad]. Like, I’ve been in WWE long enough that I know things happen. Domino effects happen. If something changes, one thing here goes this way and the other one goes that way, this thing can’t happen. I’ve been here long enough to know. So I don’t get mad. I get more or less like, okay, how can I make the best of a situation, and what can I do to bring out the best and do my best. And that’s all I can control.’”

For someone with as much shared history as The Miz, not getting one last moment with Cena is clearly a missed opportunity — one he tried to manifest from day one.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.