John Cena Sr. was a huge fan of the match his son had against AJ Styles at Crown Jewel: Perth.
While speaking with Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Cena Sr. heaped praise on the October 11 bout, calling it something that all up-and-coming wrestlers should watch. He did not think much of the build WWE had for Cena vs. Styles, but that did not have any affect on the match quality.
“It wasn’t much,” Cena Sr. said about the build. “It was a very poor buildup to what I consider to be a phenomenal match. Forget about [it being] John Cena Jr. That was an outstanding match. And any of the young people coming up ought to take a good look at that match, because that’s the way it ought to be in pro wrestling. That was phenomenal.”
The build to Cena vs. Styles was done on social media with Cena calling for WWE to give the fans what they want. Cena’s WWE schedule did not have any appearances between Wrestlepalooza and Crown Jewel, which is why the build happened that way.
Cena Sr. told Sportskeeda WrestleBinge that his son and Styles showed a high level of ring psychology in how they performed. Renewing the Cena-Styles rivalry one last time, the match went nearly 30 minutes with Cena getting the victory.
“The one that they learned, and that young people need to learn in this business, is ring psychology,” Cena Sr. said. “They read their crowd and they performed to what the crowd wanted. You notice, they didn’t stop — they listened. And when they did, they just went ‘bang, bang, bang.’ They worked so well together. So well together. And I think that’s so important in this business.”
After the bell rang, Cena Sr. sent his son a text telling him how much he loved it. The younger Cena replied that he was breathing hard following the match but had a lot of fun.
“I said, ‘John, it was phenomenal.’ He said, ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it, dad. It was a lot of fun.’”
Both Cena and Styles are nearing the end of their in-ring careers. Cena’s last match will take place at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 against a yet-to-be-announced opponent, with Gunther believed to be the most likely option. Styles will have his last match at some point in 2026 but has not set an exact date.
Cena Sr. said it’s sad that the industry is losing two great competitors, but he believes both are making the right choice by making room for younger talent to take the spotlight and stepping away before their bodies break down.
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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated’s wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.
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