4 Reasons why John Cena beat AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel 2025

John Cena made his final WWE appearance in a foreign land at Crown Jewel, and fans undoubtedly loved every moment of it. The Franchise Player faced the ‘Undisputed Boss of the Bullet Club’ AJ Styles at the PLE, reigniting the intense rivalry both men had back in 2016.

Both Cena and Styles put on a stellar performance, trying everything they had in their arsenal to take each other down. Not only that, but both legends used moves from other superstars’ playbooks, paying tribute to some of the biggest names in the industry.

The final moments of the match saw Cena deliver a tombstone piledriver, followed by an AA to secure his 100th PLE victory. While millions around the world have been celebrating Cena’s victory, let’s check out a few reasons why the latter picked up the win over AJ Styles at Crown Jewel.

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#4. John Cena is a much bigger star

While AJ Styles is one of the greatest names to ever grace the squared circle, John Cena is undoubtedly the Greatest Of All Time. The Franchise Player has been a pioneer in the industry for decades and is undoubtedly the bigger star when compared to The Phenomenal One. This could be the reason Cena defeated Styles at Crown Jewel.

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#3. John Cena is on his Retirement Tour

One of the major reasons for John Cena’s victory at Crown Jewel was that he is on his Retirement Tour. Cena has only four dates left to wrap up his entire career and leave his boots in the ring, and fans have been quite emotional about The Franchise Player’s retirement.

Cena vs. Styles was a match fans eagerly wanted, and it would have been questionable if Styles had been given the victory on Cena’s Farewell Ride. The Greatest of All Time still has at least one match remaining in his career, and his win over AJ Styles turned out to be absolutely incredible.

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#2. WWE has no immediate plans for AJ Styles following Crown Jewel

AJ Styles has officially announced that he will retire from the squared circle sometime in 2026, and fans are not ready for it. While Styles’ retirement is approaching, WWE hasn’t featured him in any major match apart from the one at Crown Jewel.

Moving forward, the company might not have any big plans for The Phenomenal One just yet, which could be why it chose Cena to pick up the win.

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#1. John Cena needed the victory after WWE Wrestlepalooza

WWE Wrestlepalooza featured Brock Lesnar decimating The Franchise Player in a manner that left the world stunned. The Beast Incarnate completely squashed Cena at the PLE, leaving fans worried about the latter’s health as well. With a big loss at the PLE, Cena desperately needed a win ahead of his retirement.

This could be one of the biggest reasons Cena defeated AJ Styles at Crown Jewel and regained all the momentum he lost at Wrestlepalooza.

Fans will now have to wait and see what WWE has planned next for The Franchise Player.