Absent WWE Star Appears At Event In A John Cena Shirt

Written by Marc Middleton • Published Jun 22, 2025 16:12 EDT
John Cena raises the Undisputed Championship on WWE SmackDown

John Cena was publicly supported by a longtime rival today, but there was a twist. The Cenation Leader is one of the most polarizing WWE Superstars of all time, now even more so as a full-fledged heel on his Farewell Tour. The locker room is full of talents that have varying relationships with Cena, but one of his longtime rivals is going viral for what happened with his show of support.

Big Match John and Kevin Owens have teamed up just once, for a win over Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on SmackDown in December 2022. This was their last time working together, but they also stood on opposite sides of the ring in 22 matches. The Prizefighter was on the winning end just once out of those times, his official main roster debut at Elimination Chamber 2015, where John Cena’s United States Championship was not on the line. Despite the losing record to the current Undisputed WWE Champion, Owens holds Cena in high regard and proved just that at the Fanatics Fest in New York City earlier today.

Fans shared footage of KO arriving at the Javits Center in New York City, where he can be seen wearing a John Cena t-shirt as he walks in and mingles with staff.

Kevin Owens Removes John Cena T-Shirt Before Signing

Kevin Owens is the ultimate heel, but it seems even he will not publicly support a bigger heel in front of the WWE Universe. While the Canadian superstar arrived at the Fanatics Fest wearing a Cena t-shirt, he changed before going out to sign autographs and do photo-ops with the fans.

The Prizefighter can be seen signing several Topps trading cards in Fanatics Fest footage shared by WWE. Owens traded out his John Cena t-shirt for a Guns N’ Roses one. The Stamford-based promotion shared three clips of KO signing trading cards, and with the third one, he joked about Kurt Angle sneezing on him.

Owens is currently on the shelf with a neck injury. He has not wrestled since defeating Sami Zayn in the 28-minute Unsanctioned Match at WWE Elimination Chamber on March 1.