John Cena’s 20th anniversary celebration included multiple tributes from current and past WWE Superstars, including some who now feature in AEW!
WWE legend John Cena made his return to Monday Night Raw to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his WWE debut. Mention was made of the Hollywood star’s anniversary throughout the night, and tributes poured in from both present and past WWE Superstars. Shawn Michaels, Trish Stratus, Triple H, and more spoke about their experiences working with Cena over the years.
Surprisingly, two of these tributes came from AEW stars Paul Wight and Bryan Danielson, who are currently contracted to All Elite Wrestling. Using their names of Big Show and Daniel Bryan, the two sent in videos and had high praise for the 16 time World Champion. Chris Jericho also appeared in a video later in the night.
EVERYONE has well-wishes for @JohnCena!#Cena20#CenaMonth#WWERawpic.twitter.com/HAxWyqeNM6
— WWE (@WWE) June 28, 2022
According to a report from Fightful Select, the process of getting the AEW stars to appear in the video was quite straightforward. After the idea was pitched, AEW President Tony Khan was asked for his approval for the stars to submit videos, which he granted. One WWE source told Fightful that they were able to get virtually everyone they wanted to say congratulations to John Cena.
Paul Wight signed with AEW in February of 2021, and detailed in an interview with Kenny McIntosh for issue 13 of Inside the Ropes Magazine why he made the decision to leave WWE.
Bryan Danielson, meanwhile, made his surprise AEW debut at the 2021 edition of All Out. He is currently sidelined with an injury that kept him off the Forbidden Door pay per view on June 26th and will also keep him from participating in Blood and Guts on the 29th.
Chris Jericho was one of the original members of AEW and was the first man to be crowned AEW World Champion.
Full results from the June 27th episode of Monday Night Raw can be found here.