It’s no secret that John Cena aspires to build a Hollywood career just like The Rock when he finally does leave the WWE in the rear view mirror for good. That Tinseltown dream may have been one of the prevailing reasons Cena refused to go Saudi Arabia in light of the government’s alleged role in murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Rumors are that Cena was advised that Hollywood would not look kindly on him working the show in Riyadh and that would hurt the growth of his career, according to The Wrestling Observer. According to backstage rumblings, Cena was earmarked to go up against Rey Mysterio, getting him over for another big push to give WWE more time to find the next Latin Superstar to carry that torch in the promotion. WWE has languished in finding the next big thing Hispanic Superstar and hopes Mysterio can fill that gap.
The Wrestling Observer also reported that initially the Crown Jewel World Cup intended to mix up stars from the RAW and SmackDown brands, but adopted the brand-specific opening round tournament draw only after Cena and Bryan backed out. Ultimately, the final will feature a RAW star against a SmackDown star. In the initial draw, RAW matches will feature Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley and Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler. On the SmackDown side, Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz and Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton.