John Cena WWE Hall of Fame Odds: Who Will Induct the 16-Time World Champion?

He was once the Doctor of Thuganomics. He remains, to some, the King of the Five Moves of Doom. And he will forever be revered as one of the biggest heroes in Make-a-Wish history.

The accolades and superlatives run deep with John Cena (who, by the way, is also a 16-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion, the most world titles of any wrestler in the vaunted organization.) And inevitably, you'll be able to add one more career highlight to the list: WWE Hall of Famer.

Cena, who announced in July that he would wind up his remarkable in-ring career at Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas, is a lock to be inducted into professional wrestling's historic pantheon at some point in the near future; it might even happen in 2025, ahead of what will be his final Premium Level Event (PLE) as a regular performer.

Yet, while there's no doubt that Cena will be the centerpiece of a future Hall of Fame induction class, there's plenty of mystery around who will have the honor of inducting him. Here are the latest odds (favorite in bold):

John Cena WWE Hall of Fame odds: Who will induct him?

(Odds updated Dec. 30 at 11:15 A.m. ET)

John Cena WWE Hall of Fame induction favorites

Kurt Angle (+300)

Angle is a natural favorite due to the simple fact that Cena inducted him into the Hall of Fame back in 2017. And let's not forget that Cena's WWE television debut came way back in 2002, when the future Chain Gang Soldier went from being a mere up-and-comer to ushering in the WWE's era of "Ruthless Aggression" with an impressive showing against Angle.

The WWE loves its full-circle moments, so having Angle usher Cena into the Hall of Fame nearly a quarter-century after that historic (if brief) match would be fitting. And that's certainly not the extent of their history: they split a pair of 1-on-1 heavyweight title matches, while Cena bested Angle in two separate Triple Threat championship bouts.

History is certainly on Angle's side here, and it'll be difficult to see him budging from top spot on the odds list short of some sort of leak along the way.

Randy Orton (+300)

No wrestler on the planet has taken more shoulder tackles, Five Knuckle Shuffles, FUs, and "You Can't See Me" hand waves than Randy Orton.

These two iconic superstars have met an unfathomable 73 times in a WWE ring, a tally that doesn't include four encounters in Ohio Valley Wrestling prior to their respective big-league debuts. In 2014 alone, the two engaged in a heavyweight championship bout, an Elimination Chamber match, five different handicap bouts, a ladder match, several tag-team encounters and a Hell in a Cell. Phew.

This kind of history just doesn't exist between wrestlers, and there's something deeply sentimental about the thought of Orton inducting his most nefarious in-ring foe (and one of his closest real-life friends). Orton has also said that he would love to have the opportunity to induct Cena into the Hall, and that alone makes him a solid betting choice.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (+500)

The Rock and Cena gave wrestling fans one (potentially) final historic moment when they faced off in the Night 2 main event at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia; Cena ran in to offer assistance to "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes but was immediately confronted by The Final Boss, who gave Cena a Rock Bottom for his troubles.

Regardless of what you think of their movie choices or acting skills, Cena and Dwayne Johnson are, along with Dave Batista, the most successful wrestlers-turned-actors in history, shifting seamlessly from in-ring icons to box office sensations. And there's a genuine mutual respect between Johnson and Cena, despite perceived friction at times when they shared the WWE spotlight.

I don't see this one as the most realistic option, primarily because there's so little history between them; they faced off only twice in their WWE careers, nearly a year apart in consecutive Wrestlemania main events. A Rock induction might feature plenty of sound bites, but it wouldn't be special.

John Cena WWE Hall of Fame induction underdogs

The Undertaker (+1000)

It's kind of astounding that these two mega-stars didn't face off more than a handful of times in singles bouts over the course of their respective careers. Granted, Undertaker had a head start of more than a decade in the WWF/WWE, but both were very much in their prime as they fought an entertaining program in the early 2000s.

Unfortunately, the in-ring history between the two took a significant downward turn at Wrestlemania 34, when the Undertaker – at the behest of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, who was concerned about the Dead Man's conditioning – squashed Cena in a two-minute, 45-second laugher. They wouldn't meet in a WWE ring again.

Cena and the Undertaker might have shared rarefied air atop the WWE hierarchy for years, but they just don't have the kind of legacy rivalry that makes the Undertaker a logical choice as Cena's Hall of Fame presenter.

Edge (+1000)

You have to wonder if Edge (real name: Adam Copeland) would have been Cena's biggest foil had Orton not been in the picture. These two had some of the most entertaining matches of the mid-2000s, punctuated by Cena's thrilling win in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the heavyweight title at Unforgiven 2006 in Edge's home town of Toronto.

Edge returned the favor in a Last Man Standing victory at Backlash 2009, but there would be no championship rubber match as Edge was forced to retire in 2011 due to several neck injuries. By the time he made his return to action in 2020, Cena was already down to part-time wrestling duties, and Edge left for AEW in 2023.

It's difficult to see Edge being a viable candidate to induct Cena as long as the former is with a rival promotion.

John Cena WWE Hall of Fame induction longshots

Roman Reigns (+3000)

As with others on this list, Cena doesn't have a long history of singles competition against Reigns, the company's no-doubt Alpha (with respect to Rhodes).

The two tangled repeatedly when Reigns was part of the vaunted Shield, but those feuds never really materialized into the kind of 1-on-1 program we've seen Cena work with so many other WWE icons or legends in the making. And while their limited time in the ring together has produced major fireworks (particularly on the promo side), a Reigns induction would be a total shock.

R-Truth (+3500)

If Cena and WWE wanted to take the pure comedy route, an R-Truth induction would surely be one of the most memorable moments of Wrestlemania weekend.

Truth, who has long professed to idolizing Cena, putting on entertaining matches with him both as an opponent and a partner. And Cena has one of the better senses of humor of any wrestler to come out of WWE. But the Hall of Fame is a serious honor – and you can be sure that R-Truth will be nowhere near the stage for that one.

My Pick

I'm keeping this simple: There are only two genuinely viable candidates for Cena's induction, and as you might expect, they occupy the top two spots on this list.

Angle seems like a natural fit for the honor at first glance, but his ties to WWE are considerably more frayed than Orton's, with Angle having left the organization in 2006 and not returning until 2017. And sure, there's "Cena's First Match" and all ... but beyond that, how truly distinctive is the Angle-Cena feud history compared with other legendary tete-a-tetes?

Orton, on the other hand, has been a WWE lifer, just like Big Match John – and with their careers having been so magically intertwined over nearly a quarter-century, there is no superstar better suited to welcome Cena into the greatest club in pro wrestling.

Look for Orton and Cena to be paired together one last awesome time on the WWE's Hall of Fame stage.

My Pick: Randy Orton (+300)

WWE Hall of Fame induction list

(Full list courtesy Pro Wrestling Wiki)

*Warrior Award winner

John Cena WWE Hall of Fame FAQs

When will John Cena be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?

It isn't immediately known when John Cena will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame; the majority of inductions take place either posthumously, or after a professional wrestler has retired, though exceptions have been made in the past. Cena is expected to be inducted in either 2025 or 2026.

How many times has John Cena inducted a WWE Hall of Famer?

Cena has inducted three WWE Hall of Fame honorees: William "Refrigerator" Perry in 2006, Snoop Dogg in 2016 and Kurt Angle in 2017. He also joined Dana Warrior, the widow of former WWF champion The Ultimate Warrior, to bestow the Warrior Award in 2017 to Sue Aitchison, who worked for the company for nearly 40 years.

Who is the favorite to induct John Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame?

Kurt Angle and Randy Orton are the current betting co-favorites at +300 to induct John Cena into the WWE Hall of Fame, with each carrying an implied probability of 25.00%. Fellow Hall of Famers Triple H (+400, 20% implied probability) and The Rock (+500, 16.67%) are next.

When will the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 be announced?

The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be revealed in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania 41, which takes place April 19-20, 2025 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

When will the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 be inducted?

The 2025 edition of the WWE Hall of Fame list will likely be inducted Friday, April 18, 2025; a location has not yet been announced.