WWE: Why did AEW stars appear on RAW to congratulate John Cena on his 20th anniversary?

John Cena returned to RAW on Monday to celebrate his 20th WWE anniversary. The show also had a few AEW stars appearing to congratulate, making many fans wonder.

Former 16-time WWE Champion John Cena returned to Monday Night RAW to celebrate his 20th anniversary with World Wrestling Entertainment. Having made his debut in 2002, Cena has risen the ranks and established himself as one of the greatest in WWE. He has won World Championships, the United States Championship, Tag-Team Championship, Money in the Bank and the Royal Rumble. Currently, he is associated with the promotion on a part-time basis, owing to his commitments in Hollywood. On Monday’s RAW, some former WWE legends, including current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) superstars, appeared to congratulate Cena on his anniversary, shocking the fans.

In the meantime, Fightful Select reports that AEW President Tony Khan granted special permission to some of the AEW stars, who are former WWE superstars. The likes of Bryan Danielson (aka Daniel Bryan), Paul Wight (aka The Big Show) and Chris Jericho were the ones to appear on RAW through video footage and wish Cena.

The report states that WWE reached out to Tony, seeking permission for the same, while he gave the green light for the interviews to be conducted and was contained with the circumstances surrounding the videos. As a result, WWE was delighted to have landed the ones it seeks for the same virtually.

“Wishing John Cena congratulations on 20 years of hustle, loyalty and respect. One of my all-time favourite opponents,” said Jericho in the WWE appreciation footage for Cena. It wasn’t the first time Jericho appeared on WWE while signing to AEW. Last year, he appeared on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions podcast. He even criticised WWE for his booking with Kevin Owns at WrestleMania 33, which resulted in him quitting the company.