John Cena: A Historic Farewell in the World of Wrestling
The legendary John Cena began his farewell tour at the premiere of “Monday Night Raw” on Netflix on January 6th. The iconic WWE wrestler, who has participated part-time since 2018, announced in July 2024 that he is expected to have between 30 and 40 matches in 2025 to conclude his final year in the ring. On September 30, WWE confirmed that Cena’s final match will be on December 13 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Cena’s opponent will be determined through the “The Last Time Is Now” tournament.Key Moments on the Farewell Tour
Here are the highlights of the “The Last Time is Now John Cena Farewell Tour” tour.Last ‘Monday Night Raw’ – November 17th
Cena’s last “Monday Night Raw” took place at Madison Square Garden, the scene of some of his most emblematic moments in WWE. Among them, his shocking return and victory at the 2008 Royal Rumble and his first WWE championship at WrestleMania XX. During his speech in the ring, Dominik Mysterio interrupted Cena, who had lost his Intercontinental Championship belt to Cena on November 10 on “Raw”. Mysterio and Cena agreed to a rematch for the belt at Survivor Series in San Diego. However, Mysterio attacked Cena with the help of Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh, who stormed the ring. Sheamus and Rey Mysterio quickly came to support Cena.‘Monday Night Raw’ in Boston – November 10th
In his home state of Massachusetts, Cena made history once again. He faced Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio in a match that Triple H, WWE CCO, organized in the ring moments before. Mysterio, Intercontinental champion for 204 days, seemed to be in a position to retain his title. He performed a 619 and a Frog Splash on Cena, then attempted the pin. However, Cena got out and applied his finisher, the Attitude Adjustment. Cena executed the finisher and then covered Mysterio to win the match. With this victory, Cena became the latest WWE Superstar to be a Grand Slam champion, which means he has held all the main WWE titles (Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team, World Heavyweight and United States).Crown Jewel – October 11th
In the last match of one of WWE’s best rivalries, Cena defeated AJ Styles in Perth, Australia. Cena and Styles used all their weapons in this match. Cena executed the finishers of multiple WWE superstars: an RKO (Randy Orton), a Skull Crushing Finale (The Miz) and a Tombstone (The Undertaker). Styles paid tribute to Shawn Michaels with a Sweet Chin Music. In the end, Cena emerged victorious in a match that left the crowd chanting “Thank you, Cena” and a hug between the two wrestlers in the ring. The Undertaker also expressed his approval of the match.Wrestlepalooza – September 20th
Cena faced his old rival Brock Lesnar. Although Cena applied three AAs at the beginning, Lesnar was too much for him. However, the audience applauded Cena’s efforts, and he is likely to have another chance against Lesnar in his remaining five matches before his retirement.WWE Clash in Paris – September 1st
Cena made the most of his last match in Europe, defeating Logan Paul in a very active encounter. The Parisian audience received Cena with an [electric interpretation](https://x.com/WWE/status/1962251028176237041) of his theme song and a [Five Knuckle Shuffle](https://x.com/WWE/status/1962254318402175459). Cena pulled out all his tricks, even applying a Styles Clash to Paul. He collapsed after his final Attitude Adjustment and covered Paul for the victory.WWE SummerSlam – August 3rd
After turning heel about five months before SummerSlam, Cena returned to being a babyface, running with his classic entrance before facing Cody Rhodes in a street fight.WWE Night of Champions – June 28th
Cena defeated CM Punk in a chaotic match with multiple interruptions and knocked-out referees, facing one of the biggest rivals of his career. The first time it happened, Punk asked for a new referee from the back, only for Seth Rollins, winner of Money in the Bank, to come out. Rollins arrived at the ring with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, who threw Punk onto a commentary table. Rollins then stood in the ring and asked for a referee so he could cash in his briefcase. However, when the new referee ran towards the ring, Cena knocked him down, leading to a face-off between the champion and Rollins.WWE Money in the Bank – June 7th
Teaming with Logan Paul against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, Cena dominated at first, but a conflict in the ring with Paul allowed Rhodes and Uso to get back into the match.WWE Backlash – May 10
Cena faced Randy Orton, two legendary wrestlers head-to-head for what could be the last time in their careers. Both fighters exchanged blows in a back-and-forth match, with Cena accidentally hitting a referee with the championship belt and Orton applying RKO after RKO after RKO to the intruders.When Orton moved to finish Cena, R-Truth intervened. While Orton was applying an RKO, Cena hit him with the championship belt and covered him, winning the match.
