John Cena’s Final Act: A Detailed Chronology of His WWE Retirement Tour Matches

One of the most decorated and influential figures in WWE history is set to conclude his in-ring career on Saturday, with John Cena scheduled to compete in his final match. The year-long 2025 retirement tour, much like his extensive career, has been characterized by a blend of critical highs and notable challenges. The conclusion of this chapter will see Cena face Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event, marking the end of a momentous period in his professional wrestling journey.

Over the past 12 months, Cena’s tour has featured the achievement of new career milestones, alongside a significant oscillation between traditional heroic (babyface) and villainous (heel) personas. While some contests during this period garnered mixed reception for their execution or booking, others have been critically acclaimed, ranking among the standout performances of Cena’s illustrious career. This retrospective examines the key events, matches, and narrative developments that defined John Cena’s final year in WWE.

A Polarizing Heel Turn and Record-Breaking Title Victory

The initial phase of Cena’s retirement tour was heavily centered on his pursuit of a record-setting 17th world championship, aiming to surpass his tie with Ric Flair, who also held 16 world titles. The narrative commenced at the 2025 Royal Rumble, where Cena entered the multi-person elimination match with the explicit goal of securing a world title opportunity at WrestleMania 41. The final moments of the Rumble saw Cena confront Jey Uso, with many observers anticipating a Cena victory. However, Uso ultimately secured the win in a surprising outcome that defied conventional expectations for Cena’s career arc.

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Following this defeat, a visibly disappointed Cena articulated his belief that headlining WrestleMania was "best for business" and asserted his intention to earn that distinction by entering the Elimination Chamber. This declaration was accompanied by a controversial statement where Cena claimed that "23 years of loyal service to this company" exempted him from the qualification process required of the other five competitors for a spot in the Elimination Chamber match. This stance marked a distinct shift from his established heroic persona.

Cena subsequently qualified for WrestleMania inside the Elimination Chamber. The match culminated with Cena and CM Punk as the final two participants. In a contentious sequence, an already eliminated Seth Rollins intervened, stomping Punk’s head into the steel grating surrounding the ring. Cena, capitalizing on Rollins’ illicit actions, unheroically applied an STF submission hold to secure the victory. The events of the Elimination Chamber then led to a pivotal moment, as Cena executed a full heel turn at the encouragement of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, culminating in a brutal assault on Cody Rhodes, with musical artist Travis Scott also participating.

This heel turn, particularly the visual of Cena aligning with The Rock and Scott to attack Rhodes, generated substantial social media engagement and widespread media attention, achieving significant viral status as intended by WWE. However, the immediate impact of this moment was not consistently sustained.

Reports indicated that WWE’s strategic planning for Cena’s heel run might not have extended significantly beyond the initial shock value. Cena went on to defeat Rhodes in a 25-minute contest at WrestleMania 41 to become the undisputed WWE Champion, officially breaking Ric Flair’s record with his 17th world title reign. Cena’s victory at WrestleMania was aided by interference from Travis Scott, with The Rock notably absent from the event. Cena subsequently attempted to explain his actions by claiming he had been in an "abusive relationship" with the WWE audience and sought to "ruin wrestling for them" by portraying himself as the "last real champion."

This explanation struggled to resonate with audiences, as Cena continued to deliver seemingly half-hearted messages of disdain for fans while simultaneously being adorned in merchandise promoting his "retirement tour," which inherently implied a connection to his fanbase. The disappearance of both The Rock and Travis Scott from the storyline further diminished the impact and coherence of Cena’s heel persona. In a recent interview, Cena himself suggested the decision for the turn lacked extensive long-term narrative planning, stating, "No, that stuff you see on [WWE] Unreal is real. ‘We need to make Chamber big, so let’s do something that’ll shock everybody. Hey man, we got this idea.’ ‘No problem, I’ll do the best I can.’" This quote underscored the perception that the heel turn was primarily a short-term shock tactic.

Renewed Rivalries and a Return to Heroism

As reported, Cena’s heel tenure struggled to achieve consistent traction with the audience. In response, WWE leveraged established rivalries to maintain interest in his championship reign. This strategy commenced with Cena defending his newly acquired title against Randy Orton at Backlash. The rivalry between Cena and Orton is historically significant, primarily due to their simultaneous rise and long-standing prominence within the promotion, rather than a consistent record of exceptional in-ring chemistry. The Backlash match was described as "decent," with Cena successfully retaining the championship.

Cena then engaged in a brief program with R-Truth. This storyline originated when Truth confronted Cena at a Backlash press conference, leading to Cena putting Truth through a table. Cena defeated Truth at Saturday Night’s Main Event in May. Their rematch in June on SmackDown concluded with Cena losing by disqualification. The R-Truth storyline, characterized by comedic interactions and Truth’s long-held claim of Cena being his childhood hero, served as a lighthearted diversion during a period when Cena’s heel character was floundering. The two matches combined for just over 10 minutes of in-ring action, providing a moment of levity.

Another iconic Cena rivalry was reignited for Night of Champions, where he faced CM Punk. The build-up to this particular match allowed Cena to more effectively embody his heel character. The extensive history between Cena and Punk provided a foundation for Cena to draw upon genuine grievances, culminating in his own recreation of Punk’s famous "pipebomb" promo from their 2011 program. In 2011, Punk, then WWE Champion, threatened to leave the company with the title; Cena, in 2025, effectively inverted this narrative, leveraging their reversed positions.

Cena and Punk subsequently delivered what was widely considered one of the strongest matches of Cena’s retirement tour, showcasing their enduring in-ring chemistry and storytelling ability. However, the match’s narrative was ultimately overshadowed by a series of external interferences involving Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Penta, and Sami Zayn, detracting from the core contest.

With the Punk rivalry concluded, Cena was once again paired with Cody Rhodes in the lead-up to SummerSlam. On the final SmackDown preceding SummerSlam, a face-to-face confrontation between Cena and Rhodes resulted in Cena’s abrupt return to his babyface persona. The shift lacked a strong, explicitly stated motivator, with Cena simply declaring he had "lost his way" and proclaiming, "August 1, 2025, the day John Cena came back to WWE." This marked the end of Cena’s heel run, positioning him to conclude his career as the heroic character he had predominantly portrayed for the majority of his time in WWE.

Championship Loss and Grand Slam Achievement

As widely anticipated, Cody Rhodes successfully reclaimed the WWE Championship from Cena at SummerSlam. The match, contested under "street fight" rules, was generally regarded as a significant improvement over their WrestleMania encounter, with the stipulation adding a layer of drama and physicality. Cena remained consistent with his babyface turn against Rhodes, shaking the new champion’s hand after the match. This moment was then dramatically interrupted by the shocking and controversial return of Brock Lesnar, who brutally attacked Cena, setting the stage for a new rivalry.

Before a direct confrontation with Lesnar could materialize, Cena was briefly involved in a program with social media personality and wrestler Logan Paul. By this stage, having navigated the more dramatic and narratively complex aspects of his farewell tour, Cena appeared to be enjoying his in-ring performances more demonstrably. This was evident in his Clash in Paris victory over Paul, where Cena notably incorporated several moves from outside his traditional repertoire.

Cena and Lesnar eventually faced off at Wrestlepalooza. The match evoked memories of their SummerSlam 2014 encounter, where Lesnar delivered 16 German suplexes in a dominant victory over Cena. In a similar vein, Lesnar largely dominated Cena at Wrestlepalooza. However, the match itself was widely considered a disappointment by critics. ESPN, whose streaming deal with WWE commenced with the event, graded the match a C-, while CBS Sports assigned it a C, reflecting a perception of unfulfilled potential.

The most unequivocally praised in-ring performance of Cena’s retirement tour occurred in October at Crown Jewel. With minimal pre-match build-up beyond a social media exchange suggesting a potential contest, Cena met AJ Styles in Australia. Their previous encounters had produced several critically acclaimed matches, and Crown Jewel proved no exception. The two competitors deviated significantly from the typical structure of a contemporary WWE match, incorporating numerous callbacks to moments throughout their respective careers and utilizing signature moves of many past rivals. The contest between Styles and Cena was observed to function more akin to an independent circuit match from the 2010s in its structure and pacing than a standard 2025 WWE event, earning widespread critical acclaim.

Following the Styles match, Cena entered the final stretch of his appearances, with one significant career achievement yet to be attained. In his final appearance in a WWE ring in Boston, Cena was unexpectedly confronted by the reigning Intercontinental Champion, Dominik Mysterio. This interaction led to an immediate championship match, which Cena won, securing the Intercontinental Championship—the lone major title he had never held in WWE. With the Intercontinental Championship added to his resume, Cena officially joined the exclusive ranks of WWE Grand Slam Champions, a distinction awarded to those who have held a world championship, a tag team championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the United States Championship.

Cena’s reign as Intercontinental Champion was brief. After teaming with Sheamus and Rey Mysterio to defeat The Judgment Day on his final Raw appearance, Cena faced Dominik Mysterio in a rematch at Survivor Series. This contest was heavily influenced by a series of interferences, culminating in the return of Liv Morgan, which ultimately allowed Mysterio to secure the victory and reclaim the Intercontinental title.

Now, all remaining engagements for Cena lead to Saturday night, where he is scheduled to face Gunther. Gunther earned the right to be Cena’s final opponent by battling through a dedicated tournament designed to determine this prestigious distinction.

Assessing the Retirement Tour’s Overall Impact

The overall success of John Cena’s final year in WWE presents a complex assessment. From a booking perspective, the tour encountered several challenges. The initial heel turn on Cody Rhodes, while a significant and viral moment, reportedly lacked substantive follow-through. The absence of The Rock from subsequent storylines rendered the initial impact somewhat meaningless, forcing Cena to deliver repetitive promos about disliking fans, which often contradicted his concurrent role as a retiring legend.

WWE’s narrative correction, which saw Cena randomly revert to a babyface persona without a clear catalyst, was widely perceived as an overcorrection. This shift was likely necessitated by the planned return of Brock Lesnar, as an attack on a heel Cena might not have elicited the desired audience sympathy.

Furthermore, several of Cena’s matches in the earlier part of the year were met with criticism. Observers noted that these contests were often prolonged, excessively overbooked, and that Cena occasionally appeared to struggle with the physical demands of extended 25-minute matches at this stage of his career.

However, as the tour progressed and Cena seemingly regained his in-ring rhythm, he was able to produce moments of exceptional quality. His match with CM Punk, despite the external interferences, showcased their strong chemistry, and his encounter with AJ Styles at Crown Jewel was lauded as one of the best matches of his career.

Despite the identified missteps in narrative construction and occasional in-ring challenges, the tour ultimately delivered moments that unequivocally reminded audiences of Cena’s profound talent and enduring legacy within WWE. In this regard, by affirming his status as one of the greatest performers in the company’s history, John Cena’s final year can be considered a success.

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