John Cena's Final Act: A Detailed Chronology of the WWE Icon's 2025 Retirement Tour

John Cena, widely regarded as one of the most pivotal figures in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) history, is set to conclude his illustrious in-ring career on Saturday, January 18, 2025. His year-long retirement tour, marked by a spectrum of critical acclaim and creative challenges, culminates in a highly anticipated contest against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This retrospective examines the significant milestones, pivotal matches, and evolving narrative threads that defined Cena’s final twelve months as an active competitor.

A Challenging Opening and a Record-Breaking Title Victory

The initial phase of John Cena’s retirement tour in 2025 was largely defined by his pursuit of a historic 17th world championship, aiming to surpass Ric Flair’s long-standing record of 16 recognized world title reigns. This objective set the stage for Cena’s entry into the Royal Rumble, a traditional pathway to a WrestleMania main event. However, the Royal Rumble delivered an unexpected outcome, with Jey Uso eliminating Cena in a surprising finish that denied him a direct path to the championship match at WrestleMania 41.

Following this setback, Cena adopted a pragmatic, almost self-serving, demeanor. He asserted that a WrestleMania main event appearance was "best for business" and argued that his "23 years of loyal service to this company" warranted an automatic entry into the Elimination Chamber match, a privilege not extended to the other five competitors who had to qualify. Inside the Elimination Chamber, Cena secured his WrestleMania opportunity under contentious circumstances. As the match reached its final stages between Cena and CM Punk, Seth Rollins, already eliminated, interfered by stomping Punk’s head into the steel grating. Cena capitalized on this act, unheroically applying an STF submission hold to secure the victory.

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The evening took a dramatic turn when Cena executed a heel turn, incited by the influential figure of The Rock. This segment saw Cena, joined by recording artist Travis Scott, launch a brutal assault on Cody Rhodes. The moment garnered widespread attention across social media platforms and mainstream media, achieving its intended viral impact.

However, the creative trajectory following this impactful heel turn faced scrutiny. The subsequent narrative did not appear to capitalize on the initial shock. At WrestleMania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in a 25-minute contest to claim his record-breaking 17th undisputed WWE Championship, with interference from Travis Scott playing a decisive role. The Rock, despite his earlier instigation, was notably absent. Cena’s justification for his actions revolved around a perceived "abusive relationship" with the fans and a desire to "ruin wrestling for them" by being the "last real champion." Critics observed a disconnect between this villainous persona and Cena’s continued public appearances draped in merchandise promoting his retirement tour, alongside the unexplained disappearance of The Rock and Travis Scott from the storyline, which diminished the long-term impact of the viral heel turn.

In a recent interview, Cena himself shed light on the genesis of the heel turn, 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 suggested a strategic decision primarily aimed at generating a singular, high-impact moment rather than a long-term character arc.

Renewed Rivalries and a Return to Form

As Cena’s heel run struggled to gain consistent traction, WWE creative pivoted by revisiting established rivalries. This included a championship defense against Randy Orton at Backlash. The rivalry between Cena and Orton, spanning over two decades, is characterized by their parallel ascensions to the top of the company, rather than a consistent in-ring chemistry that defined other pairings. Cena successfully retained his championship in a decent but not spectacular encounter.

A lighter, more comedic diversion followed with a brief program against R-Truth. This storyline commenced when Truth confronted Cena at a Backlash press conference, leading to Cena putting him through a table. Their interaction leaned into years of comedic exchanges and Truth’s long-held claim of Cena being his childhood hero. Cena defeated Truth at Saturday Night’s Main Event in May, though Truth secured a disqualification victory in their June rematch on SmackDown. These two matches, totaling just over 10 minutes, provided a fun, albeit short-lived, interlude during Cena’s otherwise floundering heel character.

The narrative gained significant momentum with the rekindling of Cena’s rivalry with CM Punk, culminating in a match at Night of Champions. The build-up to this contest allowed Cena to portray his heel persona most effectively, drawing upon their extensive history and real-life grievances. Cena notably delivered his own recreation of Punk’s iconic "pipebomb" promo from 2011, deftly flipping the dynamic of their original program where Punk was champion threatening to leave the company, to Cena now being in a similar position but as the heel. The match itself was widely considered one of the strongest of Cena’s retirement tour, showcasing the undeniable in-ring chemistry between the two veterans. However, the contest was ultimately marred by a series of interferences from Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Penta, and Sami Zayn, which critics argued overwhelmed the core story of the match.

Ahead of SummerSlam, Cena was once again paired with Cody Rhodes. On the final pre-SummerSlam SmackDown, a face-to-face confrontation between Cena and Rhodes led to an abrupt and largely unexplained babyface turn for Cena. He simply stated he had "lost his way" and declared, "August 1, 2025, the day John Cena came back to WWE." This marked the end of Cena’s brief heel run, positioning him to conclude his career in the heroic persona he had maintained for the majority of his tenure.

Championship Losses and Grand Slam Achievement

As anticipated, Cody Rhodes successfully reclaimed the undisputed WWE Championship from Cena at SummerSlam. The match, utilizing "street fight" rules, was generally regarded as a more compelling contest than their WrestleMania encounter, benefiting from the added drama and intensity. Following his loss, Cena exhibited sportsmanship by shaking the new champion’s hand. This moment of respect was immediately overshadowed by the shocking and controversial return of Brock Lesnar, who launched a brutal post-match assault on Cena, leaving him incapacitated.

Before a direct confrontation with Lesnar could materialize, Cena engaged in a short program with Logan Paul. The match at Clash in Paris saw Cena, visibly enjoying his role in the less dramatically charged part of his farewell tour, display an expanded offensive repertoire, incorporating several moves not typically seen in his matches, en route to a victory over the social media influencer-turned-wrestler.

The highly anticipated match between Cena and Brock Lesnar took place at Wrestlepalooza. The bout evoked memories of their dominant encounter at SummerSlam 2014, where Lesnar delivered 16 German suplexes in a one-sided victory. Lesnar again dominated Cena at Wrestlepalooza, though the match itself was met with widespread disappointment. ESPN, whose streaming deal with WWE commenced with the event, graded the match a C-, while CBS Sports assigned it a C, reflecting a general consensus of an underwhelming spectacle.

A standout moment of Cena’s retirement tour arrived in October at Crown Jewel. Without extensive build-up beyond a social media exchange, Cena faced AJ Styles in Australia. Their previous encounters, notably at Money in the Bank 2016 and SummerSlam 2016, are often cited among Cena’s career best. The Crown Jewel match was no exception, with both competitors eschewing typical WWE match structure. They incorporated numerous callbacks to their respective careers and utilized signature maneuvers of past rivals, delivering a performance that resonated with the style of independent circuit matches from the 2010s. This encounter is widely considered one of the best matches of Cena’s storied career.

With the Styles match concluded, Cena entered the final stretch of his in-ring appearances, but one significant career milestone remained. In his final WWE ring appearance in Boston, Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio issued an open challenge. Cena seized the opportunity, defeating Mysterio to capture the Intercontinental Championship, the only major championship in WWE he had never held. This victory officially elevated Cena to the exclusive status of a WWE Grand Slam Champion, an honor bestowed upon wrestlers who have held a world championship, a tag team championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the United States Championship. Other notable Grand Slam Champions include Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Edge.

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

Now, all that remains for John Cena is his final match on Saturday night against Gunther, who earned the honor of being Cena’s last opponent by battling through a rigorous tournament.

Evaluation of the Retirement Tour’s Impact and Reception

Assessing the overall success of John Cena’s retirement tour presents a mixed perspective. The creative direction at several junctures faced considerable criticism. While the initial heel turn against Cody Rhodes generated significant immediate impact, the subsequent lack of consistent follow-through and the unexplained absence of The Rock from the storyline diminished its long-term narrative weight. This left Cena delivering repetitive promos that struggled to justify his villainous character, especially when juxtaposed with his public persona.

The creative team’s subsequent decision to revert Cena to a babyface role, seemingly without a strong narrative catalyst, was perceived by some as an overcorrection. This pivot was likely influenced by the necessity of portraying Cena as a heroic figure following Brock Lesnar’s post-SummerSlam assault.

Furthermore, several of Cena’s matches in the earlier part of the tour were observed to be lengthy and, at times, overly reliant on convoluted booking, which occasionally exposed limitations in his ability to maintain a 25-minute pace at this stage of his career.

However, as the tour progressed and Cena seemingly found his rhythm, his in-ring performances saw a notable improvement. He produced compelling matches with CM Punk and, most notably, delivered one of the finest contests of his career against AJ Styles. These performances served as powerful reminders of Cena’s exceptional talent and enduring ability to deliver high-quality professional wrestling when the circumstances aligned.

Despite some creative missteps and inconsistent booking, the tour ultimately underscored John Cena’s status as one of WWE’s all-time greats. In that regard, the final year of his active in-ring career can be considered a success, offering fans both challenging narrative choices and moments of undeniable wrestling brilliance.

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