John Cena’s Career Culmination: A Detailed Retrospective of His Transformative WWE Retirement Tour.

As one of the most significant figures in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) history prepares to conclude his active in-ring career, John Cena’s 2025 retirement tour has provided a comprehensive, if at times polarizing, narrative of his impact on professional wrestling. The journey, spanning 12 months, will culminate on Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Cena is scheduled to face Gunther in his final competitive bout. This period has been characterized by both career milestones and controversial narrative shifts, reflecting the complex legacy of a performer who has been the face of WWE for over a decade.

The tour commenced with a clear objective for Cena: to surpass Ric Flair’s long-standing record of 16 world championship reigns. This pursuit began at the Royal Rumble, where Cena entered the 30-man over-the-top-rope battle royal with the aim of securing a main event championship match at WrestleMania 41. Despite expectations for a Cena victory, Jey Uso emerged as the surprising victor, eliminating Cena in the final moments of the contest.

Following this setback, Cena publicly declared that headlining WrestleMania was "best for business" and asserted his right to a spot in the Elimination Chamber match, a multi-competitor contest where participants are locked in pods and released at timed intervals. Cena’s claim of "23 years of loyal service to this company" as justification for bypassing qualification requirements, unlike the other five participants, marked an initial departure from his established heroic persona. His subsequent victory inside the Elimination Chamber further solidified this shift. With the match narrowed down to Cena and CM Punk, an already eliminated Seth Rollins attacked Punk, stomping his head into the metal grating surrounding the ring. Cena capitalized on the compromised opponent, unheroically applying an STF submission hold to secure the win.

The full extent of Cena’s character transformation became evident shortly after, orchestrated by a returning The Rock. At The Rock’s urging, Cena executed a brutal assault on Cody Rhodes, joined by musical artist Travis Scott. This moment, designed as a shocking heel turn, rapidly achieved widespread virality across social media platforms and garnered significant mainstream media attention, demonstrating WWE’s capacity for impactful storytelling.

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However, the narrative momentum generated by the heel turn faced challenges in its subsequent execution. Cena proceeded to defeat Cody Rhodes in a 25-minute championship encounter at WrestleMania 41, claiming his record-breaking 17th world title. The victory was marred by interference from Travis Scott, while The Rock, a central figure in the heel turn, was conspicuously absent. Cena’s post-match explanations, framing his actions as a consequence of an "abusive relationship" with the WWE audience and a desire to "ruin wrestling for them" by becoming the "last real champion," frequently appeared incongruent with his continued presentation. Notably, Cena continued to appear draped in merchandise promoting his retirement tour, creating a disconnect between his proclaimed disdain for the fans and his commercial endeavors.

In a candid interview following the events, Cena himself indicated the spontaneous nature of the heel turn’s conception, 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 statement suggested that the long-term narrative planning for the heel persona may have been secondary to creating an immediate, impactful moment.

The tour progressed with a series of engagements that saw Cena revisiting established rivalries. His first title defense as the undisputed WWE champion came against Randy Orton at Backlash. The rivalry between Cena and Orton, spanning over two decades, is more rooted in their parallel ascensions as top-tier performers than consistent in-ring chemistry. The Backlash match, while competently executed, was rated as a decent encounter, with Cena successfully retaining his championship.

A brief, comedic program ensued with R-Truth, a performer known for his eccentricities and long-standing on-screen admiration for Cena as his "childhood hero." The interaction began with Truth confronting Cena at a Backlash press conference, culminating in Cena putting Truth through a table. Cena secured a victory over Truth at Saturday Night’s Main Event in May, followed by a disqualification loss in their June rematch on SmackDown. These two matches, totaling just over 10 minutes, provided a lighthearted interlude during Cena’s increasingly criticized heel run, tapping into years of shared comedic history.

The subsequent rekindling of Cena’s rivalry with CM Punk for Night of Champions provided a more suitable canvas for his heel character. The historical animosity between the two, particularly their program in 2011 involving Punk’s "pipebomb" promo and threat to leave WWE with the championship, allowed Cena to craft a compelling narrative. Cena delivered his own recreation of Punk’s iconic promo, effectively flipping their previous dynamic. Their match at Night of Champions was widely regarded as one of the strongest performances of Cena’s retirement tour, showcasing their consistent in-ring chemistry and storytelling capabilities. However, the contest was ultimately overshadowed by a series of external interferences involving Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Penta, and Sami Zayn, which diluted the impact of the core rivalry.

Ahead of SummerSlam, Cena found himself once again in a program with Cody Rhodes. During the final pre-SummerSlam SmackDown broadcast, Cena executed an abrupt and largely unmotivated babyface turn. He acknowledged having "lost his way" and declared, "August 1, 2025, the day John Cena came back to WWE," effectively ending his heel run. This sudden pivot saw Cena revert to the heroic character that had defined the majority of his career, a move perceived by some analysts as necessary to facilitate subsequent storylines, particularly a planned feud with Brock Lesnar.

As anticipated, Cody Rhodes recaptured the undisputed WWE championship from Cena at SummerSlam. The match, contested under "street fight" rules, was critically appraised as an improvement over their WrestleMania encounter, benefiting from the added drama and physicality. Post-match, Cena displayed sportsmanship by shaking Rhodes’ hand, solidifying his return to a heroic role. The event concluded with the shocking and controversial return of Brock Lesnar, who brutally attacked Cena, setting the stage for a new rivalry.

Before a direct match with Lesnar could materialize, Cena engaged in a short program with Logan Paul. The match, held at Clash in Paris, saw Cena secure a victory over the social media influencer-turned-wrestler. This period appeared to mark a phase where Cena exhibited increased freedom in his in-ring repertoire, incorporating moves not typically associated with his standard offense, suggesting a more relaxed approach to the concluding stages of his career.

Cena and Lesnar eventually met at Wrestlepalooza. The match served as a direct callback to their SummerSlam 2014 encounter, a contest famously dominated by Lesnar, who delivered 16 German suplexes. While Lesnar once again exerted dominance, the Wrestlepalooza rematch was generally viewed as a disappointment. ESPN, whose streaming deal with WWE commenced with the event, assigned the match a C- grade, while CBS Sports provided a C, indicating a consensus that the bout failed to meet expectations for a high-profile rivalry.

A significant highlight of Cena’s retirement tour occurred in October at Crown Jewel. Without extensive build-up beyond a social media exchange, Cena faced AJ Styles in Australia. The two performers, known for their strong in-ring chemistry and a history of critically acclaimed matches, delivered a performance that stood out for its departure from typical WWE match structure. The contest incorporated numerous callbacks to moments throughout their careers and featured maneuvers referencing past rivals, creating a dynamic reminiscent of independent circuit wrestling from the 2010s. This match was widely cited as one of the best of Cena’s career, reaffirming his ability to deliver at the highest level.

As the tour entered its final phase, one significant career achievement remained for Cena. In his final WWE appearance in Boston, his kayfabe hometown, Cena was challenged by Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. This led to an immediate championship match, which Cena won, securing the Intercontinental Championship—the only major WWE title he had never held. With this victory, Cena joined an exclusive list of WWE Grand Slam Champions, having now held a world championship, a tag team championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the United States Championship.

Cena’s reign as Intercontinental Champion was brief. Following a six-man tag team victory alongside Sheamus and Rey Mysterio against The Judgment Day on his final Raw appearance, Cena defended the title against Dominik Mysterio in a rematch at Survivor Series. A series of external interferences, culminating with the return of Liv Morgan, led to Mysterio recapturing the Intercontinental Championship.

The culmination of this extensive tour now rests on Saturday night, where John Cena will face Gunther. Gunther earned the honor of being Cena’s final opponent by battling through a dedicated tournament, underscoring the significance of this concluding chapter in Cena’s illustrious career.

Assessing the overall success of John Cena’s retirement tour presents a mixed perspective. From a narrative standpoint, the booking decisions exhibited inconsistencies. The initial heel turn on Cody Rhodes generated substantial buzz, yet the subsequent lack of sustained follow-through, coupled with The Rock’s disappearance, rendered much of its impact fleeting. Cena’s repetitive promos expressing disdain for the fans often felt detached from the broader narrative, particularly given his ongoing commercial commitments. The abrupt and largely unexplained babyface turn prior to SummerSlam further highlighted these booking challenges, suggesting a reactive approach to character development.

Furthermore, several of Cena’s early matches during the tour were perceived as over-extended and over-booked, with some critical assessments suggesting that Cena, in this phase of his career, was not optimally suited for 25-minute contests. However, as the tour progressed and Cena reportedly found his rhythm, his in-ring performances demonstrated a notable improvement. His matches against CM Punk, despite external interferences, and particularly against AJ Styles at Crown Jewel, were lauded as standout performances, reminding audiences of his enduring capabilities and profound understanding of in-ring storytelling.

Ultimately, while the booking strategy throughout the tour contained discernible missteps and inconsistencies, the ability of John Cena to deliver compelling performances in key matches, culminating in significant career milestones such as his record-breaking 17th world title and achieving Grand Slam Champion status, reinforced his legacy. In this regard, the tour served as a powerful reminder of Cena’s position as one of WWE’s most accomplished and impactful performers, thus achieving a measure of success in commemorating his unparalleled career.

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