John Cena's Farewell Tour: A Comprehensive Review of His Final Year in WWE

John Cena, recognized as one of the most impactful figures in WWE history, concludes his active in-ring career this Saturday, marking the culmination of his 2025 retirement tour. The year-long journey has been characterized by a blend of critical acclaim and creative challenges, leading to his final scheduled bout against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Throughout this period, Cena has navigated unprecedented career milestones, including a record-breaking championship reign and a controversial heel turn, providing audiences with a multifaceted "John Cena Experience" that has oscillated between lauded performances and criticized creative decisions.

A Controversial Heel Turn and a Record-Breaking World Title Win

The initial phase of Cena’s retirement tour saw him pursuing a historic 17th world championship, a feat that would surpass Ric Flair’s long-standing record of 16 world title reigns. His quest began at the Royal Rumble in early 2025, where he aimed to secure a main event spot at WrestleMania 41. However, in a surprising turn of events, Cena was eliminated by Jey Uso, an outcome that set the stage for a significant shift in his on-screen persona.

Following this unexpected defeat, a visibly disappointed Cena articulated his belief that his presence in the WrestleMania main event was "best for business." He subsequently declared his intention to earn that honor by entering the Elimination Chamber match. In a move uncharacteristic of his long-established babyface character, Cena controversially asserted that "23 years of loyal service to this company" exempted him from qualifying for the match, unlike the other five competitors. Inside the Elimination Chamber, Cena secured his victory in a contentious manner. With the match narrowed down to Cena and CM Punk, an already eliminated Seth Rollins attacked Punk, stomping his head into the unforgiving steel grating. Cena, seizing the opportunity, unheroically applied the STF submission hold to a compromised Punk, securing the win and his WrestleMania berth.

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The night’s events escalated further when Cena, at the apparent urging of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, executed a brutal attack on Cody Rhodes, joined unexpectedly by musical artist Travis Scott. This heel turn generated an immediate and widespread social media frenzy, capturing significant media attention and achieving its intended viral impact.

However, the initial success of this pivotal moment was not sustained by subsequent creative direction. Cena’s record-breaking 17th world title victory over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, a 25-minute encounter, was marred by interference from Travis Scott, while The Rock, a key instigator of the heel turn, was conspicuously absent. Cena’s explanation for his actions—claiming to be in an "abusive relationship with the fans" and aiming to "ruin wrestling for them" by being the "last real champion"—failed to resonate. This narrative was largely undermined by Cena’s continued public appearances draped in merchandise promoting his retirement tour, creating a stark contradiction between his heel persona and real-world branding. The absence of The Rock and Scott from the subsequent storyline further diminished the impact of the viral heel turn. Cena himself acknowledged the ad-hoc nature of the decision in a later interview, 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.’"

Renewed Rivalries and a Return to the Light

With the heel persona struggling to gain traction, WWE pivoted by revisiting established rivalries. Cena’s first title defense as the new undisputed WWE Champion was against Randy Orton at Backlash. The two veterans share a long and storied history, primarily defined by their parallel ascensions to the top of the promotion over two decades, rather than consistent in-ring chemistry. Their Backlash encounter was deemed a "decent match," with Cena successfully retaining his championship.

A lighter, albeit brief, program followed with R-Truth. This storyline commenced when Truth humorously confronted Cena at a Backlash press conference, leading to Cena putting him through a table. Cena defeated Truth in their first match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in May, but Truth secured a disqualification victory in a June rematch on SmackDown. This comedic interlude, capitalizing on years of humorous interactions and Truth’s long-held claim of Cena being his childhood hero, offered a refreshing diversion during the more serious, yet floundering, heel run. The two matches combined for just over 10 minutes of action.

The next major title defense reignited another classic rivalry, as Cena faced CM Punk at Night of Champions. The build-up to this match allowed Cena to embody his heel character more effectively, drawing on genuine grievances from their extensive history. Cena notably delivered his own recreation of Punk’s famous "pipebomb" promo from their 2011 program, cleverly flipping the script from Punk’s original declaration of leaving WWE with the championship to Cena now portraying the villain attempting to ruin the sport. Cena and Punk, known for their strong in-ring chemistry, delivered one of the best matches of Cena’s retirement tour. However, the narrative of the match was ultimately overshadowed by a sequence of external interferences, involving Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Penta, and Sami Zayn, which detracted from the core storytelling.

Following his program with Punk, Cena was once again paired with Cody Rhodes in the lead-up to SummerSlam. On the final pre-SummerSlam SmackDown, during a face-to-face confrontation with Rhodes, Cena abruptly reverted to his babyface persona. Without significant narrative impetus, Cena declared he had "lost his way" and proclaimed, "August 1, 2025, the day John Cena came back to WWE." This unceremonious conclusion effectively ended Cena’s heel run, setting him on a path to finish his career as the character he had predominantly portrayed for nearly two decades.

Championship Losses and Grand Slam Status

As anticipated, Cody Rhodes successfully defeated Cena for the undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The match, contested under "street fight" rules, was generally regarded as a superior encounter compared to their WrestleMania clash, with the stipulations adding a layer of drama and intensity. Following the match, Cena, embracing his babyface return, shook the new champion’s hand. This moment of sportsmanship was abruptly interrupted by the shocking and controversial return of Brock Lesnar, who brutally attacked Cena, setting up a future confrontation.

Before a match with Lesnar could materialize, Cena engaged in a short program with social media influencer-turned-wrestler Logan Paul. At Clash in Paris, Cena defeated Paul, showcasing a renewed sense of enjoyment in the ring and incorporating several maneuvers from outside his typical repertoire.

The highly anticipated match between Cena and Lesnar eventually took place at Wrestlepalooza. The encounter invoked memories of their SummerSlam 2014 match, where Lesnar delivered a dominant performance, including 16 German suplexes. While Lesnar again dominated Cena, the Wrestlepalooza match was widely considered a disappointment by critics, with ESPN, whose streaming deal with WWE commenced with the event, grading it a C- (CBS Sports awarded the match a C).

A definitive highlight of Cena’s retirement tour arrived in October at Crown Jewel in Australia. With minimal build-up beyond a social media exchange, Cena faced AJ Styles. Their previous encounters had consistently produced some of Cena’s most acclaimed matches, and Crown Jewel was no exception. The two veterans delivered a performance that diverged significantly from typical WWE match structures, incorporating various callbacks to moments throughout their careers and utilizing signature moves from many of their past rivals. The match was praised for its unique pacing and execution, resembling a contest more akin to the independent wrestling circuit of the 2010s than a standard 2025 WWE event.

Following his program with Styles, Cena entered the final stretch of his in-ring appearances, with one significant career achievement yet to be claimed. In his final WWE ring appearance in Boston, Cena was confronted by Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio. This led to an immediate title match, which Cena won, securing the Intercontinental Championship—the only major championship in WWE he had never held. With this victory, Cena officially joined the exclusive ranks of WWE Grand Slam Champions, a prestigious group of wrestlers 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. A series of interferences, notably capped by the return of Liv Morgan, saw Mysterio reclaim the Intercontinental Championship.

Now, all that remains for John Cena is his final scheduled match this Saturday against Gunther, a dominant competitor who battled through a rigorous tournament to earn the esteemed opportunity of being Cena’s final opponent.

Assessing the Retirement Tour’s Legacy

Evaluating the overall success of John Cena’s final year in WWE presents a nuanced challenge. From a booking perspective, there were undeniable shortcomings. The initial heel turn on Cody Rhodes, while creating a monumental viral moment, suffered from a lack of sustained follow-through. The subsequent disappearance of The Rock and Travis Scott rendered the turn largely meaningless, forcing Cena into repetitive promos about his disdain for the fans that often felt incongruous with his real-world status as a beloved icon on a farewell tour. WWE’s subsequent overcorrection, leading to an unmotivated babyface turn, further highlighted these creative inconsistencies, likely influenced by the necessity of positioning Cena as a hero for Brock Lesnar’s post-SummerSlam attack.

Furthermore, several of Cena’s matches in the early part of the tour were met with criticism. These bouts were often perceived as excessively long and overbooked, and Cena’s in-ring conditioning appeared to struggle with the demands of 25-minute contests.

However, as the year progressed, Cena found his rhythm. His matches against CM Punk and, particularly, AJ Styles demonstrated flashes of his renowned "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect" era brilliance. The encounter with Styles at Crown Jewel is widely regarded as one of the best matches of his career, a testament to his ability to adapt and deliver compelling performances when the narrative and in-ring chemistry aligned.

Despite the creative missteps and early struggles, when the elements coalesced, John Cena reminded audiences why he is considered one of the greatest performers in WWE history. In this capacity, his final year in the company can ultimately be regarded as a success, providing moments of vintage Cena magic amidst the complexities of a retirement journey.