When John Cena introduced that 2025 could be his closing yr as an expert wrestler, followers brazenly questioned what the WWE Universe could be like with out “The Face That Runs the Place.”
Making his debut all the way in which again in 2002 in an open problem in opposition to Kurt Angle, Cena showcased his distinctive skill to attach with followers throughout a interval of transition in skilled wrestling, when the “Angle Period” made approach for sports activities leisure and “actual” grasp fans turned to Mexico, Japan, and the indies as a substitute for Vince McMahon’s new product.
He could not have wrestled many five-star matches, together with his lengthy good mark from Dave Meltzer coming again in 2011 at Cash within the Financial institution, however Cena made as many careers as he buried, successful title after title, yr after yr, till he turned the winningest World Champion within the promotion’s historical past.
How may a wrestler with such gravitas simply… go away? How may he go from a part-timer, to a 40-date wrestler, to a swimsuit marched out for legacy appearances and Corridor of Fame ceremonies within the blink of an eye fixed after twenty years within the ring? Positive he is in one million completely different tasks exterior of the ring, from Peacemaker, to Wipeout! and even voices in automobile commercials, however in a approach, fashionable WWE owes as a lot to John Cena as John Cena owes to WWE, making the definitive finish of his in-ring profession onerous for some followers to abdomen.
Might this all be a trick? Might Gunther “fall ailing” and get replaced with a extra rightful closing foe like Chris Jericho or Edge? Or perhaps Cena would pop up and declare he is not finished but, declaring for the 2026 Royal Rumble on the spot.
And but, in the long run, Cena did what nearly each Famous person of his caliber did earlier than him: he misplaced.
Positive, Cena performed issues up for the gang like several veteran performer would, urgent the entire well-worn buttons on his controller to get cheers, geers, and gasps from a captivated Saturday Night time’s Principal Occasion crowd, however in the long run, after preventing out of suplex after suplex and sleeper after sleeper, “The Champ” merely determined he did not have any struggle left in him. He tapped out consciously and sat within the ring till the remainder of the locker room got here to his courtroom, celebrating his run whereas permitting him one closing probability to carry each World Championship belts.
As followers watched on, Cena recalled his profession to the tune of One Republic’s “I Lived” and in the long run, left his boots, arm bands, however crucially not his jorts within the ring as the gang watched on, giving his closing bow to the digital camera earlier than strolling off into the sundown like several previous gunslinger ought to.
One closing goodbye.
Thank YOU, @JohnCena. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/hg8gNpbILG
— WWE (@WWE) December 14, 2025
Has the WWE Universe seen the final of John Cena? No, he is already stated he can be round and can proceed to function an envoy for the promotion properly into the long run. However from a pure wrestling perspective, it is onerous to think about the Hollywood star returning to the ring after a finale straight off the silver display screen.
