Welcome to Wrestle Banter, the place where we talk about the world of professional wrestling the way fans actually do — unfiltered, passionate, and full of opinions.
Welcome to Wrestle Banter, the place where we talk about the world of professional wrestling the way fans actually do — unfiltered, passionate, and full of opinions.
Few moments in wrestling history hit as hard as the night John Cena officially announced his farewell tour in 2025. For over two decades, Cena has been the soul of WWE — a record-breaker, locker-room leader, global ambassador, and the undeniable face of an entire generation. His goodbye marks not just the end of a career, but the closing of the “PG Era legacy” that defined modern WWE.
Cena has appeared part-time since 2017, balancing Hollywood commitments and WWE returns. But by 2024–2025, his schedule became even tighter. Despite this, Cena always maintained he wanted to end his career in the ring, not in a movie studio.
What made 2025 different?
Reports throughout 2024 noted Cena’s increasing neck and shoulder issues. While not career-ending, they pushed him to finally set an endpoint—on his own terms.
Now that delayed productions are in full swing again, Cena knew long breaks for WWE wouldn’t be possible after 2025.
In a backstage interview, he admitted:
“I want to give fans a proper goodbye. I don’t want to fade away — I want to finish the right way.”
WWE launched a year long farewell storyline starting at the Royal Rumble 2025, where Cena returned to one of the loudest pops of the decade. This time he made sure that the year becomes memorable, he feuded with his biggest rivals ever in his illustrious career:
Names involved:
Randy Orton
CM Punk
Brock Lesner
Cody Rhodes
Cena is appearing consistently — not a one-off — showing full respect for fans. As of this writing, Cena has already appeared for the last time on Smackdown and is about to appear last time this monday on Raw from the famous MSG. We only have a few days left for him to appear at the Survivor Series and the final time at SNME.
WWE is airing emotional behind-the-scenes clips showing:
Cena mentoring younger talent
Never-before-seen training footage
Tributes from legends
On a recent SmackDown, Cena delivered a speech that immediately went viral. Standing in the center of the ring, he said:
“Thank you for letting me be part of your lives. Whether you cheered me or booed me — you made me. And this farewell isn’t sadness… it’s celebration.”
The arena responded with a “Thank you, Cena!” chant, one of the longest in WWE history.
Even Cena, known for his composure, got visibly emotional.
Cena clarified that:
He is retiring from in-ring competition.
He will not wrestle after 2025.
However:
Cena has said many times WWE is his “home,” so fans won’t lose him entirely.
As WWE builds toward Cena’s true final match, the emotion in every crowd is real.
We’re watching the end of an era — maybe the end of the last true “face of the company.”
No matter who his final opponent is (we are about to find out soon), or where the match takes place (at the SNME, now we know), one thing is certain:
When John Cena leaves, WWE will never be the same again.
And for one last time, the WWE Universe gets to say it back:
“Thank you, Cena.”
