- By Himanshu Badola
- Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:44 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
John Cena WWE Retirement: John Cena, the legendary professional wrestler, has retired from the WWE, putting an end to his long and stellar career. He suffered a shocking defeat against Gunther in his very last fight at the Main Event on Saturday.
As soon as Cena tapped out, there was a huge disbelief in not only his eyes, but the whole crowd at the arena was stunned. This was the first submission from the 17-time World Champion in two decades. Cena stood up and gave a long look towards the fans as the crowd's boos turned to "Thank you, Cena" ovations. The WWE legend acknowledged the immense love and affection shown by the fans throughout his career across the globe.
Gunther raised Cena's hand in respect, symbolising a baton moment before Cena exited to "My Time is Now," with tears in many eyes.
The entire roster came out with notable WWE superstars and Cena's former colleagues giving him a perfect send-off, thanking the veteran for his unmatched services to the industry. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes also handed over the WWE titles for a symbolic celebration, and as the entire crowd engrossed the moment, Cena could be seen hoisting the belts for the final time.
Cena made his WWE debut way back in 2002 and was up against Kurt Angle on an episode of SmackDown. Having struggled during his initial years, Cena was even on the cusp of getting released from the company. However, his career took a major turn after a couple of years. He made his debut in 2004 and defeated Big Show for the United States Championship. Cena continued his rise to the top and challenged JBL for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21.
Cena captured the world title for the first time with a win over JBL. The career then only went upwards, and Cena went on to achieve immense success and became the poster boy of the WWE for the next decade. The legendary wrestler got massive acceptance in Hollywood and became a full-time movie star, and slowly became a part-timer in WWE. He made many WWE returns and made sure that he competed in at least one match every year.
During his 23-year-long stellar career, Cena became an incredible part of the in-ring rivalry with the likes of Triple H, Randy Orton, CM Punk, and The Miz, among others. He announced his WWE retirement last year. Cena kicked off his farewell tour at Royal Rumble 2025, where he was the last superstar to get eliminated. Having won the Elimination Chamber, Cena went to WrestleMania 41, where he defeated Cody Rhodes to become a 17-time world champion. He defended his title against CM Punk and Randy Orton before losing it to Cody at SummerSlam.
The 48-year-old Cena competed in more than 2000 matches in WWE and gave the fans countless memories throughout his legendary career.