Saturday, December 13 marks the end of an era for WWE, as it is the last time that legendary superstar John Cena will ever wrestle for the company. John Cena has been a fixture of WWE since he made his debut in 2002 as part of the Ruthless Aggression Era. Cena would go on to have one of the most impressive careers in professional wrestling history, picking up 17 world title wins and earning the moniker “Greatest of All Time.”
Cena has started focusing more on his acting career in recent years, with his most notable role to date being Peacemaker in both the DCEU and James Gunn’s new DCU. Cena’s wrestling matches in WWE have been fewer and farther between, and so while it was still a shocking announcement when he announced his retirement, there were many fans that saw the writing on the wall.
New WWE 2K25 John Cena DLC is Live Now
WWE 2K25’s Farewell Tour DLC celebrates John Cena’s historic career with four new wrestlers, including two more versions of Cena.
John Cena’s last year in WWE included a shocking and highly controversial heel turn, a 17th world title win, and exciting matches with stars like AJ Styles and Dominik Mysterio. WWE held a tournament to determine who would have the honor of being Cena’s final opponent, with Gunther ultimately coming out on top. Gunther and Cena will square off in the final match of Saturday Night’s Main Event. It will be the last time WWE fans ever get to see John Cena wrestle, and so it’s safe to say that millions will be tuning in.
How to Watch John Cena’s Last Match
John Cena’s last match will primarily stream on Peacock on Saturday, December 13 at 8pm EST. In parts of the world where WWE content is not on Peacock, the event will be streamed on YouTube. A standard Peacock subscription isn’t enough to watch the show, though. Fans will want to make sure they are signed up for Peacock Premium ($10.99/month) or Premium Plus ($16.99/month).
Full Saturday Night’s Main Event Card
- Gunther vs. John Cena
- Champion vs. Champion Match: Cody Rhodes (WWE Champion) vs. Oba Femi (NXT Champion)
- Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
- AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater
John Cena vs. Gunther is obviously the big draw of Saturday Night’s Main Event, but it’s far from the only match on the card. The show will also feature a high-profile Champion vs. Champion match with Cody Rhodes taking on rising star Oba Femi, plus Bayley versus NXT favorite Sol Ruca. Additionally, the newly-formed team of AJ Styles and Dragon Lee will be taking on Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater in what should quite easily be one of the most athletic and impressive high-flying matches of the year.
The heavy focus on NXT talent was reportedly a request by John Cena. There will be way more people watching this Saturday Night’s Main Event than usual, and so it’s the perfect opportunity to highlight future stars.
Will John Cena Stay Retired?
Wrestlers rarely ever actually stay retired. Terry Funk “retired’ many times over, and other stars have seemingly hung up their boots only to return years down the road. Cena has insisted that he will be an exception to the rule and will genuinely never wrestle again after his match with Gunther. Unless there’s some giant swerve during the show, fans should take Cena at his word.
Will Gunther Beat John Cena?
With John Cena being done with wrestling, it would make sense for him to put over Gunther on his way out. However, that’s not what fans want to see. For the sake of an emotional feel-good moment, it might be better for Cena to pick up the win. Then again, Gunther could turn “retiring legends” into a gimmick of his, as he did the same to Goldberg on Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this year. Ultimately, WWE fans will just have to tune in to Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock at 8pm EST to find out what happens.
