John Cena has one final match left in his WWE in-ring career. That match will take place against Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, DC. The first part of the year was centered around Cena, who became a world champion for the 17th time, breaking Ric Flair’s record.
He also turned heel, which was a risky call given the genuine interest among WWE fans in Cena’s final run. The heel turn happened at WWE Elimination Chamber after Cena won the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match to earn a shot at the world championship at WrestleMania 41.
Following the match, Cody Rhodes walked down to the ring to handle business with The Rock. While The Rock tried to recruit Rhodes, Rhodes turned him down. Instead, Cena stabbed Rhodes in the back and hit him with a low blow. Cena, The Rock, and Travis Scott beat down Rhodes and left him lying in the ring. From that point forward, Cena worked as a heel, blaming the fans for turning on him years ago.
The turn did not work as expected. Cena attempted to get heat, but fans simply wanted to cheer him. WWE pivoted his character and turned him back babyface in time for his SummerSlam main event championship showdown with Rhodes. In an interview with The Ringer, Cena commented on the heel run. He confirmed it wasn’t perfect but said he does not regret a minute of it.
“Not at all. What is perfect? Perfect is never achievable. That’s a suckers chase,” Cena said. “When I look back on it, could I have given any more than I did? Not a bit. I overprepared. ‘Let’s try John like this. I know we have limited time, but let’s do something really big.’ Okay, it didn’t work. It doesn’t mean I didn’t give it my all.”
Cena announced his retirement at SummerSlam in 2024. He revealed that 2025 would be his final year of competition and has maintained that he will not come back for another match after his final bow on December 13.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Ringer with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
