John Cena Sr. has weighed in on the debate surrounding his son’s final WWE opponent, and he has a clear stance on who it shouldn’t be. Speaking on the All Axxess Podcast, Cena Sr. dismissed the idea of GUNTHER being the one to end John Cena’s in-ring career at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He argued that the current World Heavyweight Champion does not require the career boost that comes with such a victory.
“Well, it certainly wouldn’t be GUNTHER, that’s for sure. I don’t think that’s a wise move. I don’t think the fans would enjoy that move,” Cena Sr. said. “GUNTHER does not need the rub. And by the way, I’m not a fan of the whole ‘on the way out you’ve got to push somebody over the top’ idea. You’re supposed to pass the torch—but I don’t know if that’s written anywhere in professional wrestling.”
Cena Sr. believes the work of elevating the next generation has already been accomplished throughout his son’s 2025 retirement tour. He specifically cited the rivalry with Cody Rhodes as the definitive passing-of-the-torch moment. At WrestleMania 41 in April, Cena defeated Rhodes to capture his record-breaking 17th World Title, only to lose the championship back to him later in the year at SummerSlam.
“If we have to use that as an analogy, then he’s already done that with Cody Rhodes,” Cena Sr. explained. “He beat him for the title. He gave the title back. They embraced, Cody was teary-eyed. The torch was passed.”
In addition to Rhodes, Cena Sr. highlighted his son’s recent program with Dominik Mysterio as another example of giving back to the business. At Survivor Series last month, Cena dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Mysterio. “I think he’s given the rub along the way, especially with Dominik Mysterio. That was a tremendous deal,” Cena Sr. added.
“Who else do I think he should face? I really wish that Kurt Angle was able to get back in the ring because that would be an outstanding last match for Cena and Angle. I say this all the time, I really, truly believe that [Baron] Corbin should not have been Angle’s opponent for his retirement match. It should have been Cena.”
Cena’s final match is scheduled for Saturday, December 13, at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C. His opponent will be determined by the finals of the “Last Time Is Now” tournament, which features GUNTHER facing off against LA Knight on this week’s SmackDown.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit All Axxess Podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast on all major streaming platforms.
