The Legacy of a GOAT: John Cena’s Last Time is Now

Well, we are at the end, we have covered Cena’s early years, his prime years, and his waning years. Now we reach the end, we will be covering his time as a free agent, his official move to part-time, and his final year.

It’s been a fun ride looking back on the career of a man who embodied the WWE’s Sports Entertainment brand. There have been ups and downs, some things I had forgotten about, and others I wish I could have forgotten.

Though through it all, one thing has been solidified for me. I respect John Cena. I may not have always liked him, and many times I wished others would have been given a chance. But I cannot deny that Cena has a love and passion for this business. And he dedicated so much of his time and energy to help and give back to this business we all love.

Free Agent

Sporadic Appearances

After WrestleMania 33, Cena would be declared a free agent, meaning he could wrestle for both Raw and SmackDown. He would beat an old rival in Rusev at Battleground and Baron Corbin at SummerSlam.

I seriously don’t remember either of these matches. I do remember his loss to Reigns at No Mercy. Because it was another match where the WWE was trying too hard to establish Reigns as the next Cena, instead of the first Roman Reigns. The fact that it took COVID and a second fight with leukemia for Vicne to let Roman be Roman, finally, is frustrating.

Austin and The Rock got over by being themselves, Cena got over by being himself. Roman was shoehorned into being something he wasn’t, and the fans saw that and rejected it. But this is an article about John Cena, not Roman Reigns, so let’s carry on.

Cena would wrestle for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series, only to be eliminated by Kurt Angle on the way to a loss for his team. He would also fail to win the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and a Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship at Fastlane.

He would be quickly defeated by The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. I actually liked the buildup to this match. Cena kept calling out Undertaker, but he refused to answer the challenge. So, Cena decided he just wouldn’t have a match because he didn’t want to take a spot from someone else.

Cena would watch the show from the crowd until he was told Undertaker had arrived. So, he comes out only for Elias to be the one to face him. Cena would make short work of Elias, then, as Cena was leaving, Taker would finally answer his challenge. And Cena would quickly become the 24th victim of The Undertaker.

Cena would rebound quickly with a win over Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble. He would have had a match at Crown Jewel, but refused to go after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Cena has always been careful not to talk about his political leanings. I will say I respect his decision here.

Cena wouldn’t return until the January 1st, 2019, episode of SmackDown, where he teamed with Becky Lynch to beat Andrade and Zelina. He would then lose a Fatal Four-Way match involving Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin.

Part-Time Cena

WrestleMania 35 would see Cena not in a match, but in a segment. He would show up as the Doctor of Thuganomics and interrupt an Elias concert. Cena would verbally lay into Elias before hitting the FU. And aside from a rap battle with the Usos in July, we wouldn’t see Cena again until February 2020.

Losing Streak

Cena would return to announce his “retirement” only to be confronted by “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Wyatt would challenge Cena to a match at WrestleMania 36. Cinematic matches are very polarizing. We’ve had some great ones and some not-so-great ones.

This match, though? I loved it; it was a journey through the ups and downs of Cena’s career. It played on his insecurities, and it felt like a feverish nightmare from a horror movie. Again, your mileage may vary, but for me? This was a great segment.

Cena wouldn’t actually be seen again until Money in the Bank 2021. He had to miss his first WrestleMania since 2003 due to COVID-19 restrictions and his filming schedule for Peacemaker. In his return, he would confront Roman Reigns and then steal a shot at the Universal Championship from Balor.

Reigns was now the Reigns we know today. He is one year into his 1,316-day run as Universal Champion. This, more than their precious matches, is the passing of the torch moment. Reigns had finally come into his own and wasn’t being forced into a role.

Cena would take another large break, returning in June 2022 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his main-roster debut. He would then team with Kevin Owens in December to beat Reigns and Sami Zayn.

At WrestleMania 39, Cena would face Austin Theory for the United States Championship. This is a feud that could have made Theory, but while he won the match, he didn’t really come out of this feud looking better. I think a lot of that just came from Theory getting pushed too fast, too soon. He has a great look and was Vince’s last real project before being removed from the company.

And just like it hurt McIntyre and Reigns, having Vince try and force you up the card doesn’t work out well.

Cena would make a few appearances. Including Money in the Bank, where he voiced support for a British WrestleMania. But we will be getting one in Saudi Arabia before that.

He would appear on an episode of SmackDown in September and was attacked by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Styles would make the save, and a tag match was set for Fastlane. After another attack, Styles would be replaced by LA Knight, who would help Cena win the match.

Cena would once again tease retirement, only to be attacked by Sikoa, setting up a match for Crown Jewel. At this point, Cena almost had a reverse Mark Henry. Instead of using retirement to attack people. Others used his retirement to attack him.

Once again, giving Cena the credit, he gave Sikoa all he could and then took nine Samoan Spikes before losing.

Cena showed up to help Cody at WrestleMania XL and teamed with Awesome Truth to defeat The Judgement Day on an episode of Raw. But that would be the last we would see of him until Money in the Bank 2024.

The Last Time is Now

At Money in the Bank, Cena would announce that 2025 would be his last year as a wrestler. I remember watching this live, and while I knew that Cena had to be close to the end. I didn’t really expect him to announce it ahead of time. Having your last match announced ahead of time is one thing, but a whole last year? That just opened the door to speculation on who he would face, and if he’d break Flair’s record or not.

I can’t recall if it was on here or a wrestling subreddit, but I do remember calling Cena’s heel turn, championship win, and eventual face turn before his retirement. But honestly, a lot of people called various aspects of his final year.

Cena wouldn’t show up again for the rest of 2024, making his first appearance on the first Raw on Netflix. He would declare his entrance into the Royal Rumble. Cena was determined to face Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. But there was a bump in that road, a bump named Jey Uso, who would eliminate Cena to win the match.

Cena had a backup plan, getting into and winning the Elimination Chamber. An eliminated Seth Rollins hit the Curb Stomp on Punk, allowing Cena to lock in the STFU for the win.

A Return to the Darkside

But the night wasn’t over, Cena would stay in the ring as Rhodes made his way to the ring to provide an answer to The Rock’s request to sell out. Rhodes would deny The Rock, and then Cena would turn heel for the first time since 20023. Selling his soul out to The Rock to win number 17.

I can see an easy way to make the heel run work: first, get rid of Travis Scott. He added nothing to the story and was most recently seen hanging out with Jey Uso. Second, if The Rock can’t commit to being there, then get another wrestler to be Cena’s lackey. The selling-out angle works. Cena feels like he can’t get it done, so he sells out to the corporation to do it. Third, change the tone of his promos. Instead of being about the crowd turning their backs. Cena could have used his feeling of inadequacy and the need to cement his legacy as the GOAT.

But we got what we got instead. At least it gave us some good matches. Scott interference aside, the WrestleMania match had a big-match feel to it. And Cena would beat Rhodes for the record-breaking 17.

The Never Seen 17

For Cena’s first defense, he would face an old rival, as Randy Orton challenged Cena at Backlash. Orton is number three for most World Championships at 14, and wanted to add number 15. This match was a reversal of the normal Cena vs Orton dynamic, as I believe this is the only time they wrestled where Cena was the heel and Orton was the face.

I’d say for the last match between two long-term rivals, this was on par with some of their better matches. Orton has come a long way as a wrestler since the 2010s, and I could actually see him hit 16 before he retires. Cena was still finding his footing, not only as a heel but also just knocking off the ring rust. If they had saved this for a few months into the heel run, it could have been even better.

The biggest moment coming out of the event was Cena hitting the AA on R-Truth at the press conference. Cena would beat R-Truth at Saturday’s Night Main Event and would interfere in the main event match between Logan Paul and Jey Uso. The interference would lead to a tag match at Money in the Bank, Pitting Cena and Paul against Uso and a returning Cody Rhodes. He would then lose to R-Truth via disqualification on SmackDown.

I honestly wish they did more with R-Truth after the fans and wrestlers got him rehired. I know he will never be a top guy, but he is a fun part of the show. And was one of the first wrestlers my wife remembered when seeing him a second time. Maybe he can show up more next year.

Cena’s best match as a heel would be against another long-time rival in CM Punk. This is the match I point to as the one where Cena finally found his footing. Unfortunately, he would turn face in the lead-up to SummerSlam. But this match was one of those turn back the clock moments. Which isn’t surprising. Punk is one of the best wrestlers on the roster. And  Big match Cena isn’t just something JBL said for no reason.

A Return to the Light

In the lead-up to SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes would win the 2025 King of the Ring to earn a rematch against Cena. He would beg Cena to let him face the real Cena. Not the soulless Cena, who was out to ruin wrestling. And Cena would see the light. Turning face on the last SmackDown before SummerSlam.

.Rhodes and Cena would put on a classic Attitude/Ruthless Aggression era arena plunder brawl. They’d fight into the crowd, beat the holy hell out of each other, until finally Rhodes would put Cena down and take his place as QB1. I loved the spot of them coming up the Cody Elevator, with Cody over Cena’s shoulders. I do think the match dragged on a bit, but overall it was a fun match.

After the brutal war between Cody and Cena, Cena’s most dangerous rival would return. He would attack a defenseless John Cena, setting up an obvious match down the line. But before that, Cena would shut up Logan Paul at Clash in Paris and challenge Sami Zayn for Zayn’s United States Championship. Lesnar would show up again during the match. Attacking both Cena and Zayn.

Cena vs Lesnar was set for Wrestlepalooza. I honestly thought Cena would get the win here, that way he could maintain a winning record (in singles matches). Leading up to his retirement. But instead, we got a repeat of their SummerSlam match. It was a bit less one-sided. But in the end, Lesnar decimated Cena once again.

I honestly can’t stand Lesnar, both as a person and as a wrestler in 2025. I don’t think he adds anything to the product, and this match was just not needed.

Cena would rebound and win his 100th PPV/PLE match (second only to the Undertaker) against AJ Styles. In my opinion, this has been his best match since returning, just barely edging out the Punk match. It’s full of call-backs not just to their own feud, but to their famous rivals as well. Both men went out there and left it all in the ring, and it was amazing to watch.

At Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI, it was announced that Cena’s last opponent would be the winner of the Last Time is Now Tournament. On the episode of Raw that kicked off the tournament, Cena would show up on Raw and beat Dominik Mysterio for his first and only WWE Intercontinental Championship. And then on his last Raw appearance, he would team with Sheamus and Rey Mysterio to beat Judgement Day.

Cena would defend the title against Mysterio in his last PPV/PLE match, marking 178 total PPV/PLE matches. And yes, that includes both PPVs and PLEs, from Vengance 2002 to Survivor Series 2025. After interference by the entire Judgement Day and a returning Liv Morgan, Dominik would beat Cena to regain the title.

Which brings us to Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII, Gunther vs Cena, and a night of exhibition matches pitting NXT wrestlers against WWE wrestlers. Each one handpicked by Cena to showcase the present and future of the WWE. Gunther has now retired two legends this year. Setting him up for a great 2026. And Cena’s Last Time is Over, as he leaves behind a 23-year legacy of great moments, big matches, and a dedication and passion for this business that few can match.

Thanks for the Memories

It’s been a privilege to recap Cena’s career over the last four weeks. I’ve remembered some stuff I had forgotten, and relived some moments I wish had happened differently. In the end, though, this process has only served to solidify the fact that I respect the dedication of John Cena to this business. Cena did what he said he wanted to do; he left this business better than when he found it. The NXT showcase matches on his last show proved that. Going out on his back proved that.

More importantly than what he did for this business, the one thing Cena should be most remembered for is his dedication to Make-A-Wish. He has touched so many young people’s lives and helped to give them a bit of sunshine in an otherwise difficult life. For that reason alone, I will say that John Cena is the Greatest of All Time. He wasn’t the best wrestler in the ring, and some of the booking around his career is questionable. But his willingness to give back with his fame and touch the lives of so many kids. And his dedication to this business is second to none.

Thank you John Cena!