Photo by WWE/Getty Images
Following his retirement announcement, we take a look back at why he became an all-time great.
When John Cena appeared at Money in the Bank in Toronto earlier this month, it was a pleasant surprise that gave way to a hint of sadness. That’s because he announced something fans have known for years was coming but was no less of a shock.
He’s going to be retiring from professional wrestling at the end of 2025.
Instead of being sad it’s ending, we’re going to choose to be glad that it happened, as cheesy as that may be. It’s fitting for both the man and the character we’re talking about here. After all, his Twitter X account is entirely made up of inspirational quotes on the same level as the one I just dropped on you. I’m sorry (not sorry).
WWE is fond of calling Cena “The Greatest of All Time,” and while I can’t say I agree with that assessment personally, it is by no means a hyperbolic statement. You can argue he’s the best, or at least one of the top stars, in the history of the company.
Cena was great for a number of reasons, from his promos to his character work to his matches to the way he so often delivered in the biggest moments under the brightest of lights. He made his home on the biggest stage possible and carried WWE on his back for well over a decade.
But what really made Cena great is the manner in which he elevated anyone around him with the skills to hang with him. Yes, he won the vast majority of his matches — to the point that LOLCENAWINS was a meme for many years at the height of his run — but when called upon to do so, he was brilliant as the top star ready to help make more top stars.
You can go back to his United States championship open challenge gimmick for some examples but what always sticks out to me are the big moments in hostile crowds where he played his role to perfection, ultimately doing the job and making memories to last a lifetime both for the performers he was putting over and the fans watching at home.
This tweet inspired me:
“Away game” Cena, man. One of the best situational characters in the history of pro wrestling.
— Joseph Montecillo (@josephweirdness) July 7, 2024
Because absolutely.
I’m reminded, of course, of the two big ones: ECW One Night Stand 2006 in Philadelphia and Money in the Bank 2011 in Chicago.
Thankfully, WWE posted the entirety of the latter match to its YouTube channel so you can look back on it and see exactly what I mean:
That was Punk’s night all the way but it simply doesn’t work if it wasn’t for Cena being who he is, and he got to that because of how good he has always been. And that’s the case for so many other matches and moments, from Randy Orton to Roman Reigns.
We’re sure going to miss this guy come 2026.
