NEED TO KNOW
- John Cena wrestled in his final WWE match on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.
- He lost his final match to rising WWE star Gunther
- The WWE star first announced his retirement plans in July 2024, telling fans that 2025 would be the final year of his in-ring pro wrestling career
John Cena’s WWE career has officially come to an end.
Cena, 48, lost his final professional wrestling match on Saturday, Dec. 13, to rising WWE star Gunther.
The most decorated pro wrestler in WWE history, Cena remained in the ring for an emotional moment after the match, as the crowd at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., serenaded him with cheers and chants.
Before his departure, Cena turned to the audience to take in the moment one last time, bowing and saluting them.
Cena ends his in-ring career as one of the biggest stars to ever come out of the pro wrestling business.
A record-breaking 17-time WWE world champion in the ring, Cena later catapulted his career into the entertainment business, starring in blockbuster films such as Fast X, Argyle, and The Suicide Squad.
In recent years, Cena has also found a career in television — first with reality show appearances on E!’s Total Divas and Total Bellas and then hosting competition series such as Wipeout.
Later, Cena would break through with his starring roles in Peacock’s superhero series Peacemaker.
Cena’s post-wrestling success is perhaps unmatched in WWE history with the exception of Dwayne Johnson, his longtime in-ring rival and Fast & Furious costar.
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“I wouldn’t be who I am — professionally or personally — without the WWE,” Cena told PEOPLE in January 2024. “I promised myself that I would never simply just be there for my own sake. Every time I perform, I want to give my all to the audience.”
Months later, in July 2024, the West Newbury, Mass., native announced his plans to retire from WWE, telling fans that 2025 would be the final year of his in-ring career and that his sights were set on winning his 17th WWE world championship — one more than two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. For his final act, Cena returned to a near-full-time schedule and toured the globe with WWE throughout 2025, making stops across Europe and North America as he gave one final goodbye to fans.
Cena made headlines when his beloved character did the unthinkable and briefly turned heel for the first time in roughly 20 years, aligning himself with Johnson, 53, at February’s Elimination Chamber event and turning on WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Cena went on to face Rhodes at WWE’s WrestleMania event in Las Vegas this past April and finally won his record-breaking 17th WWE world championship before later making amends with the WWE fanbase and reverting back to his longtime role as a fan favorite.
A man who went from “The Prototype” to “The Face of the WWE,” Cena told PEOPLE prior to his retirement run that he hopes to still remain within WWE’s bubble after his official retirement, whether that’s becoming an unofficial mentor to younger wrestlers or even taking on a role as an official coach with the company’s developmental NXT brand.
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“I do have almost two and a half decades of wisdom built up where I think I can offer a mentor perspective for sure,” Cena told PEOPLE. “So, if I am not integrated with the WWE family moving forward and in perpetuity, then I think it’s a waste for everyone involved.”
For now though, Cena’s time with WWE — where he spent more than two decades on top as the company’s biggest name — has officially come to a close.
