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John Cena’s final match is closing in, and WWE fans have a special request.

Cena announced his retirement at Money in the Bank in July 2024, setting the stage for a year-long farewell tour. The most significant milestone came at WrestleMania 41 in April when he defeated Cody Rhodes to capture his record-breaking 17th world championship, surpassing Ric Flair’s longstanding record of 16 reigns. In November, Cena won the Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio on RAW, officially earning his Grand Slam status and adding another achievement to his 20-year career.

Beyond his championship accomplishments, Cena’s impact extends outside the ring. The record-breaking performer has granted 650 wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a Guinness World Record that speaks to his legacy beyond professional wrestling. The path to his final match came through the 16-man Last Time is Now tournament, featuring competitors from RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and TNA. The Ring General Gunther emerged victorious to earn the honor of being Cena’s final opponent.​

As Cena prepares for his final match on December 13, against Gunther at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., the wrestling community is calling for immediate Hall of Fame recognition.

A John Cena Hall of Fame induction announcement after his match is only right.#SNMEpic.twitter.com/PBnfyyLqeB

— Roman Reigns SZN 💥 (@reigns_era) December 9, 2025

Fans across social media are vocal about their belief that the 17-time World Champion should receive his induction following the conclusion of his storied career at Saturday Night’s Main Event.​

WWE Fans Demand John Cena’s Hall of Fame Induction After Saturday Night’s Main Event

Fan sentiment across social media has been overwhelmingly supportive of recognition for Cena’s historic contributions. Many believe his Hall of Fame induction should be a major focal point following his retirement match, allowing the WWE Universe to properly honor his legacy before he fully steps away from active competition.

MORE: John Cena Confirms First Move Post WWE Retirement Match

Replying to this post on X, a fan supported the idea of Cena getting inducted into the HOF after his match. They wrote, “Not only is it right, itâ€s a must have.”

Not only is it right, itâ€s a must have.

— Mollie Smith (@Molliestake87) December 9, 2025

Supporting the same idea, one fan wrote, “He deserves 2 be in the Hall of Fame. We love u Cena.”

He deserves 2 be in the Hall of Fame. We love u Cena.

— Coren Owens (@CorenOwens24556) December 9, 2025

The same sentiment was supported by many fans; the following are the fan reactions:

Fan reaction to John Cena’s Hall of Fame induction request

After more than 23 years with the company, a year-long retirement tour, 17 World Championships, hundreds of special moments with the fans, and changing millions of lives, the Greatest of All Time, the never-seen Seventeen, the Last Real Champ, John Cena, will wrestle his final match this Saturday. Because the last time is now.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents the weekly Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast with guest co-host Jason Powell from ProWrestling.net and the Pro Wrestling Boom podcast. They discuss these topics:

• What does WWE have in mind for Oba Femi vs. Cody Rhodes at SNME?
• What now for Ricky Saints after losing the NXT Title?
• Is it worth John Cena “giving back” if the dominant narrative in WWE and NXT is how awesome Cena is at giving back?
• Gunther vs. Cena possibilities
• Is the masked guy Austin Theory? Or Chris Jericho?
• TNA’s new deal with AMC and where TNA fits into the landscape
• The L.A. Knight beatdown that felt like him being written off TV

MAILBAG

• Comparing Eddie Kingston to Austin Theory in terms of their nearly opposite strengths and weaknesses
• Are the multi-person and multi-team feuds another weakness of Paul Levesque’s booking scheme because, frankly, it just makes fans have to think too hard weighing who to root for?

VIP AFTERSHOW MAILBAG

• Nikki Bella heel manager rumors
• Was it random for the Usos to go back to the tag division or is this the next chapter in Jey Uso’s meltdown and possible turn?
• Shouldn’t C.M. Punk, Cody, and Roman Reigns be more upset with getting screwed at Survivor Series?
• Samoa Joe’s heel promos and reign as champion
• Pac or Clauido as leader of the Death Riders?
• How damaged is Danny Garcia over the last year?
• Holiday-themed pro wrestling matches and shows
• AEW Women’s Tag Team Finals
• Continental Classic prize – should it be for a belt, a title shot, or just the pride of winning the tournament?

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An AEW legend made a surprising confession on his thoughts about John Cena’s WWE retirement run.

With his final match just a few days away, the major topic of discussion in the professional wrestling world is The Cenation Leader’s swansong. Many of Cena’s longtime rivals have shared their thoughts on the same; however, one of his more iconic rivals, AEW veteran Bryan Danielson, had a surprising admission.

The American Dragon had a legendary rivalry with the Chain Gang Soldier in 2013, where the Last Real Champion chose Danielson as his opponent for SummerSlam, which ended up with Danielson winning however, he was then attacked by Triple H, who let Randy Orton cash-in his Money In The Bank contract and win the titles. This match helped kickstart the “Yes!” movement.

Given their history, it was surprising to hear Danielson admit that he had not watched any match from The Never Seen Seventeen’s final run.

AEW Star Bryan Danielson Shares Why He Hasn’t Followed John Cena’s Final WWE Run

Speaking in an interview on Justin Barrasso’s Undisputed, Bryan Danielson revealed that the reason for his not following John Cena’s final run was because he was in an “experimental phase” of his life where he wanted to overwhelm himself by consuming too much media.

He shared an anecdote about a recent trip he took to visit his mother, which involved a 13-hour drive spent in silence. While he admitted to not watching any of Cena’s recent matches, he wished that his former rival would get a great send-off. He said:

“I honestly havenâ€t watched, Iâ€m entering this experimental phase of my life where Iâ€m experiencing less input from media. When I went to visit my mother recently, I made a 13-hour drive. I didnâ€t listen to any music, I didnâ€t listen to any podcasts. There was nothing but silence. The only times there wasnâ€t silence was when my wife called, I got on an AEW call, or when I called mom. As I experiment with less input, that also means less wrestling input. So I havenâ€t seen any of John Cenaâ€s final run. Iâ€m not watching, but I hope it goes really well for John. That guy deserves the last year of his career to be awesome.â€

In related news: Bryan Danielson’s latest career update will leave you sad and tearful.

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John Cena admittedly got very emotional at a certain point during his retirement tour this year.

WWE Superstar John Cena was the latest guest on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. When asked what his favorite moment of his retirement tour has been, Cena pointed to his match against CM Punk in Saudi Arabia, admitting the entire experience ended up making him cry.

“That moment with Punk in Saudi. That transcends wrestling,†John Cena said. “To see cultures bridged. To see genuine forgiveness. Iâ€m watching that pre-show bawling. Itâ€s a pre-show. Unfolding before our eyes is accountability and genuine forgiveness and the bridging of cultural gaps. People who might not know a lot about each other or understand each other are getting along in harmony through this one thing that we dig: wrestling.

“What a global conduit to peace, excitement, and happiness. Iâ€m just glad that I was his opponent so I could be attached to that moment. That pre-show, man, that is what we do. He made that trip knowing it was going to be uneasy and knowing he was going to have to be accountable, and just leaned in.

“In a moment, people were like, ‘Oh, Iâ€m heard. Yes, Iâ€m ready to forgive.†Astonishing. To top it all off, ‘I think weâ€ve bridged the gap here,†and then for him to go out and smoke in the promo. Drop heat in the gimmick. It was beautiful. The one that almost got me to break, in between one of his lines, he said, ‘I miss you already.†I almost lost it right in front of him. Thatâ€s one of the best moments Iâ€ve ever been a part of.†[H/T: Fightful]

READ MORE: Logan Paul Claims Major Celebrity No-Showed WWE Appearance To Set Up Match

What do you make of John Cenaâ€s overall comments? What was basically your favorite moment from his retirement tour this year? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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John Cena

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

John Cena was moved to tears after wrestling C.M. Punk at the WWE Night of Champions PLE on June 25.

“Gosh, one of the moments in sports entertainment thatâ€s larger than sports entertainment is Phil Brooks (C.M. Punk) going to Saudi Arabia,” Cena said during his appearance on the Dec. 9 edition of Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “That s— made me cry… like, awesome, awesome. Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness. Cultures melding into each other and then he comes out and does my gimmick. Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea. Iâ€m like, ‘Dude, you have to do that’ and he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it.

Cena was asked what his favorite career moment was and he said it was wrestling Punk at Night of Champions. He also told Van Vliet that Punk is his “wrestling soulmate” when discussing why their match in Saudi Arabia was so meaningful to him.

Punk appeared at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia after being critical of the WWE relationship in the past. He ended up apologizing for a tweet he posted in 2021 when he wrote to The Miz that said he should “go suck a blood money covered d— in Saudi Arabia.”

Punk ended up apologizing for his comments directed at The Miz at the Night of Champions kickoff event ahead of the PLE when he was booed by the fans in attendance. One fan near Punk asked him to apologize and Punk said, “I sincerely apologize to you and all of Saudi Arabia.” Punk blamed the tweet on being in a bad mood when he sent it.

WWE has strengthened its business ties with Saudi Arabia since forming a relationship with the country in 2018. WWE is hosting two of its big four PLE’s in Saudi Arabia in the next couple of years. Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble on Jan. 31, 2026. WWE recently announced that Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 2027 in Riyadh.

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John Cena assesses his retirement tour in WWE.

Across 36 dates, former WWE Champion John Cena traveled across the world for his official retirement tour, which is set to conclude at WWE Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on December 13. En route to Cenaâ€s final appearance, WWE fans have expressed mixed opinions about his retirement tour, with his run as a heel particularly facing heavy scrutiny.

Sitting down on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet,Cena addressed the criticism surrounding his retirement tour booking.

“Itâ€s part of what we do. That is absolutely part of what we do,†he said. “I love it because itâ€s vocal and it starts a conversation. Thatâ€s the thing. Iâ€ve been part of this live criticism pit since WrestleMania Triple H, or fighting Kurt Angle. Thatâ€s what people donâ€t understand, I am criticized all the time.â€

Unlike most other pro wrestlers, Cena has vowed to make his in-ring retirement a permanent thing. With that finality in mind, Cena understands that some fans might be upset at this point in time, while others plan to enjoy what will be his last time wrestling. As he points out, though, there at least seems to be a universal thread of interest.

“I think I would say everyone internally is happy. I would say everyone externally has an opinion about it, which is good. Here we are in early December, looking forward to the 13th. I donâ€t think there is apathy out there. I know some people are critical of it. Some people may be upset, some people may be overjoyed, but there isnâ€t apathy, and I think that means we did okay.â€

RELATED: John Cena Confirms He Has Signed a Five-Year Contract as WWE Ambassador

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

John Cena believes that nobody cares and it doesn’t matter what the plans were for him in regards to working with The Rock and Travis Scott at WWE WrestleMania this year during the early stages of his retirement tour.

“Who cares? It doesnâ€t matter,” Cena said on the Dec. 9, 2025 edition of Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “We can talk about what could have been until the cows come home and I think thatâ€s whatâ€s great about the people who are left standing. Certainly me and Cody. Whatâ€s the change? this? Alright, letâ€s go. I donâ€t dwell for one second on what could have been, because what could have been is Brock doesnâ€t leave for the NFL and thereâ€s no John Cena.”

Cena said he didn’t care when asked if a match with The Rock had been talked about by Van Vliet. “First of all, Iâ€m always the last to know, said Cena. “It doesnâ€t trickle down to me. If you watch Unreal, that process is genuine. I talked to Rock and then the last guy I gotta call is John. Iâ€m usually the last guy they call because Iâ€m the easiest. ‘Yeah, letâ€s do it. No problem. Iâ€m in.â€

“So, I donâ€t sweat the small stuff. ‘Yo, we donâ€t have those guys anymore?.†Cool, what do you want to do? We would like to do this. We need you to start being more competitive. We want to put you in these matches. We were going to build to this. Thatâ€s over. I didnâ€t even get that. Okay, fine, great. What are we doing now? Thatâ€s whatâ€s tough. I think itâ€s great to talk about. It gives good argument, gives good perspective of like how do they book this stuff?”

Cena then discussed several examples of things happening outside of the box in WWE in comparison to a hypothetical match between him and The Rock at WrestleMania this year. “A lot of that stuffâ€s beyond control of even the people who own the sandbox,” said Cena. “If I decide to walk, I have contractual obligations, but they know Iâ€m not gonna be there on the 13th.

“If I decide that, theyâ€ll figure it out. I saw Austin get fired, you know what Iâ€m saying? I saw Brock leave. I saw Dwayne take his break and I donâ€t sweat any of those guys for what they did. Austin was worn out, Brock was probably going to assault somebody in an airport, and Dwayne had such great opportunities.

“I donâ€t fault people for being like, I canâ€t do this right now. McAfee being burned out behind the booth. The guy has got so many opportunities, dude, you got to just focus on what you can do. I donâ€t sweat them for that, but s— changes. Open opportunity for Wade Barrett and I love listening to that guy on TV. Not that I didnâ€t like Pat, but I really like listening to Stu Bennett, so I donâ€t really sweat it, but could there have been? Thatâ€s why I donâ€t choose my opponents.â€

John Cena won the Elimination Chamber match earlier this year to earn a match against WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. After the match, Cena turned heel and gave The Rock his soul and also aligned with Travis Scott. The Rock said in an interview on the Pat McAfee show that he told Cena and Rhodes after the segment that he decided the work of The Final Boss was done after that segment and wanted the spotlight to be on Rhodes and Cena during the build to WrestleMania.

Cena beat Rhodes with the help of Travis Scott at WrestleMania and stayed heel until the Smackdown before SummerSlam in August when he turned face ahead of his rematch against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cena dropped the title to Rhodes and has been a babyface since that match on his retirement tour. Cena is set to face Gunther on Dec. 13 on Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock in what has been announced as final WWE match.

You can watch Cena’s entire interview below:

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With it now known that GUNTHER will be John Cena’s final opponent this weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event, all that’s left is the match itself, and who could be in attendance. Since the show was announced for Washington D.C., many, including Logan Paul, have pondered whether it could mean US President Donald Trump would be there, while Cena’s ongoing friendship with disgraced former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has some wondering if he could attend.

On the latest “My World,” AEW’s Jeff Jarrett was asked about the possibilities regarding Trump and McMahon’s presence at Cena’s last match. Jarrett started with Trump, and felt confident he would be there due his past connections to wrestling, and the show being in D.C.

“I would’ve said, let’s just say, hypothetically, [the show was in] Boston, Chicago, the Garden, Los Angeles, I still would’ve said ‘Yeah, there’s probably a good, good chance that the President’s going to be there,'” Jarrett said. “Since its in D.C., and they check schedules and whatever Donald has going on and secret service, because John Cena, unless I’m missing something, he has zero attachment to D.C., other than TKO is probably getting a huge check. But I don’t think that’s it. I think, at the very top of the reason they’re in D.C., is because Trump can be there. So yes, on Trump.”

As for McMahon, Jarrett was almost just as strong in believing he’d be there, believing there was “no chance in hell” Cena wouldn’t want him around.

“I just think Vince will be there,” Jarrett said. “And I think John has been such a company man that…he is going to ask or demand [Vince] or they’re not even going down that road. Vince will be involved to the degree that Cena wants him involved. Yeah, I just…I think that’s what you’re going to see. It is the…it’s the swan song, in a lot of ways, it could be really good for the both of them.”

If you quote this article, please credit “My World” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

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WWE is gearing up for the much-hyped John Cena retirement match on December 13. As the days tick down to that historic match against GUNTHER, fans have to wonder what to expect from the Greatest of All Time.

John Cena recently outlined what fans can expect from his final WWE event, Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event will include a ton of NXT talent, which was a promise Cena made about the card.

During an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, John Cena said he did not want the show to be built around a career tribute. Instead, he pitched a format centered on WWEâ€s future.

“I would love for it to be rather than just a tribute show. I want it to be a look ahead,â€

Cena said tribute specials often land in a space that does not satisfy anyone. “No oneâ€s ever gonna be like, nailed it,â€he remarked.

John Cena confirmed that the event will feature exhibition matches with talent from the main roster and NXT. A couple of those matches will include main roster champions against NXT talent. These matches will not follow current storylines and are designed to create matchups that would not normally appear on weekly programming.

“Weâ€re going to get big WWE superstars so they can say they were on the card in non canon exhibition matches against the best and brightest we got NXT.â€

He said the idea is to give space for the next wave of WWE talent. “Thatâ€s how I want to go out… give somebody that boot in The butt that like, Yo, this is what the noise sounds like,â€Cena said. “Put your business card down.â€

When asked if he had thought about the structure of his final match, John Cena said he has not mapped out a plan. We will have to see how it all turns out when everything gets put together.

“I donâ€t know who Iâ€m facing, so not really. You got to define your why very quickly… we might even have to define our why in action.â€

John Cena said the “retiring the greatest of all timeâ€idea can carry a match on its own, but he hopes there is room for more story. “Whether Gunther or LA Knight has another thing about like, hey man, this happened between us… thatâ€s an important piece of the foundation,†Cena explained.

Then, John Cena confirmed that December 13 will mark the end of his in-ring career. There wonâ€t be another match after that.

“Iâ€ll have my last in ring performance. That is for certain. Iâ€m not doing anything after that.â€

John Cena versus GUNTHER was the match since WWE started this idea of a tournament for his final contest. GUNTHER is, after all, someone that WWE views as a massive name to put stock in, which is also why they have him Goldbergâ€s final match.

Only time will tell if John Cena comes back for an appearance for WWE in the future. He wonâ€t wrestle again, and with his Hollywood career, he doesnâ€t need to. We just know that Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event will be a historic show, and Ringside News will have full coverage.

What’s your take on John Cena’s final match? Do you think he will lose to GUNTHER? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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John Cena was a huge fan of CM Punk’s controversial decision to wrestle in Saudi Arabia.

After criticizing the WWE-Saudi relationship in the past, Punk traveled to the country this summer to face Cena at Night of Champions. While there, Punk apologized for the tweet he posted in 2020 telling The Miz to “go suck a blood money covered d**k in Saudi Arabia.†Punk said he was cranky when he sent out the post — and it did not actually have anything to do with Saudi Arabia. Punk noted that he was grateful to be in the country.

A new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet was released today with Cena appearing as the guest. He reflected on his retirement tour, calling the Punk match something that was “larger than sports entertainment.” Cena got emotional over Punk coming to Saudi Arabia because of how “awesome” it was.

“Gosh, one of the moments in sports entertainment that’s larger than sports entertainment is Phil Brooks going to Saudi Arabia. That sh*t made me cry — like, awesome, awesome,” Cena said. “Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness. Cultures melding into each other. And then he comes out and does my gimmick. Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea. I’m like, ‘Dude, you have to do that.’ And he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it.

“And what a trip for him. Like, redemption, acceptance. He can go there wherever he wants and he can entertain fans who are incredible over there. When we started early on, they didn’t know what was going on. Now, they’re loud and they pack that place and it’s a great place to perform. And they welcome him and he welcomes them. And that’s super cool.”

WWE’s business relationship with the Saudi government formed in 2018 and has continued to grow in the years since. On January 31, 2026, Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble. It’s also been announced that WrestleMania 43 will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027.

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Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated’s wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.

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