The clock on the legendary career of John Cena is slowly winding down, and as we gear up for his 2025 Farewell Tour, I thought what better time to write an article dedicated to one of the Greatest Of All Time.
It’s safe to say, the story of John Cena’s debut is pretty well known. Answering the open challenge by Kurt Angle, and vocalising that iconic line of ‘ruthless aggression’ before slapping the taste out of Angle’s mouth, earning himself major endorsement from The Undertaker in the process. Ever since emerging from that iconic OVW class of 2002, it’s been a long and successful road for Cena to becoming one of the most beloved wrestlers in the history of this business.
It seems strange to think of a world in wrestling without John Cena, but that is almost what we got. If it wasn’t for Stephanie McMahon, it is very likely Cena would’ve gotten fired in WWE’s next set of releases. Luckily he was able to showcase to Stephanie his freestyle rapping skills, and the rest was history.
This article isn’t a reminder about Cena’s entire career though, everyone reading this is most likely already more than familiar with this icon’s legacy in the ring. But to quickly run through his achievements: 16-time World Champion, five-time United States Champion, two-time Tag Team Champion, two-time Royal Rumble winner, former Mr. Money In The Bank, Hollywood megastar, the undisputed face of WWE for over a decade and of course, always and forever the poster boy for Fruity Pebbles.
Instead of running through his whole career, this article will go through a few of his career highlights, emphasise his connection with the fans, while also sharing my hopes for his farewell tour.
The first of 16
John Cena currently ties Ric Flair for most World Title wins, so it is only right we kick things off talking about the win that started things off.
Just a year after beating the Big Show at Wrestlemania 20 for the United States Championship. Cena was competing for the opportunity to win his first ever WWE World Title against the dominant champion in JBL. While the match did get mixed reactions from fans, there was no doubt that WWE had a new top star on their hands, and this title win helped launch Cena to superstardom.
Perhaps the most controversial thing to come out of this title win though was the introduction of a new title design, the spinner belt. The reaction from fans to this was… divided to say the least. My feeling is the belt fit Cena’s character at the time very well, but some people might say the design made the title look more like a prop rather than a symbol of achievement. But no matter the fans’ view of the championship design, it was yet another iconic part of Cena’s career.
2008 Royal Rumble Return
In October of 2007, John Cena suffered a major setback in his career as he tore his right pectoral muscle in a match against Mr. Kennedy. Cena ended up finishing the match, but the injury was supposed to sideline him for 6-12 months.
But in probably one of the biggest very real examples of Cena living up to his saying ‘Never Give Up,’ he made an incredible comeback and recovery in just 4 months. Setting up one of the most iconic returns in WWE history, as John surprised fans as the Number 30 participant in the 2008 Royal Rumble match. Cena eliminated Triple H to win the Rumble, capping off a landmark moment in his career.
His greatest rival
There are quite a few candidates for the role of John Cena’s greatest rival. His iconic battles with The Rock, CM Punk and AJ Styles have made their mark on Cena’s career. But I don’t think many would disagree that his greatest ever counterpart, was the Rated R Superstar, Edge, or who is now known as Adam Copeland in AEW.
The iconic moment of Edge cashing in the first-ever Money in the Bank contract on Cena after his brutal Elimination Chamber match at New Year’s Revolution 2006, started this feud of pure hatred culminating at Backlash 2009 that included: eight title changes, a Spear with a motorcycle helmet, Edge slapping Cena’s dad, a new title design, Cena tossing Edge into the Long Island Sound, love triangles and some very brutal matches.
This was a rivalry that put both guys on the map in WWE as main eventers, especially Edge, who cemented himself as one of the best heels in wrestling history in being the ‘Ultimate Opportunist.’ They truly brought out the best in each other and I’m not just talking about in terms of match quality, but storytelling as well. Every time they re-visited this feud, they always added a new layer to their story. They were just the perfect foil for each other and it is a shame that someone so important in Cena’s career won’t be a part of his farewell tour.
Twice in a lifetime
The story of the biggest star in the world, up against the man that took his spot since he went away. The phrase ‘dream match’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but The Rock vs John Cena undoubtedly slotted perfectly in that category at the time. The battle between these two icons was a year in the making, with the match being made official on the RAW after Wrestlemania 27. I remember watching that segment as a kid and just being glued to the screen. I wasn’t a regular watcher of WWE at the time, but the face-to-face with Cena and Rock definitely played a vital role in making me one. The story was more than just two icons from two generations clashing though, Cena often mentioned Rock’s status in Hollywood, while mocking his part-time schedule. Which is amusing looking back on it because that is exactly the position Cena is in now.
The build to Wrestlemania 28 was special, you had Cena and Rock going toe to toe on the microphone, both one upping each other every time they interacted. This rivalry was probably what opened a lot of people’s eyes to just how good of a promo John is, despite losing the eventual match, I personally think he won the battle of the trash talking. Of course him infamously calling out Rock for writing his promos on his wrist was one of the more iconic moments in this feud, but every bullet Rock hit him with, Cena hit him with five back.
The match should’ve stayed as a Once In A Lifetime, but of course WWE had to milk it even more and run it back a year later for the WWE Championship. But the rivalry is something that is remembered fondly by a lot of fans, including myself. It was also what helped win over a lot of Cena’s critics at the time as well.
The infamous US Title Open Challenge
Probably many fans’ favourite period of John Cena’s career was his United States Open Challenges. Where he defended the title regularly against anyone who decided to step up to the champ.
This run of Cena’s as United States Champion brought a new-found prestige to the title. Not only was Cena having some of the best matches of his career with these open challenges, but perhaps the most influential part of this title reign was the talent he elevated on the way. Cena always wants to leave the business better than he found it, which was evident in the way he was able to give wrestlers like Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Neville (now PAC in AEW,) a platform to showcase to a big audience why they deserved more title opportunities in the company. The open challenge even gave perhaps the best introduction on the main roster you could ever ask for, for one of WWE’s biggest stars today in Kevin Owens. KO was able to beat the 16-time world champion clean on his main roster debut, as the NXT Champion.
This title reign will definitely be fondly remembered even by some of Cena’s biggest haters, and it was the perfect example of Cena understanding his duty as a veteran to help mould the superstars of tomorrow.
Number 16
To be recognised as one of the GOATs in this business, you have to make your mark. John Cena was seen as hovering on that line, but at the Royal Rumble in 2017, he was able to truly cement himself among the greats in this industry by tying the legendary Ric Flair’s world title record.
Where this record-tying moment stemmed from was one of the best trilogies I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling, between AJ Styles and John Cena. All three of their matches got better as they went along, and all of them had natural storytelling development. The first was about the dream encounter between Cena and Styles, 15 years in the making. The second developed into the story about Styles having to prove he didn’t need The Club to beat John. The third, and their best in my opinion, was about Cena potentially tying Flair’s record.
Everything about this moment was perfect, the storytelling, the opponent and of course the match as well. Will Cena finally break the record during his Farewell Tour? I hope so.
Cena’s unbreakable connection with the fans
There aren’t many wrestlers in this business that have had the connection with fans quite like John Cena has had. This is a bond that has only been found by people before him in Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well as one after him in the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes.
The way he has gained this connection with so many members of the WWE Universe is simple though, his motto ‘Never Give Up.’ We’ve heard jokes like Super Cena multiple times, because even when there should be no way back for him, he always finds a way to pull through. Wrestling to me has this magical ability that allows you to just sit down, get lost in the action and stories, and just forget about any troubles you have in life outside of it. Cena has always been someone who just gets that power wrestling has, and the phrase might sound corny or cheesy to some, but to a lot of people it has helped carry them through the toughest of times.
To this day, Cena is still trying to inspire fans through his words and actions. Perfect recent example of this is when he appeared on popular content creator Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream. It would’ve been easy for Cena to turn up, have fun for a bit and leave. But he knew the audience watching the stream would’ve been from a younger generation, remembered his responsibility as a role model and made sure to leave the audience with some wise words to take forward into their future.
There is a reason Cena holds the world record for most wishes granted for the Make-A-Wish foundation at 650. Throughout his career he has shown he cares about his fans, leaving memories to last a lifetime and making sure he takes responsibility for being a role model, inspiring his fans to Never Give Up.
What I hope for in his Farewell Tour
This article could have just been how I would book John Cena’s Farewell Tour. I have so many ideas for what they could do as Cena gets closer to retirement. But instead I am just going to say some bullet points of what I hope to see in this tour, otherwise this article would probably be about 10 pages long.
I’d like to see a mix of playing some of his greatest hits and fresh rivalries, I think that is the best way to go around it. For me personally, I hope to see him and CM Punk either lock up one more time or maybe team together. My main gateway into me becoming a regular watcher of wrestling was Money In The Bank 2011, Punk and Cena made magic together that night and what followed after that was one of Cena’s greatest rivalries.
It is also vital he gives lots of talent the Cena rub on his way out as well guys like Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Jacob Fatu and Oba Femi are all talents I would like to see Cena work with. But the biggest question is, does he win number 17? My answer will probably differ from a lot of fans’ but I honestly think he should get one last world title win and break the record.
Final Thoughts
Whenever someone asks me who are the wrestlers that made you a fan, I always have the same five answers for them. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, CM Punk and of course, John Cena. I would say Cena played the biggest role in getting me into this crazy world we call professional wrestling, and I will always be thankful to him for that. To me Cena will always be my GOAT, and when the trumpets play for the last time, he gives one final toss of his hat to the crowd and the sun sets on his career, you can’t deny he has been one of the most influential wrestlers in the history of this business, and without a doubt one of the best to ever do it.
To finish off the article, here are some words of appreciation from some of the team here at Wrestling Republic. Thank you Cena!
“Throughout the entirety of my childhood John Cena was THE top guy in WWE, and his feud with AJ Styles in 2016 was truly the moment I went from being a casual wrestling fan, to a wrestling fanatic. His ability to make you invested in his storylines, even when they were poorly written at times, is unmatched, and his in ring ability is often underrated as well. There’s easily an argument for him to be on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling.” – Ben Allison (WR Owner)
“Although I have never been a Cena fan as I grew up during the Attitude era with Austin and Rock so the cartoonish 80s Hulk Hogan 2.0 that Super Cena represented was not for me. Looking back on it you have to respect the longevity that he had as the face of the franchise and carrying the brand on his back as they went TV-PG as the product was not exactly having its creative or popularity highs that they once had due to lack of true wrestling competition and creative leadership.
Whether you love Cena or think Cena sucks, you have to respect all the Make A Wishes that he has granted and despite having the audience booing him out of the building he never once lashed out at fans and simply said they paid for their ticket and if they want to boo me it’s their right.
We never got a heel run out of Cena like Bash at the Beach 96, Hogan, which may have helped his career but for his entire run he was the hero to the target kids audience who are now adults seeing their hero one last time.” – Anthony Ricciardi (WR Head of Opinions and Podcaster)
“I’ve not always been John Cena’s biggest fan, but even I can acknowledge his undeniable legacy as an icon of WWE and crucial in the mainstream perception of wrestling worldwide. He was an integral part of my favourite piece of wrestling storytelling ever in Wrestlemania 36’s Firefly Funhouse Match alongside Bray Wyatt and his work between 2015-2017 stands out as one of the best renaissance runs I can recall. At his best, Cena is a captivating presence and a huge draw, his love for the craft is infectious and his incredible work outside the ring through charity and humanitarian work has earned my eternal respect. I wish him all the best in his final year, and hope for one hell of a final outing for Big Match John.“ – David Sheldon (WR Podcaster and AEW Reviewer)
And last but not least… some words from probably the biggest Cena fan here at WR.
“The Last time is now, but John Cena’s legacy will live on forever. While Cena’s career may not resonate with everyone, his impact on me has been profound and deeply personal. His presence in WWE has always been about more than championships and accolades—though his record in those areas is undeniable. For me, it’s the values he has embodied—hustle, loyalty, and respect—and his unwavering mantra to never give up that have left a lasting mark on my outlook towards life.
Growing up, there were times when I struggled mentally, moments when I felt like I couldn’t push forward. But Cena was always there—a constant reminder of resilience and determination. Watching him overcome countless odds in the ring gave me the motivation to rise each time life knocked me down. He wasn’t just a larger-than-life WWE Superstar; he was a source of strength and inspiration when I needed it most.
Now, as I’ve grown older, my appreciation for John Cena has deepened. It’s not just about the iconic sweatbands and the “You Can’t See Me” taunts—it’s about the man behind them. Through interviews and podcasts, we’ve come to know more about Cena’s work ethic, humility, and dedication. His ability to make the best of any situation, to embrace challenges and turn them into opportunities, is a lesson not only for those in the wrestling industry but for all of us navigating life.
As we approach Cena’s farewell tour, it’s a bittersweet moment. There’s excitement for the incredible journey ahead, but also an undeniable sadness knowing it marks the end of an era. I’m certain this tour will be a celebration of everything he has given us—fun, emotional, and unforgettable. Still, I know when we come to the end and hear those trumpets blare out for the last time that my eyes will instantly fill with tears.
Thank you, John Cena. For the unforgettable moments, the lessons in resilience, and the example you set both in and out of the ring. Your legacy isn’t just what you accomplished—it’s the lives you’ve inspired along the way and I’m proud to say I’m one of them.” – Jordy In The Bank (WR Podcaster)
