John Cena Retires from WWE After 24-Year Career

John Cena, the most decorated wrestler in WWE history, has officially retired following his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, held before more than 19,000 fans at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

The 17-time world champion ended his year-long farewell tour with a loss to Gunther, submitting for only the fourth time in his career and for the first time in 21 years. Cena was caught in multiple sleeper holds by the “Ring General” and, after repeatedly escaping, eventually looked into the camera, smiled slightly and tapped out.

The result marked Cena’s first submission defeat since 2004, when he lost to Kurt Angle.

During the match, Cena attempted several of his signature moves, including the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment, but could not overcome Gunther’s sustained offense. After the bout, Gunther left the ring as members of the WWE locker room emerged to pay tribute to Cena.

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes then entered the ring and presented Cena with their championship belts, allowing him to wear them one final time.

Fans reacted angrily when WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared, chanting “bullst” and “You f*ed up” in protest of the outcome of Cena’s farewell match.

A tribute video followed, featuring stars from across Cena’s career, including archival footage of former WWE chairman Vince McMahon. Cena then removed his shoes and sweatbands and placed them in the centre of the ring before acknowledging the crowd and walking away.

As he headed toward the entrance, Cena high-fived fans, took a final bow and delivered his closing message to the camera.

“It’s been a pleasure serving you all these years, thank you,” Cena said, before exiting as the broadcast faded to black.

The match marked the second retirement bout ended by Gunther in 2025, following his earlier victory over Bill Goldberg in Goldberg’s final match.

Cena’s retirement capped a dramatic year that included his first-ever heel turn at Elimination Chamber in March. He later defeated Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania, setting a new record for the most world titles in WWE history. Rhodes reclaimed the title at SummerSlam, while Cena’s final championship reign came after a win over Dominik Mysterio in his hometown of Boston.

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