Thank You, John Cena

When December 13, 2025 arrived, I welcomed it. I welcomed it with open arms. The reason was simple: I wanted to see how John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr, someone who I've been a fan of for over 20 years, would end his iconic and legendary career.

I had my tissues ready. Everyone did. This was going to be emotional for every WWE fan. We watched Cena grow, evolve, and take over for so long. He went from being just a kid who was full of ruthless aggression, to becoming the ultimate face of WWE. When he announced that 2025 would be his final year, so many of us wondered who Cena's final opponent would be. We actually had a tournament to determine that. That has to be a first in not just WWE, but in all of wrestling overall.

The "Last Time is Now" Tournament was won by Gunther, who has done quite a lot in little time. Gunther had a dominant run in NXT UK as Walter, holding the NXT UK Championship for well over a year. His promotion to the main roster saw him hold the Intercontinental Championship for over a year, and he would add King of the Ring and two reigns as World Heavyweight Champion as well. Regarding his gimmick, Gunther is easily an "honorable villain." His persona is centered on being a traditional wrestler, and he was originally the leader of a faction known as Imperium, until they quietly disbanded recently.

December 13, 2025 was the date for Cena's final match, and it was on Saturday Night's Main Event. The card was a small one, only consisting of three other matches. First, a battle between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and NXT Champion Oba Femi was thrown out when Drew McIntyre invaded the match. Secondly, Sol Ruca picked up the biggest win of her young career when she defeated Bayley--WWE's first Women's Grand Slam Champion, and third, AJ Styles and Dragon Lee survived a World Tag Team Championship battle against Ja'Von Evans and Leon Slater.

Finally, the moment came. The match we'd been waiting for. Gunther came out, and the Washington, D.C. crowd booed him like he was Sidney Crosby. Then, there was a long and dramatic wait, and then the music hit, and one more time, Cena made his entrance. The match was back and forth, to no surprise, but I couldn't help but love the chants. They chanted "Super Cena," a phrase that was once said derisively for so long. They also chanted "Don't Give Up," a call back to Cena's "Never Give Up" mantra. Cena delivered for the crowd, and hit Gunther with everything, but the Ring General fought back. Gunther placed Cena in a sleeper hold, but Cena fought back, only to be placed in it again. This time, after a good bit of being in the sleeper, we see Cena actually crack a smile, followed by something we never thought we'd see:

He tapped out.

A lot of people really raged over this, and I really don't know why. I saw this coming. I really did see this coming. Here's the thing. This match was not made to add one more win to Cena's career. What did he say before this tournament was made? He wanted to give someone an opportunity one more time. Cena did that. And I absolutely loved that smile on Cena's face as he tapped. That smile said three things. One, "I'm gonna make Gunther famous." Gunther already had mega-long title runs, and he defeated Goldberg in his final match. Now he has another boast. Two, "I'm gonna shock everyone one more time." This was his last big shocker in a year full of them. We never thought that Cena would turn heel. He did. He won the Intercontinental Championship and completed the Grand Slam. The tap out was the last one.

Third, and finally, that smile was Cena saying, "Thank you." Cena thanking us. Really? We should be thanking him.

Dr. Seuss, the genius behind The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and a project that's being heavily watched around this time, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, said it best. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Cena gave us a lot to smile about. Doctor of Thuganomics, the US Title runs, his first WWE Championship at WM21 (which I was fortunate to watch on PPV), the amazing feuds, the awesome and inspirational promos, his ability to stand tall while clowns continued to unfairly denigrated him, his charitable nature, and his many, many contributions.

I am blessed to have watched John Cena for so long. He's extra special, very extra special. The sendoff was perfect; a spectacular career lasting a quarter-century coming to an end. Next up for John Cena: the WWE Hall of Fame. That will be one hell of an induction!

Thank you Cena. Thank you for so, so much!