At Long Last, Cena Wins #1

I'm a very patient person. I have the patience of a saint. I waited 15 years for a pennant, 21 years for a Stanley Cup, and my entire life for a Yankees/Dodgers World Series, and got all three. Another thing I waited for: John Cena to become Intercontinental Champion. I had been pulling for this to happen for about 10 years. I knew time would run out and Cena would finally and officially begin the process of retiring. When the announcement was made that 2025 would be it, the hope I had for this became pleas.

Entering 2025, I figured one thing: we would either get Cena winning #17 or we'd see Cena get #1. I was ambitious, I wanted both somehow, but something told me we'd get one, and it would be the obvious one. We got that at WrestleMania. Cena beat Cody Rhodes to win his 17th World Title, that was predictable. He held the title until SummerSlam, and the second after he lost the belt, I immediately went: "IC Title... fast."

Yet Cena spent Wrestlepalooza not only being forcibly put in an angle with Brock Lesnar (who shouldn't be back for many obvious reasons), he lost to Brock. When that match ended, one thing ran through my mind: "Why do they hate Cena?" That loss lowered my hopes that Cena would go anywhere near the IC Title. The most recent Saturday Night's Main Event on November 1 saw Cena announce that a tournament will take place to determine Cena's final opponent on the next SNME on December 13. So it didn't look like he'd get that title, and much like the many other ways that WWE has disappointed and even infuriated me, I grinned and bared it without any complaints.

And then, the evening of November 10, 2025 happened.

Raw was in Beantown, and the main centerpiece was that it was Cena's final appearance in Boston. Triple H introduced Cena, and as he gave his big speech about the "The Last Time Is Now" Tournament, he was interrupted by "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, the Intercontinental Champion. I actually cheered when he appeared, because I knew what was coming. We all did. Dom, of course, displayed his disrespect to the GOAT, and said he could beat Cena anytime, anywhere, any era. The Game made it official: Dom. Cena. IC Title. On the spot.

Cena had been in WWE since 2002. This was his first time actually competing for the IC Title. Match went as expected; back and forth, and then Dom attempted to cheat his way out. He brings in the title, tosses it in Cena's hands and plays possum. Come on, Dom. Dom clearly forgot that Cena learned from Eddie all those years ago. So Cena plays possum and drops the title. Match continues, ref is taken out, Cena delivers the AA and calls for a ref. One enters, Dom kicks out. Dom not only delivers the 619, but the Frog Splash as well, but Cena catches Dom, counters with the AA, and, well...

When Nathan MacKinnon finally won the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) in 2024, it was very emotional for this Avs fan. I had to watch Mack get screwed over time and time and time again until he finally got what was owed to him. Take that, multiply that by about 100, and you'll have the emotion I felt when John Cena finally won #1, finally won the Intercontinental Championship. If they had let John Cena ride off into the sunset incomplete like that, it would have been a huge crime. The Grand Slam club is very elite and epic as hell. Look at the names who are on it. Eddie Guerrero, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Edge, JBL, Miz, just to name a few. Cena won 17 World Titles. The US Title (the first singles title he won) was his five times. He's been tag champ four times with interesting partners. But IMO, this win beats all of that.

John Cena is now the 22nd Grand Slam Champion in WWE history, and regarding that moment, I've watched it many times on a loop. So this is an added wrinkle in the "The Last Time Is Now" Tournament. The winner will definitely compete for the IC Title on December 13, and win it. This was such an amazing moment; again, I thought we would only get either #17 or his first IC Title. Instead, we did get both, somehow we got both. I am so happy that the Grand Slam for Cena is finally complete. He was already the GOAT for a long time. This completes it without question.