Facing one last fight, John Cena became a WWE legend for more than ability
The Last Time Is Now. It’s the name given to the tournament in which 16 wrestling giants have been competing to be the one opponent in John Cena’s final fight before retirement.
And that final fight is now – Saturday night – in Washington DC, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career that has seen the American become one of wrestling’s biggest and most bankable stars.
In the 8,570 days since his debut, Cena has clinched 17 world titles and coined the iconic “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase – but the 48-year-old’s impact goes far beyond that.
If you were to pose the question “who is John Cena?”, depending on who you ask, the answers might vary from legendary WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar, to successful film actor, while some will say he’s Mr Make-A-Wish (more on that later).
How to watch John Cena’s last match:
‘An exceptional wrestling talent’
Since his 2002 debut, there’s been an evolution in his own wrestling character – transitioning from “ruthless aggression” rookie, to a “Doctor of Thuganomics” rapper, and eventually a heroic character known for a “Never Give Up” attitude.
Despite criticism from some fans of his in-ring ability, with occasional chants of “you can’t wrestle” through the years, “there’s no doubt that he’s an exceptional wrestling talent”, says Brandon Thurston, editor and owner of wrestling website, Wrestlenomics.
He feels something changed in 2005, after which WWE became “increasingly scripted in a way it had not been” before, as it entered into a more controlled, family friendly PG era. But Cena managed thrive.
“He’s definitely been the biggest draw over the time which I would say stretches from 2005 to roughly 2015,” Mr Thurston says, with Cena’s merchandise also regularly topping sales for the company.
“There’s little question that he was WWE’s most important economic wrestler throughout that time – in terms of pay-per-view buys, which were still central in that era, TV ratings, and as a house show draw.”
Outside the ring too, he’s a personality who “people gravitate towards and want to listen to”, says Mr Thurston – and wrestling fans like Joe Clarkson and Sabrina Nicole feel just that.
“To go for such a long time in an industry, which is quite heavily taxing on the body, is absolutely fascinating,” says Joe, 24, who was five when he first saw Cena on TV.
“I think over time, the people just gained more and more respect for him, not just as a performer, but also as an individual.”
For Sabrina, 37, who remembers Cena’s WWE debut in 2002, it’s “his charisma”.
“He has just always had something about him that makes him a star,” she says, adding that for most of his career, he’s “always maintained a good guy persona”.
“No matter what the crowd, no matter what the fans have thought of him. He has just been the testament to if you have a really good character, you can be on top,” she says.
It also seems to be true that, beyond his ability and persona, Cena seized an opportunity.
With The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin no longer full-time performers, WWE bosses were looking for a new star to emerge.
Brandon feels WWE leadership recognised Cena “would be a very reliable and extremely hardworking person whom they could entrust with such a spot”.
It’s widely accepted within wrestling circles that the final decision to have Cena as the chosen star would ultimately have been taken by then-WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
While he was known for following his instincts, there will also have been a judgement on Cena’s ability to connect with a passionate crowd on the mic, his marketability and whether he could be in the industry long enough to be profitable.
And when Cena started taking more time away from wrestling in 2015 and working a reduced schedule, Mr Thurston feels there was a “decline” in the WWE product.
Other wrestling experts have suggested Cena’s presence over the years helped slow the slide of WWE ratings trending downwards which, according to analysis by wrestling site PWtorch, saw average viewership for its flagship weekly Raw programme fall by a million between 2010 and 2015, to 3.7m.
Having achieved so much within wrestling, Cena could “just come in and be a wrestler and walk out”, adds Dr Gillian Brooks, associate professor in marketing at King’s Business School, but instead she says he built a personal brand that comes across as real.
An ‘authentic’ character
Among the brands Cena has worked with is Neutrogena, becoming the face of its sunscreen campaign after revealing he had skin cancer spots – which he attributed to his own lack of sun protection use.
He also holds the Guinness World Record for the number of wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with more than 650 fulfilled wishes for children with critical illnesses. It’s a partnership he revealed had started by “accident”, but one he’s kept since 2002, describing it as “the coolest thing”.
“If you think about it from a child’s perspective, they’re seeing someone that they’ve seen on TV watching WWE or in films, and they suddenly get to meet him,” Dr Brooks says. “The fact that he’s doing charity work, he’s written a children’s book, been in films, made music… all these things illustrate that he’s not a one show pony.
“It’s coming across in a way that’s very authentic and very sort of pure to who he is.”
Both Cena’s personal brand and his charisma are set to live on, but his time in the ring looks to have come to an end after Cena announced last year that 2025 would be his last as a competitor.
The retirement run
Explaining his reasoning at the time, he told of the physical toll wrestling had taken on his body.
His career has seen him undergo several operations, including on his neck, pec and triceps, with Cena saying in interviews that his “body hurts” and is “screaming to close the chapter”.
While the old saying “never say never” is a popular one, Cena has repeatedly said he will be “100% done” – and has received rousing receptions around the world for his final appearances.
Overall, fan Joe is happy with Cena’s “retirement run”, with matches against old rivals such as AJ Styles, Randy Orton and CM Punk, and newer stars including Dominik Mysterio and Gunther.
He does feel the “execution” of his final year could have been better though, with Cena’s short-term “heel turn” (becoming a villain) at the Elimination Chamber event in March drawing criticism.
“It could have been handled better,” Joe says. “[But] he’s had such a unique distinction of having a retirement run that no one’s ever had before.
“It’s very sad to see him retire now. But I think he said it himself – it’s the right time.”
Not that WWE fans will never see Cena again; he has signed a five-year deal to be an ambassador for the company.
Having won The Last Time Is Now tournament, it’s former world heavyweight champion Gunther who will face Cena in his final fight.
With it not being broadcast on terrestrial TV, but rather on streaming platforms, it’s been reported that there is no time limit on the match – and Gunther, who has never wrestled Cena before, has been giving much tough talk.
One thing’s for sure: “You Can’t See Me” might be the taunt Cena gives Gunther, but the last fight will be seen and remembered by many.
