On December 13th, 2025, 48-year-old John Cena officially called out his retirement during his final match at the Capital One Arena in D.C. with Gunther. During the brutal 24-minute contest, John Cena finally tapped out after being stuck in a sleeper hold forced to which confirmed his retirement. He was an in-ring competitor for more than two decades at WWE and shocked many of his fans with his closing out.
John Cena is a globally known WWE fighter from 2001-2025 with a record setting 17-time world championships and a five-time United States Champion. He also held a record for 4 Tag Team Titles and became a Grand Slam Champion with an Intercontinental Champion Title Win. He is well known for his famous catchphrases like “You Can’t See Me” and “My Time Is Now” in the ring and has merchandise with “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” and “Never Give Up”. Not only is John Cena an incredible wrestler, but he is also known for his contributions to the Make-A-Wish Foundation with over five hundred wishes for sick children. In his earlier years, he was a former rapper but is continuing to act and will shift his focus to his acting career now.
In the final match with Gunther, he was repeatedly locked in a sleeper hold while smiling knowing his strength was finally giving out on him and his time was up. Cena had first brought up the idea of him retiring from WWE in July 2024 at the Money in the Bank event and said it was “time to close this chapter” and brought up that his body hurts and isn’t able to perform at the same strength as he used to. He claims he made a promise to WWE to not stick around when his “skills aren’t up to par” and knew he had to pass down his legacy to somebody else who deserves it more than him. His “Never Give Up” slogan had finally been sent into submission, and he was forced to tap out.
His fans are incredibly disappointed but not at him, they were disappointed about how he lost. His fans screamed “Don’t give up!” when he was put into a sleeper hold and he did the one thing he says to never do; he gave up. Fans were screaming furiously when Cena tapped out his final fight ever. All of Cena’s fans watching him give up with the entire audience screaming not to give up was soul crushing and frustrating to fans, they did not think this day would come. At the end of the fight, Levesque said “I’m actually mildly disappointed, I thought it would be so much louder.” The loss of this match was not just a loss for Cena; he went against everything he had built up for himself and what he stood for had all fallen.
Even though John Cena has officially retired, his legacy will forever live on as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. John Cena’s career in WWE had such a significant impact and his retirement will continue to leave a permanent mark in history. He has been in WWE for over two decades and will be unconditionally appreciated for his accomplishments. He was loved by millions of fans and his fellow wrestlers will continue to celebrate what he has done. He has had such an impressive influence on so many people and will not be brought down upon for losing a fight at 48 years old.