WWE Saturday Night's Main Event: John Cena's Last Match 2025

So, at last the day had come for the greatest wrestler of all-time to hang up the jorts and pump-up the trainers one last time. John Cena debuted all the way back in 2002, and went on to shape the next two decades of wrestling, defining eras and breaking into the mainstream. Seventeen world titles, and countless other accolades later, Cena now approached his final match. It was a surreal evening, and I was so glad that WWE chose to feature a number of NXT talents on the card.

Opening Cena's last night was the Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes, who took on the NXT Champion Oba Femi in a special non-title match. I could not wait for this one - it had star-making performance written all over it, and I knew Cody would be very giving to his young opponent. It felt very appropriate that Oba mouthed "my time is now" to Cody as the bell rang. The idea behind this match was simple; the power of the young NXT Champion against the experience and resilience of the WWE Champion. Seeing Femi bloody the champion was a great visual for the NXT Champion, and while the match was cut short by shenanigans, which I found a bit frustrating, it still left the young champion looking like a million bucks.

Match number two of the night saw the forever underrated and talented Bayley take on one of NXT's brightest stars in Sol Ruca. Ruca is clearly seen as one of the next big stars in the WWE, so this match was a huge opportunity to show what she can do to a larger audience, and the veteran Bayley was the ideal opponent for her. Both women looked on it from the moment the bell rang, with Bayley's smooth style meshing very nicely with the easy high-flying of Sol Ruca. This was such a nicely flowing match, and the sweetly executed moves were matched only by the satisfying and creative finish.

Next up was was a very exciting match, which saw the reigning World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee defend take on NXT's Je'Von Evans and TNA's X-Division Champion Leon Slater in non-title action. Seeing a TNA championship appear on WWE TV for only the second time ever (if memory serves) was surreal, but if anyone deserved it, the hugely talented Slater was that guy. These guys came out the gates like rent was due and the house was on fire - it was awesome. It felt like no time or movement was wasted, as three of the best young wrestlers in the world right now, as well as the legendary AJ Styles, looked to blow the roof off of the place. There was a very rare and unfortunate botch from the veteran Styles, but it was a very small blip on what was an excellent firefight.

Before the main event, there was a silly but amusing segment with The Miz, R-Truth, and Joe Hendry. It was a brief but entertaining tribute to the GOAT, and another chance to showcase a popular NXT talent in Hendry. To that end, it was nice to see wrestlers paying tribute to John Cena all evening - it really hammered home just how big an influence on the industry the man has been. He really is the greatest of all-time.

With all of that done and out the way, it was, at last, time for the last stand of the great John Cena. The atmosphere was paramount, and the boos that rang out around the arena for GUNTHER set the stage for a titanic battle of memorable proportions - the ideal send-off for one of the best entertainers ever. I had chills as Cena came out one last time. Surreal did not begin to cover it. I was emotional before the bell even rang to start the match. The crowd was the most partizan for one man than I've ever heard it - it was goosebump-inducing. GUNTHER did not come to play, and looked like the relentless monster that his character is. A lot of people did not want him to have Cena's last match, but for me, he was the perfect choice. One last seemingly unstoppable force for the immovable Cena to try and overcome. This was a great send-off for a great performer, and the ultimate super villain performance by his adversary. The only thing I didn't like was the way the crowd was behaving. Their negative reactions to some of the post-match moments was a really distracting and irritating way to end Cena's career. With that aside, everything else was really beautiful to see. The video package, the fellow performers, the backstage staff - it was all wonderfully touching.

Overall, I think it was fair to call this a moment larger than wrestling itself. The night we said goodbye to a man who entertained audiences around the world for over twenty years, and did so without complaint and with the utmost commitment each time he appeared. The matches were all decent, the various tributes were touching, and seeing the seventeen-time world champion go out one last time was a very emotional moment. The crowd spoiled the moment a little, but the emotions still hit home and then some, as we all watched John Cena leave the ring one last time. He rode off into the sunset, and left the WWE to the up-and-coming future stars of the business. His time is up, their time is now.