John Cena appeared at WWE's Money in the Bank premium live event over the weekend and used the surprise appearance to announce his full retirement from wrestling. The Cena show isn't over yet, however, as he has announced that he will be competing “the entire year of 2025” before officially and officially participating complete departure from competition in the ring.
It's unclear what exactly Cena means by competing throughout the year, but Cena is reportedly already signed up for Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 41.
With such a big announcement, speculation is rife as to what 2025 could hold for one of the biggest stars in WWE history. Could Cena win a world title for the 17th time in his career, breaking Ric Flair's record for most appearances as world champion? Will he win a singles match for the first time since 2018?
Let's have a little fun and take a look at some possible stops along the John Cena Retirement Tour.
Win Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber
Cena's final run through the WWE would have nothing to do with his recent sporadic appearances, where Cena was used to dupe young talent, losing singles matches to Austin Theory and Solo Sikoa. This time Cena needs to be in the main event and enjoy his time as a major player.
If Cena goes to WrestleMania, she should be a major player in the event and not a random midcard match. As previously mentioned, another run as world champion would give Cena the record for most runs as world champion in wrestling history. Cena could get the title shot he needs at WrestleMania 41 in two ways: either by winning the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber, scheduled for January and February respectively.
If WWE plans to transfer the title to Cena and he doesn't plan on competing beyond WrestleMania, having him win the World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble event would also be an option, but that doesn't seem like enough time for this builds on Cena in a world title fight.
Winning the World Heavyweight Championship
Assuming Cena wins one of the above matches and gets a guaranteed title shot at WrestleMania, it would only make sense for him to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undisputed WWE Championship held by Cody Rhodes will likely be contested in some version of a match with someone from The Bloodline. Rhodes vs. Cena would get a lot of attention as an epic battle of elite babyfaces, but the easier route would be for Cena to challenge for the heavyweight title. This also makes sense if you follow the sentiment that Cena's retirement tour is intended to help make Raw's transition to Netflix a big start.
At least for now, it looks like Gunther is destined to win the World Heavyweight Championship sometime before the end of the year, possibly as early as SummerSlam. Cena's history of essentially playing the wrestling version of a superhero would fit well with a dominant heel like Gunther.
A retro rivalry with Randy Orton
Orton and Cena have a long history that includes plenty of pay-per-view matches. Cena's final years should reflect his most legendary rivalries and key points in his career. Although Orton has been involved in storylines surrounding Bloodline since his return from injury, he hasn't really had a set direction as a singles wrestler.
It looks like that could soon change for Orton, possibly with a heel turn. If Orton goes crazy in the coming months, he would be a great opponent at some point in Cena's return. That could happen before or after a possible Cena title win, but fans would certainly be ready to welcome the return of one of the rivalries that defined the late 2000s and early 2010s in WWE.
Other potential Cena opponents
- With The Rock back in the mix, WWE could generate a lot of interest by bringing Cena and Rock together for one final match. It seems like that would be unlikely since Rock is so invested in the overall storyline of Bloodline and splitting Rock and Cena's shared appeal would probably be the best business move. Still, the idea of these two titans colliding is enough to get the blood pumping.
- CM Punk and Cena produced arguably the greatest match of Cena's career and one of the best matches in WWE history at Money in the Bank 2011. Punk and Cena are a magical couple in their juxtaposition. Punk is everything Cena isn't, a punk in the truest sense of the word who had to fight his way to the top of a company that had essentially anointed Cena before he even made a single wave. Classic Cena recalls should also be on the agenda for 2025.
- There's not enough juice for a long program, but the re-debut of Uncle Howdy and his Wyatt Sick6 could make for an interesting short program with Cena. Finally, Cena had an iconic WrestleMania “match” with Bray Wyatt at the Firefly Funhouse. It would be a fun and somewhat touching moment if Cena briefly played this match with Wyatt's brother as a sort of homage.
