The Bad
-
Limited Appearances
At the start of the retirement tour, it was announced that John Cena would be making 36 appearances throughout the 2025 calendar year. But in recent interviews during a media blitz by Cena to promote his final match, he revealed that he initially suggested making 220 appearances.
In reflection, it may seem illogical for him to have followed through on that many appearances, in large part due to his age and risk of injury. There are, however, a few points worth noting. If Cena, who is widely considered to be the greatest of all time and is a legitimate box office attraction, was willing to commit to that, creative should have jumped at the opportunity to make it happen.
What fans received wasn’t even a meeting in the middle, but over 83% less than what Cena offered. One of the biggest criticisms of Cena’s retirement tour is the at times jarring and disjointed storylines that often had no smooth transitions from one to the next. Had Cena made even 50 more appearances, it would most definitely have helped creatively with storytelling, especially his heel run. And had the WWE creative department planned out the entire year from start to finish, each of the 36 appearances he actually made would have been utilized more effectively.
-
Heel Run
While the heel turn itself was undeniably iconic and legendary, the heel run proved largely unsuccessful and ultimately disappointing. Although there were some elements deserving of praise, such as the promos delivered in Brussels and London, and the Reverse Pipebomb with Punk, upon reflection, the negative factors outweigh the positive.
Part of the blame for the unsuccessful heel run lies with The Rock, as the man who initiated one of the biggest heel turns of all time, and then entirely disappeared following Elimination Chamber, causing a major storyline hole.
Perhaps the biggest failure, however, is that there was never any specific reason as to why Cena turned heel in the first place. Having Cena reveal feelings of jealousy of the devotion that Cody Rhodes received as a top star babyface, where, on the flip side, back in the day, Cena often received boos, or even the emotions of a desperate, aging star needing to win at all costs, would have made the heel persona far more understandable.
-
Brock Lesnar Match
If fans thought the Cena vs. Rhodes match at WrestleMania was going to be Cena’s worst of the year, his bout at Wrestlepalooza with long-time rival Brock Lesnar said “hold my beer” and took it to a new level of bad.
With this meeting being billed as the “final match” between Cena and Lesnar, many envisioned Cena finally being able to get over the hurdle of his ultimate kryptonite: “The Beast Incarnate.” Unfortunately, what we got instead was a sequel to their match at SummerSlam in 2014, where Lesnar mercilessly squashed Cena.
Cena explained recently that the reason Creative went in this direction was to reestablish the dominance of Lesnar as a feared competitor. Lesnar’s name and his history in the industry, however, made this unnecessary. What fans received was a nearly 9-minute beatdown that saw Lesnar completely destroy Cena, who was only able to muster a few moves in response. Shocking and pointless.
John Cena’s retirement tour delivered moments of spectacular highs and memorable moments of historic achievement, but it was not without criticism. Some frustrating storylines and questionable creative decisions ultimately left fans with a sense of disappointment about what could have been.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on John Cena and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and Peacock (WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed).
