December 13, 2025. My birthday. Over thirty trips around the Sun. Among my celebrations, a couple of important moments are set to take place on this chilly Saturday. Legendary actor Dick Van Dyke will turn 100 years old. But for the full context of this article of appreciation, it also marks the retirement of WWE wrestler John Cena.
A career stretching back to May 1999, Cena has spent many of his decades within all four sides of the squared circle. Prototype, Doctor of Thuganomics, and the Face Who Runs the Place. He’s accrued several championships, reached incredible milestones, and created so many memories among fans. He was the face of the company, amid cheers at his most popular and boos at his least popular.
But his contributions extend beyond wrestling. Philanthropy, advertising, and cinema have all featured his charisma and persona. Due to this, his time in wrestling had long begun to wane, so the twilight of his career was inevitable. It happens to every wrestler, and it is bittersweet every time.
I’d like to take this opportunity to paint the picture of just how much I’ve appreciated his time in wrestling.
Hustle in Wrestling
Speak to any wrestling fan, and chances are they’ll spin a yarn about what era of John Cena they’d look on fondly. The reinvention from Prototype to Doctor of Thuganomics, complete with matches against Eddie Guerrero, JBL, and Big Show, is one example.
Those who grew up seeing him as a superhero during the PG Era may likely remember him showered in boos. His subsequent open challenges as the United States Champion in the late 2010s regained respect from the fans as he displayed variety in his moves as well as an improved work rate.
Regardless of where he was placed, Cena understood the assignment as a performer. Even if his booking would be obviously poorly received, the purveyor of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect put on his best efforts.
No matter how asinine or silly, he’d find a way for things to work, or as close as he could. Of course, seeing a wellspring of motivation in his late career stage, thanks to opponents like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and AJ Styles, changed the average pro wrestling fan’s perception of him.
When it comes to other industry standards, such as Ricky Steamboat, Hiroshi Tanahashi, or Bret Hart, Cena didn’t have the exact precise prowess. But he knew how to make matches entertaining enough to make up for it. At the core of things, he leveraged that with his charisma to be a great wrestler in his own right, on his own level.
Loyalty to Philanthropy
One other area John Cena will always be known for is his commitment to philanthropy. Most notably, his Make-A-Wish appearances. Since 2002, he’s granted over 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses. He’s also gone on to speak up against bullying, cancer, and bigotry (Remember the 2016 “Love Has No Labels” campaign?). After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Cena contributed $1 million to Black Lives Matter.
I don’t mean to sound like I’m propping up John Cena as the pinnacle of what it means to be a good person. Just because someone contributes heavily to charity and speaks on important issues, advocating for positive change, doesn’t necessarily represent who someone is as a person, particularly in the intimate moments in their life.
But I hold wealthy members of our society to standards like Dolly Parton, Keanu Reeves, and Cena for spreading the wealth. I hold them to standards I grew up admiring in outlaw country stars like Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson or progressive authors like Ursula K. LeGuin and Margaret Atwood. I love seeing people use their voice and power to improve the world we live in.
Donations and contributions from millionaires like Cena are what fellow millionaires and, most importantly, billionaires should aspire to be. Whether it’s anti-bullying or cancer research, the loads of cash Cena provided in his career have been a great way to give back to communities.
Considering that many members of such sections of society have been fans of his, that connection has strengthened. Considering he’s become a successful film actor, I don’t see this side of Cena subsiding any time soon.
Respect for the Business
On December 13, 2025, John Cena will go out facing a talent fresher in WWE than he is: Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. At this same event, he reportedly advocated for NXT wrestlers to compete, an act that will leave those talents’ resumes, per a Raw Recap video on YouTube.
In the twilight of his career, Cena made it a point to make younger stars relevant. Whether it was LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, or Dominik Mysterio, he used his remaining years to let other people shine. Considering that previous wrestling generations were not so generous, Cena broke the cycle to be that figure to keep the business that built him.
WWE isn’t where the love for the pro wrestling industry ends. On Instagram, his normally cryptic posts often reference talent that paid tribute to him, such as former rival Adam Copeland (formerly known as Edge), Samoa Joe, Claudio Castagnoli, and more. He’s also gone so far as to praise the competition that AEW brings to strengthen the business. To date, he hasn’t so much as criticized AEW.
It’s clear Cena cares deeply for professional wrestling and will continue to do so when his time is up.
What John Cena Means to Me
My heart hangs heavy knowing that Cena finally hangs up his Reebok Pumps after Saturday Night’s Main Event. (Get it? Because he doesn’t wear wrestling boots.) I’ll never forget that VHS recording of WrestleMania XX, when I first paid attention to him. Memories of those days in junior high and high school, referencing his latest promos with friends in my class, still come clear as day.
What makes any retirement bittersweet in pro wrestling is what comes after. Throughout our lives, we watch behind an invisible veil, cheering and booing fictional personas of real people who grow up and age with us. They become a part of our daily lives, a topic of weekly discussion, and then we see them less and less.
Their matches are slower, more considerate. The time to say goodbye comes, and it stings the hardest. It’s just as hard for wrestlers to let go, too. Why else do some of them come back? But life moves on, the wheels keep on spinning.
So, thank you, John Cena. Thank you for being the role model you’ve been, having patience, and giving people something to hope for. The rest of your career will be filled with compelling roles in film and television.
You’ll always be there in the littlest of things, tributes, moves, and the cycle you’ve been a part of: helping all the tomorrows. Professional wrestling is prospering again, and you’ve got a safety net to fall back on. Enjoy your retirement, and know you’ll never be forgotten.
We will always remember when the champ was here.
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