{"id":143357,"date":"2025-10-07T11:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=143357"},"modified":"2025-10-06T22:04:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T02:04:25","slug":"wwe-derailed-john-cenas-retirement-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/10\/07\/wwe-derailed-john-cenas-retirement-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Derailed John Cena&#8217;s Retirement Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/07\/07\/john-cena-announces-retirement-wwe-farewell-tour-for-2025\/\" target=\"_self\">announced at WWE Money in the Bank 2024<\/a> that he would retire from in-ring competition in 2025. His retirement tour commenced with an appearance on the January 6, 2025, episode of Raw, which also marked the show&#8217;s debut on Netflix. While fans were elated and anticipated a memorable final run, WWE&#8217;s creative decisions have arguably derailed the farewell tour of one of the greatest wrestlers in the company\u2019s history. This article examines how Triple H and his creative team have mishandled John Cena\u2019s retirement tour.<\/p>\n<h2>Brock Lesnar\u2019s Match with John Cena at Wrestlepalooza and the Loss<\/h2>\n<p>John Cena has suffered numerous losses throughout his two-decade career. His first defeat in 2025 came at the hands of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/02\/01\/wwe-royal-rumble-2025-jey-uso\" target=\"_self\">Jey Uso, who won the Men\u2019s Royal Rumble match<\/a>, with Cena finishing as the runner-up. Despite the loss, fans remained supportive.<\/p>\n<p>Cena turned heel for the first time in 21 years at Elimination Chamber 2025, defeating Cody Rhodes to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. However, he lost the title back to Rhodes at SummerSlam 2025, and the aftermath took a brutal turn. Brock Lesnar returned and delivered an F-5 to Cena, leaving fans puzzled.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar then challenged Cena to a match at Wrestlepalooza, where Lesnar emerged victorious. This match seemed to lack purpose, and fans did not appreciate the outcome. While it\u2019s understandable that The Beast Incarnate has been a significant part of Cena\u2019s career, his return and victory left a sour taste in fans\u2019 mouths. Many criticized WWE\u2019s creative team, arguing that the Cenation Leader did not deserve an irrelevant loss during his final run with the company.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Speechless. \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n<p>Brock Lesnar annihilates John Cena at <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Wrestlepalooza?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Wrestlepalooza<\/a>! <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@espn<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SU1khfUFQS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/SU1khfUFQS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1969545360121929783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Crown Jewel Perth Match with AJ Styles Without Any Build-Up<\/h2>\n<p>AJ Styles and John Cena share a storied rivalry, dating back to Styles\u2019 WWE debut in 2016. Their four singles matches have been evenly split, with Styles winning in 2016 and Cena securing victories in 2017 and 2018. Recently, Cena expressed a desire on social media to face The Phenomenal One at the Crown Jewel Perth Premium Live Event. Styles accepted the challenge, and the match was made official. However, there has been no significant build-up for this upcoming match since the announcement.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s Raw, the final episode before the Premium Live Event, does not feature Cena, and there\u2019s little chance that the former WWE Champion, AJ Styles, will cut a promo to hype the match. This raises the question: if WWE wasn\u2019t planning to build this match properly, why not cancel it and have Cena make a final appearance in Australia without a match? That approach might have been a more fitting tribute.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I hear them loud and clear. Let&#39;s do it, I&#39;m ready! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8U1VxaHn3R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/8U1VxaHn3R<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJStylesOrg\/status\/1970511231904829785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>John Cena\u2019s Limited Dates During the Retirement Tour<\/h2>\n<p>As John Cena\u2019s retirement tour nears its end, he has been balancing his Hollywood commitments with WWE appearances. After this weekend\u2019s Crown Jewel Perth event, the Cenation Leader will have just four dates remaining out of his 36 promised appearances. This limited schedule raises concerns about whether WWE has squandered Cena\u2019s retirement tour or if the company <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/30\/the-perfect-ending-fantasy-booking-the-final-wwe-dates-of-john-cena\/\" target=\"_self\">can still deliver something<\/a> meaningful before the 17-time World Champion concludes his illustrious career.<\/p>\n<p>It appears the damage may already be done, with little room for WWE to rectify the situation. Cena\u2019s commitments to the entertainment industry prevent him from amending his schedule, as he must balance his Hollywood obligations with his in-ring performances.<\/p>\n<p>WWE, Triple H, The Rock, and other major stakeholders failed to provide Cena an opportunity to capture the Intercontinental Championship\u2014a title that has eluded him throughout his career. Even if Cena were to win the title in his final match, it would feel futile. Dominik Mysterio has excelled as the current champion, and having him lose the title to a retiring legend would diminish his reign. Moreover, Cena would likely have to relinquish the title immediately, reminiscent of CM Punk\u2019s controversial departure during his first WWE run.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> 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 major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix<\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CW<\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tubi<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A&amp;E<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Cena announced at WWE Money in the Bank 2024 that he would retire from in-ring competition in 2025. His retirement tour commenced with an appearance on the January 6, 2025, episode of Raw, which also marked the show&#8217;s debut on Netflix. While fans were elated and anticipated a memorable final run, WWE&#8217;s creative decisions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5578,"featured_media":143416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4,3],"tags":[165,9001],"class_list":["post-143357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-john-cena","tag-john-cena-retirement"],"modified_by":"Laci Schlatz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143357"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143417,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143357\/revisions\/143417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}