John Cena shocked the wrestling world when he announced at Money in the Bank that 2025 would be his final year as a WWE competitor.
For all intents and purposes, the 47-year-old has been a part-time talent for the past few years. He’s only had a handful of fights, but he’s set an impressive record of winning at least one fight every year since 2000.
But putting a definitive end date on his ring career changes that. We now know we only have until the end of next year to see him fight.
Of course, that will only happen if he manages to stay retired. We all know that the urge to perform has hit many talents long after they’ve declared their retirement, so Cena could always come back in a few years for a one-off match.
For now, we’re assuming the veteran’s time in the ring is limited, meaning he has little opportunity to work with younger talent or revisit old feuds.
Let’s take a look at the seven superstars Cena faces on his farewell tour to end his career.
For most of the 2000s and 2010s, Cena and Randy Orton were two sides of the same coin. They were bitter rivals who entered the business around the same time and found more success than either could have imagined.
They have faced each other dozens of times on television and pay-per-view, and hundreds of times at live events. While this list may be incomplete, Cagematch lists over 300 matches involving the two men since their first meeting in OVW in 2001.
The phrase “iron sharpens iron” comes to mind when thinking of these two. With a combined 30 world titles and dozens of PPV main events under their belts, they are two of the most accomplished and decorated champions in WWE history.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost a decade since their last major singles match at Hell in a Cell in 2014. Aside from a few live events, the only other times they’ve worked together were in tag team situations and at the 2018 Royal Rumble.
If anyone in WWE should face Cena one more time, it’s The Viper. They started their careers at the same time and have risen through the ranks together, so it’s only fitting that Orton is one of his final opponents.
In fact, this would be the best option for Cena’s final match in 2025.
At a time when Cena was being booed in most arenas by fans who were tired of his unbeatable babyface persona, CM Punk represented the exact opposite and gave the crowds someone to root for.
Cena was the face of the company in many ways. He appeared in commercials, gave regular mainstream interviews, and represented WWE as a movie star in the making. He was the golden boy who had it all.
Punk, on the other hand, was the independent darling who wasn’t expected to make it in the PG world of WWE. He spoke his mind, refused to tone down his personality to make others comfortable, and he often delivered memorable promos and matches that pushed the company’s boundaries.
These two are responsible for some memorable moments, but none stand out as much as Money in the Bank 2011 when Punk defeated Cena and walked out through the Chicago crowd as the new WWE Champion.
Seeing them engage in another war of words and a possible match would make a lot of fans happy and give both men a chance to relive one of the best feuds they’ve ever had.
The last time Cody Rhodes and Cena faced off was in a United States Title match on the April 6, 2015 episode of Raw. To say they were on different levels back then would be an understatement.
Cena was an all-around top star while Rhodes was a mid-level player struggling to find his true voice in the business.
Ten years later, Rhodes now fills Cena’s shoes as the flag-waving babyface who represents everything that is good in the company.
Allowing Cena to pass the torch to Rhodes and place him on top would do almost more to solidify The American Nightmare’s position at the top of the mountain than winning the WWE title. It would be a rivalry built on respect, not animosity.
The Rock and Cena have only had two chances to face each other.
The Great One claimed victory at WrestleMania 28, and The Cenation Leader evened the score the following year at WrestleMania 29.
Giving these two industry titans an extra match to decide between the two opponents seems like an opportunity WWE can’t pass up.
Even though neither competitor is a young player yet, both still have the athleticism to put on a solid game, so management should do everything they can to make that happen.
Remember how big the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan fight was at WrestleMania 18? Cena vs. Rock for the last time could be close to reaching that level of hype if we know it’s definitely the last time.
The Final Boss would be a fantastic counterbalance to Cena if WWE could find a way to make the storyline work without affecting plans already in place.
Of all the people who have become famous since Cena became a part-time actor, few deserve the spotlight as much as Gunther.
The longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time is one of the most dominant forces to emerge in years, but one thing he’s never done is fight the veteran.
We all know that WWE loves to pit an American hero against a foreign heel. It’s a tired cliché, but the good news is that The Ring General has done such a good job establishing his character that he doesn’t need to rely on anti-American rhetoric to draw fire.
The Austrian has made no secret of the fact that he hated the kind of wrestling WWE was known for back when Cena was a star. Giving him a chance to wrestle the guy who led the charge back then would make for a great story.
AJ Styles may not have arrived in WWE until Cena had already been the face of the company for over a decade, but he quickly established himself as one of Cena’s top rivals.
The Phenomenal One has faced the 16-time world champion on numerous occasions, but their three biggest singles matches came at MITB 2016, SummerSlam 2016, and the Royal Rumble 2017.
Styles won the first two and Cena the third. Their last encounter took place on a 2018 episode of SmackDown, giving the Cenation Leader another victory in their rivalry.
Aside from a dismal match in 2023 when they were on the same team, it’s been over six years since they last stepped into the ring together.
It would be a shame if we didn’t have an additional meeting.
One of the things Cena needs to do in his final season is put himself in front of a young star. If he spends his final year only facing old rivals, it will be a waste.
Looking at the current landscape of NXT, one man stands out as a potential WWE star: Oba Femi.
The NXT North American Champion is one of those talents with near-superhuman strength and athleticism. Anyone who regularly watches the golden champion knows just how special he is.
WWE could even mimic how Cena debuted in order to bring Femi to the main roster. The former world champion could take nostalgia for his debut against Kurt Angle and offer an open challenge to anyone in NXT who wants to progress like he once did.
Femi arrives, a man more physically imposing than anyone Cena has faced in years. It would be an easy way to draw instant attention to the powerful 26-year-old fighter.
The seven names mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg. Who would you like to see Cena face in his final year as an in-ring competitor?