Saturday Night’s Main Event is ever so close as all eyes are on the headliner, bidding farewell to a legend of WWE.
John Cena competes for the final time in his career in what can only be predicted as an action-packed wrestling match.
Gunther has the pleasure of being Cena’s final opponent after winning the Last Time Is Now tournament, hoping to break fans’ hearts with a destructive performance.
Here is the 48-year-old’s journey of 2025, earning title triumphs, taking on familiar foes and producing historic moments.
Earning a world title opportunity with a twist
With the Royal Rumble on the horizon and the winner competing for a world championship in the main event of WrestleMania, only one man was in full focus to be the favourite.
Cena was determined to break the record for most world title victories in WWE, and the Royal Rumble was a simple path to that success.
The two-time rumble winner entered at #23 and during his time in the ring, managed to eliminate Braun Strowman, Finn Balor and Logan Paul.
The West Newbury-born superstar was in the final two and was surprisingly eliminated by Jey Uso.
Cena’s next task for a world title opportunity was to enter the Eliminator Chamber as he faced Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Paul, Seth Rollins and CM Punk.
The Massachusetts wrestler survived and won the match, thanks to the aid of Rollins, as he last eliminated Punk by technical submission.
While it did shock spectators, once The Rock, Travis Scott, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes were in the ring, the real gob-smacking moment happened.
After an insult from Rhodes to The Rock, Cena hugged the champion before delivering a low blow, turning heel most unexpectedly.
Becoming a 17-time world champion and ending rivalries
At Night Two of the grandest stage of them all, Cena challenged Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE title in the main event.
With the aid of Scott, plus a low blow and the championship, the G.O.A.T made history and started his devilish title reign.
The first defence came against old foe Randy Orton at WWE Backlash, where once again Cena used similar tricks to earn the win, this time with the accidental aid of R-Truth.
Then, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, the Undisputed WWE Champion competed against R-Truth, winning by pinfall after a low blow and an Attitude Adjustment.
After losing a tag team match with Paul against Rhodes and Uso, Cena faced another familiar rival, CM Punk.
This battle would be for the championship, which Cena won, thanks to the aid of The Vision at Night of Champions.
Eventually, the rematch with Rhodes took place in a Street Fight on Night Two of SummerSlam, as the 48-year-old reverted to a face.
In what was rated a five-star match by Dave Meltzer, Cena was pinned by Rhodes, and his title run came to an end.
The final run against rising stars and veterans
After his Undisputed WWE title loss, Cena continued to perform as much as he could with the remaining dates left on his retirement tour.
At Clash in Paris, Cena finally went one-on-one with Paul and defeated the infamous internet influencer.
The West Newbury superstar challenged Sami Zayn’s US title on an episode of SmackDown, but this ended in a no-contest due to an attack from Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar had returned at SummerSlam, attacking Cena in the aftermath of the title match as both men competed against each other at Wrestlepalooza, with the former UFC Champion winning the war.
At Crown Jewel, Cena went head-to-head with another wrestler coming to the end of his career, AJ Styles, as the 17-time world champion was victorious.
Cena made his last appearance on Monday Night Raw, while competing against Dominick Mysterio for the Intercontinental title.
The well-known actor defeated the son of Rey Mysterio to win his first Intercontinental Championship, as well as becoming a Triple Crown and a Grand Slam Champion in the process.
However, in his last PLE at Survivor Series: War Games, Cena lost the rematch and the belt to Mysterio, thanks to the help of a returning Liv Morgan.
Fans will be both excited and emotional for Cena’s final performance in a WWE ring, as the farewell bow will soon commence.
Gunther has become one of the biggest breakout stars in the company, and a win at Saturday Night’s Main Event could be his biggest.
‘The Ring General’ has constantly performed in high-quality matches, just like his prestigious opponent.
Regardless of the result, it’s likely that Cena will keep his head held high and be thankful for the continuing support of the WWE Universe.
