The last time is certainly now. On December 13, 2025, John Cena will wrestle his last match ever in Washington, D.C., as he faces either Gunther or LA Knight. To get full details of John Cena’s retirement plans (with potential spoilers), click here. As part of his good-bye tour, the retiring WWE legend is doing media with late-night talk shows. The Never Seen 17 hit up Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to discuss his final match. During the chat, it was revealed that John Cena turned down WWE’s offer to make a tribute show to him. Find out what he requested instead.
John Cena Turns Down 2-Hour Tribute
It’s almost undeniable that John Cena is the GOAT in WWE. John Cena has faced them all, from Ric Flair to Shawn Michaels to The Rock to CM Punk. His legacy is unmatched.
When impactful sports stars retire, teams will hang their jersey in the arena and retire their number. That’s not possible in WWE. So, WWE offered to make the December 13th Saturday Night’s Main Event into a 2-hour John Cena tribute show.
However, John Cena turned down WWE’s offer, stating,
“So I actually suggested that instead of a tribute, instead of spending the whole show around, ‘This is the past,’ I wanted to have my final match, which I’ll have my chunk of time, and then dedicate the rest of the show to the future.”
It seems like John Cena is doubling down on that notion. After all, John Cena recently appeared on NXT to announce his picks to be in the Iron Survivor Qualifying Matches. However, his torch-passing gesture to NXT didn’t end there.
NXT to Be Involved in Saturday Night’s Main Event
Over the last few months, John Cena has made some visits to the Performance Center. Many NXT stars have shared pics with the retiring Supertar, including Blake Monroe, Nikkita Lyons, and Izzi Dame. He’s also paid it forward by making a stop at Natalya’s Dungeon, even snapping a pic with an AEW star!
John Cena’s trip to NXT wasn’t just to keep up appearances. The Grand Slam Champion doubled down on his stance about paying it forward to the next generation on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
He explained to the host,
“So, if you tune into Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock on the 13th, you will see my final performance. But you’ll also get a look at major WWE Superstars facing future Superstars.
Because the way that I came into the business was…a major a star, a gold medalist was like, ‘Open challenge to anyone.’ And me, no name comes walking out there, and that was the start of this crazy ride.
So, 23years later, I want to return the favor, and you’re going to see some technically ‘minor league players’ step up to the plate.
So, I think that’s kind of cool. Like, on the way out, give most of the programming to the future of the business.”
It’s unknown which NXT Superstars will be on hand to compete during Saturday Night’s Main Event. There are a lot of rumors swirling that Je’Von Evans might be placed in a showcase match. However, no details have been confirmed. One thing that has been confirmed is that John Cena will really retire on December 13, 2025.
John Cena Promises to Retire on December 13, 2025
Never say never in wrestling, but The Never Seen 17 is telling you that you will “never” see him in the ring again. Jimmy Kimmel tried to poke a hole in John Cena’s commitment to retiring. However, John Cena was steadfast in his decision.
The retiring WWE legend confirmed,
John Cena: “23 years of performing in WWE and we’re down to our last gig.
It’s been a crazy year, where I announced this in like 15 months in advance. I’m going to retire.
This has really never been done in WWE history. WWE Superstars don’t necessarily retire. They always kind of hang on for one more match.
I am absolutely 100% done on the 13th of December on Peacock. That will be my last in-ring performance.”
Jimmy Kimmel: “You’ll never wrestle again?”
John Cena: “I will never wrestle again.”
Jimmy Kimmel: “What if you do wrestle again?”
John Cena: “Then you will be able to show this clip and call me a liar. There is a lot of skepticism out there because this has never been done before.
I just hope that people can come to grips with that, because on the 13th…That’s why I wanted to give everyone such lead time. Being able to perform for two decades, allowing me into your living room week after week, no reruns…You really feel a connection.
I wanted to give people a heads up so they can process whatever closure they wanted before the 13th. And if you’re one of those people who are like, ‘You’re never going to retire.’ After the 13th, it’s going to be weird because you don’t have the closure you want.”
John Cena’s final match will take place on December 13, 2025, during Saturday Night’s Main Event on Peacock.