John Cena Comments on His Decision for NXT Showcase at Final Match: 'I Want People to be Able to Look Forward to What’s Next'

In his final match, John Cena is delivering on his promise to leave the business better than he found it.

On November 10, it was announced that at Saturday Night’s Main Event, the John Cena final match (which will be determined through the Last Time is Now Tournament which features Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and TNA wrestlers) will be preceded not by a John Cena tribute show, but rather by a two-hour or so showcase of NXT talent facing off against established main roster stars. As Cena noted on the Raw Recap on Tuesday morning, that was at his request.

“I really want to take my hats off to Triple H. I called him up, I said I got an idea. We got to do two hours for the tribute show. And if you do a whole John Cena Tribute, two things are going to happen. You’re either going to do too much or too little. You’re never going to please everybody. I would like to propose that we have big name WWE superstars fighting exhibition matches versus the brightest in NXT. So that way, we have a sold-out building. Hopefully, the world’s watching on Saturday Night’s Main Event. I get to wrestle one final time. But in doing that, everyone also gets to look at what to look forward to. I think that’s the most important thing. It’s my last match, but collectively, we’re all just kind of closing a chapter of an era in sports entertainment. And I want people to be able to look forward to what’s next.”

Prior to his final match, John Cena has been spotted at the Performance Center recently and took to X after his visits to praise the future of the business saying, “Thank you to everyone at the WWE PC for allowing me to learn from our incredibly gifted future. Staying curious and open minded is a gateway for new knowledge and ideas. Any time I get to spend with the present and future of the business I love challenges the way I see it and I always leave with new perspectives. I can’t express how meaningful these visits are for me. Truly grateful.”

Years ago, John Cena answered Kurt Angle’s open challenge and began a 23-year career of excellence personified. On December 13, NXT wrestlers will have the chance to answer the call in much the same way as the next chapter in WWE’s history is about to be written.