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John Cena captured his 17th WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 WWE.com

John Cena Reveals The Powerful Role Fans Will Play In The Final Six Months Of His Retirement Tour

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Joe Baiamonte | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 2:29 PM ET

The divisive nature of John Cena's heel turn may have shifted over the past week with his 'Pipebomb' promo towards CM Punk. And the WWE Champion has explained how the fans who have voiced their opinions on his retirement tour so far will be the ones who dictate how the remaining six months of his in-ring career unfold.

Since turning heel in one of the most white hot angles of all time at Elimination Chamber earlier this year, Cena has received raucous receptions in every arena and stadium he has performed in. But some of his promos and ring work have been criticized by fans, particularly online.

Cena's current rivalry with Punk seems to have turned more fans onto his heel turn, with his very own pipebomb being hailed as some of his career's finest work. Now, at the halfway point of his final stretch, and with a huge WWE Title defense against Punk coming this weekend at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, Cena discussed his retirement tour so far and what else is to come between now and December.

Speaking to Collider, Cena said, “I don't want to spoil any of the stuff for the final year, but I think your question is great. I've been in a lot of avenues of entertainment. I've read the morning news, I’ve hosted award shows, I've had slime poured all over me. I've done episodic television. I've been able to be on screen. I've been able to be on your phone, and I've been in arena life.

"There is no more adaptable form of storytelling than WWE. WWE can change a story as it happens live. You're seeing, so far over the farewell tour dates, the 18 of 36 so far, we've made a ton of pivots, a ton of pivots right there in the moment.”

The 17-time World Champion then explained how the remainder of his run would be dictated by the audience.

“As we get close to the end of this thing, what dictates those pivots is the audience, and I think the audience will begin to feel differently, because now we are truly coming to the end. So, if you ever had a voice to use, if you ever wanted to say something, I hate to steal my own cliché, but the time is now.

"I look forward to the road ahead because the audience is going to dictate the direction we go. I think it's a wonderful time to be a fan. I think a lot of different talent are being able to capitalize on all we're doing, and I applaud the WWE for always being able to think extended but pivot on a dime in a moment, as it happens. I think that's their strongest suit.”

Cena has so far defeated Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and R-Truth (now going by Ron Killings) since turning heel. Should he add Punk to that list at Night of Champions, a rematch with either Rhodes or Orton for the WWE Title would be on the cards at SummerSlam, as the former Legacy members will face off in the King Of The Ring final at this weekend's Premium Live Event. The winner will receive a shot at the WWE Title at Metlife Stadium during the first weekend of August.

At Fanatics Fest in New York, recently, Cena teased that WWE were "cooking up something special" with regards to his programme with Punk. Whether the rivalry ends up running beyond this weekend remains to be seen, but as we enter the business end of Cena's last dance, the air of unpredictability surrounding events has certainly jumped up several notches.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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