John Cena’s WWE Farewell Tour Was A Perfect Sendoff

The Rock was the catalyst for Cena’s turn, but he hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since the turn. His absence led to confusion, and Cena seemingly floundered to justify the character shift.

Cena’s turn was fun, considering how bad the fans wanted it. Seeing him play the bad guy was entertaining, but with limited dates, it was always going to be short-lived. It was never fully fleshed out, and his eventual face-turn was anticlimactic.

Nostalgia Is A Wonderful Thing

From the moment Cena announced his retirement tour, fans speculated on who he might face as his career winds down. He ultimately shared the ring with some of his greatest opponents.

Randy Orton, CM Punk, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar each had one more match with Cena. He was able to return the “pipe bomb” promo on Punk, return to Suplex City, and get beaten up by Styles one more time.

Cena also shared the ring with R-Truth, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, and Sami Zayn, all of whom he has history with. The former opponents he couldn’t face, he paid homage to in his matches. Bray Wyatt, Edge, The Undertaker, Baron Corbin, and The Miz were all referenced through moves in his final matches.

A Grand Slam Tour

It’s worth taking a moment to look back at Cena’s accomplishments, including his most recent one. Through his 23-year career, the “GOAT” had never won the Intercontinental championship. It was the only main roster title he hadn’t won, and the one last piece to becoming a Grand Slam Champion.

Cena captured the elusive title on November 10th, defeating Dominik Mysterio on an episode of Raw. He finally completed the Grand Slam. He later dropped the title back to Mysterio, putting the young talent over.

Cena’s biggest achievement came at Wrestlemania. Despite the match with Cody Rhodes being a letdown, it resulted in Cena winning his record-breaking 17th World Championship.

Paving The Way For The Future

One thing Cena has emphasized late in his career is the desire to put current talent in the spotlight. During his final run, he faced Dominik Mysterio and not only faced Logan Paul, but teamed with him as well.

Saturday Night’s Main Event was centered around Cena’s retirement, but he pitched something special for the night. He wanted to feature NXT talent on the card leading to his final match.

Je’Von Evans, Oba Femi, Leon Slater, and Sol Ruca were all given prominent positions on the show. It was a great way to showcase the future with millions of eyes waiting for Cena to arrive.

A Perfect End To A Legendary Career

Cena’s final opponent was decided in a tournament leading up to Saturday Night’s Main Event. Former World Heavyweight champion, Gunther, won the tournament.

The entire story going into Saturday was Gunther’s desire to make Cena go against his “Never Give Up” slogan and tap out. The match went over 23 minutes and ended with Gunther keeping his promise.

After fighting to get out of Gunther’s sleeper hold, Cena tapped out with a smile on his face. The decision was met with fan backlash, but it was a terrific way for the legend to go out.

Cena tapping out gives Gunther tremendous heel heat. He’s now the man who retired both Cena and Goldberg in less than a year. Cena’s smile was symbolic of him accepting the end, rather than fighting it.

Many WWE legends hold onto their career for too long. Cena was able to give fans one more entertaining year full of ups and downs before hanging up the sneakers.

End Of My John Cena Rant

Over the past year, Cena has reiterated that he isn’t retiring on his own terms because he wants to do this forever. He’s also reiterated a promise he made to his fans; when he’s lost a step, he’ll walk away.

The face of the WWE was able to end his career by walking away, not being pushed out the door. Cena gave young talent time to shine and revisited old feuds. 

Fans can fantasy book all they want, but Cena has always been a polarizing figure in WWE. It’s only fitting that his retirement tour is met with that same sentiment.