UFC Hall of Famer Says John Cena’s Retirement was ‘Awful’

Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sonnen launched a multifaceted attack on the retirement match’s finale, directing his disappointment at both Cena and WWE’s creative decision-making. 

Watch the full episode here:

Sonnen's Issue With Cena's Retirement

His comments focused on the advice Cena received, bluntly stating, “Whoever talked [John Cena] into this in the back is not his friend... It was awful.” 

Sonnen argued the submission loss was fundamentally at odds with the “Never Give Up” ethos that defined Cena’s public persona for over two decades.

Sonnen then escalated his criticism by questioning Cena’s authentic understanding of combat, drawing a sharp line between sports entertainment and the stakes of mixed martial arts. 

“John Cena is not a legit badass, not in the slightest... I don’t believe in my heart that John Cena understands what it means to tap and to pass out,” he declared. “The little pr— tried to do it with a smile on his face, as a way of going into business for himself. It’s over. You tapped out.”

He further dissected the match’s climactic sequence through the lens of a former MMA fighter, challenging the storytelling logic, saying, “They not only got him to tap and quit, he then fell asleep. Now he fell asleep as a way of saying I hung in there to the bitter end. It's just from a physiological standpoint, not possible.”

Future of WWE

The controversial finish has dominated post-event discourse. While the arena crowd reacted with initial shock and later booed WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Cena himself has remained virtually silent. 

His only communication since the match has been Instagram posts, one of which was a picture that featured his shoes left in the ring:

Cena may view his loss as a deliberate passing of the torch, willingly putting over Gunther and WWE’s future. 

Despite Sonnen’s disapproval, this intentional, polarizing end may be the fitting final chapter Cena intended for his storied career.