It’s official. The day we all knew was coming but chose to ignore is finally upon us. John Cena, the face that ran the place for what feels like an eternity, is hanging up his jorts. WWE has formally announced the date and venue for his final match, but the real story isn’t the who, where, or when—it’s the how much. If you were hoping to witness the end of an era, you might need to sell a kidney. Or two.
WWE, in its infinite wisdom, has unveiled the ticket prices for this “momentous occasion,” and they are nothing short of breathtaking. It’s almost as if they know fans would pay anything to see Cena one last time. Oh, wait. They do. The grand spectacle is set for Saturday, December 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., under the banner of a special ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’.
Let’s get down to the brass tacks, shall we? If you want to be close enough to see the sweat fly from Cena’s brow as he delivers one last Attitude Adjustment, you’d better have a trust fund. First-row ringside seats are going for a cool $11,500. Per ticket. That’s not a typo. For the price of a decent used car, you can sit front and center to watch a man who built his career on “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” say his final goodbyes.
Think that’s outrageous? It gets better. Second-row seats on the ramp side are a “bargain” at $9,500. Feel like saving a few bucks? Grab a fifth-row seat for a mere $6,500. For the rest of us peasants, standard seats will range from $250 to $3,000. So, even the “cheap” seats will cost you a small fortune. It seems the demand to see John Cena for the last time is, to put it mildly, astronomical. WWE is cashing in on our nostalgia, and they’re not even being subtle about it.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE‘s Chief Content Officer and the man with the sledgehammer, had some predictably glowing words for Cena in a press release. “John’s contributions to WWE are immeasurable,” Levesque stated. “There are no words that can truly relay how much he means to this business.” He’s not wrong. Cena carried the company on his back for over a decade, became a 17-time world champion, and is arguably one of the greatest of all time. Triple H promised an “unforgettable send-off,” and with these prices, it’s already unforgettable for our bank accounts.
Before Cena takes his final bow in D.C., he has a few more stops on his farewell tour. Fans can catch him at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, on October 11, where he’s set to face his long-time rival, AJ Styles. After that, he’s scheduled for Raw appearances in Boston on November 10 and at the legendary Madison Square Garden the following week. He’ll also be part of the Survivor Series event in San Diego on November 29.
So, you have a few more chances to see him, but the final, definitive match is the one everyone’s eyeing. The one where we all get a little misty-eyed, remembering the Doctor of Thuganomics, the “You Can’t See Me” taunts, and the countless main events. It’s the end of an era, and WWE has priced it accordingly. Start saving your pennies, or maybe just hope for a really good livestream. Because for most of us, seeing John Cena’s last match in person is about as likely as seeing him in the ring.
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