There’s a lot of hypes regarding the final match of John Cena in the WWE, tentatively scheduled in December of 2025. While no details regarding that match are out, rumors affirm that WWE will use that match as the headliner of the final Saturday Night’s Main Event quarterly special of this year. Additional reports are also out claiming that WWE also wants to go head-to-head with AEW in this outing.
WWE counter-programming AEW events isn’t a new tradition, as they often put SNME or NXT premium live events against AEW’s weekend pay-per-view show. In the latest, John Cena’s retirement tour will also be included in this scheduling for the veteran’s final match. While WWE hasn’t locked down the date for his final match, the counter-programming strategy to AEW might change that show.
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While speaking on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that WWE is considering changing the date of John Cena’s final match. The initially set date of December 13 could thus be shifted to December 27, the same day as AEW World’s End PPV show that’s already been confirmed.
Alvarez explained in his report that the original plan was for the match to happen in early December at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but there is now a discussion about moving the match, with the idea being pitched that WWE will run the match head-to-head with AEW World’s End,
“So, it will be head-to-head with AEW World’s End. And we did talk about how there was going to be one more of these before the year was out. And I think they’re going to try and put the final John Cena match on Saturday Night’s Main Event in Boston, head-to-head with World’s End. So, we’ll see if that ends up happening.”
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This comes as aftermath of the news that WWE is also willing to utilize Brock Lesnar’s return and give AEW a tough competition by scheduling a main roster premium live event on the same day as AEW All Out in September. The Beast is reportedly being roped in for the main event bout of that night, with John Cena speculated to be his opponent.
John Cena commented on his final opponent in WWE
Reports have already noted that WWE has yet to finalize John Cena’s retirement tour. We’ll have to see if WWE decides to pit his final match against AEW in the end, but there’s still no update on the opponent that he would face in that match. Speaking to the Boston Herald, the 17-time world champion noted that never in his career had he decided his opponent in a WWE ring, and that’d be the same case in his final bout, as well.
“I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and I’ve never once chosen my opponent,” John Cena told the outlet. “I’ve always lived by the philosophy that life will give you opportunities every single day, and you have to do the best you can every single day with what life gives you. So whoever challenges me for that last match, I’m going to give it my best shot.”