John Cena hopes he set good example for ‘political behavior’ in WWE
John Cena hopes part of his legacy is making WWE a place where backstage politics have been greatly reduced.
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Cena discussed his upcoming retirement and said that, while WWE is not the most important thing in his life anymore, it’s still something he’s very passionate about. He’ll always be around the industry even after his in-ring career ends. He hopes that he set a good example for the younger generation, and he believes that he may have contributed to making the WWE locker room a much less political place. Cena does not see the same level of politicking against each other that once existed.
“If my partner and I say, ‘Hey, you have an off day. What would you like to do?’ I’d like to go watch younger talent perform and critique them. That’s what I enjoy doing on my time off,” Cena said. “So I’ll always be around it. But, man, like, how much more do I want? There’s always another crowd to perform in front of, but like, gosh, maybe if my actions set an example for this class. Hopefully my actions about political behavior over the course of 23 years have set an example. I can tell you, in my perspective alone, I don’t know if this is truth, but from my perspective, there is a lot less political activity now, 2025, than when I started in 2002.
“So I can’t say it’s done, but I can say it’s greatly minimized. And if that’s because of me, great. If it’s not, great, because that’s what I wanted in the first place.”
Cena is set to have his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. His opponent will either be Gunther or LA Knight, with those two facing off in the Last Time is Now tournament finals on SmackDown this week to determine Cena’s final opponent.
The undercard for the SNME special will include exhibition matches and NXT talent, which was an idea Cena came up with to help put a spotlight on the future of WWE.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.