John Cena: Final WWE date won’t be ‘just a show about me’
John Cena doesn’t want to be the sole focus of his final WWE appearances.
Ahead of his last-ever Raw tonight, Cena stopped by ESPN’s First Take to promote the episode and look ahead to his two other remaining WWE dates. Cena reiterated that handpicking his last opponent was not something he wanted to do. Cena loves that WWE is giving people a chance to earn that spot with its “The Last Time is Now” tournament.
“Everyone is like, ‘Who does John Cena want to face?’ And the way I got my start in WWE was through random opportunity. I got my first match because The Undertaker was sick, so I love the theory of opportunity. And I believe in the meritocracy of the WWE,” Cena said. “So I don’t want to face anyone, I don’t want to handpick anyone. I want people to have to get a chance to showcase their skills and earn the right for opportunity. So we’re doing this with ‘The [Last] Time is Now’ tournament, where it’s a bunch of the top superstars and some random entrants — even some against-all-odds opponents have a chance to see if they can make it to get a chance to see if they can retire John Cena, which is a really special thing.”
After tonight’s Raw at Madison Square Garden, Cena will compete at Survivor Series on November 29 and Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. Some NXT wrestlers will get a chance to compete on SNME, with Cena coming up with the idea for the undercard to feature main roster vs. NXT exhibition bouts. Cena told First Take that he wants to use the extra attention his last match will get to shine some spotlight on WWE’s up-and-coming talent.
“And on the actual retirement night, December 13 in [Washington] D.C., it isn’t just a show about me,” Cena said. “I’m using the time that eyeballs are on the show to give some of the NXT Superstars a showcase. I basically want this tour to be about opportunity for the future and paving the way for the future, because that’s what the class before me did for me.”
Gunther — considered the favorite to be Cena’s last opponent — has a first-round match on tonight’s Raw against Je’Von Evans. An appearance by Cena will kick off the episode. Here is the full announced lineup:
WWE Raw (Monday, November 17) —
- Intercontinental Champion John Cena kicks off the show and will be in action
- Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Maxxine Dupri
- The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Solo Sikoa vs. mystery opponent
- The Last Time is Now tournament first round: Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans
- Nikki Bella explains her actions from last week
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.