RVD recalls ‘bittersweet’ moment of not wrestling John Cena in his WWE retirement tour
After a decades-long career, John Cena finally hung up his boots last year at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther. While Cena faced multiple opponents throughout his retirement tour, Rob Van Dam (RVD) remained missing.
Despite not wrestling Cena, RVD appeared on Saturday Night’s Main Event to watch Cena wrestle one last time. Recently speaking to Denise Salcedo, RVD revealed his thoughts on not being able to wrestle Cena one last time.
While a bout between the two was rumored to happen, an injury to RVD scrapped the match. “Yeah. So, bittersweet, but it was cool being there, though, and getting, of course, the loudest reaction of the whole night,” RVD said.
While Cena has retired from in-ring competition, the 55-year-old RVD remains active in the ring and last competed in April 2026 for JCW Strangle-Mania: Viva Las Violence.
Throughout his retirement tour last year, Cena faced off against several of his WWE career’s iconic rivals, including Randy Orton, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, and others.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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