Five things that will 'definitely' happen in John Cena's retirement tour as WWE bids farewell
The final time is now. John Cena embarks on his WWE farewell tour, kicking off with an appearance on the stacked debut episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
Back in July, Cena made a surprise appearance at the Money in the Bank event, confirming his retirement from the ring in 2025.
Firmly in the conversation for the greatest wrestler of all-time, Cena's involvement in WWE in recent years has been less frequent due to his incredible success in Hollywood but his return will see him do a full year back with the company.
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The full year-long tear will see Cena perform worldwide and there is plenty of intrigue as to how the final stretch of his decorated WWE career will play out - with the 47-year-old set to make an announcement at the Intuit Dome on Monday Night.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated about Cena's retirement, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque said: "I just want it to be great for John [Cena]. I want it to be great for fans, but first and foremost, I want John, when he gets to the end of this one-year run to say, 'That was the perfect out. That was the perfect last run. I did all the things I wanted to do. I performed the way I wanted to perform. I did all that stuff.'
"When he gets to the end, he feels fulfilled and satisfied with it. He's earned that as much or maybe even more than anybody else. I think on Monday Night [RAW], he's going to give a lot of clarity into what that year would be like for him."
But with an endless list of possibilities, here are five predictions for Cena's last run.
Royal Rumble final four
The Royal Rumble is around the corner and expect Cena to confirm his participation very soon. He has won the match on two occasions before - in 2008 and 2013 - and he will surely be one of the favourites to make it a hat-trick in Indianapolis on February 1.
The roster is stacked but Cena is a shoo-in to be in the final four at the very end and you just know that fans would lap up another Royal Rumble triumph for 'Big Match John'.
Final bouts with Randy Orton, CM Punk and AJ Styles
Every man and his dog will be hoping to share the ring with Cena before he calls it a day. There will likely be plenty of first-time matches in Cena's send-off but it makes complete sense for him to renew some old rivalries.
Randy Orton has so much history with Cena and their careers are almost intertwined, while CM Punk and AJ Styles are two of his best ever opponents. Showdowns with all the three should be on the agenda.
Breaking Ric Flair's record
Cena tied Ric Flair's record of 16 world titles back in 2017 at the Royal Rumble and fans are longing for him to recapture the big one and become a 17-time champion. It won't be easy given the current world and WWE title holders are Gunther and Cody Rhodes but a retirement tour won't be complete unless Cena is able to surpass Flair and create history.
Grand Slam champion
Cena has done absolutely everything in WWE but there is one accomplishment that has escaped him. Cena has never won the Intercontinental Championship and winning that iconic belt would see him join the esteemed and exclusive list of superstars who have become Grand Slam champions.
Should he win, expect Cena to bring back his open challenges and mix it up with some of the best in the business as he did before with the United States strap.
Retired by Bron Breakker
Kurt Angle wanted John Cena for his final ever WWE match at WrestleMania but ended up being beaten by Baron Corbin and the whole thing ended up being a tad underwhelming.
Here, WWE have a chance to give a superstar the ultimate rub by having them beat Cena and send him into retirement. Bron Breakker is one of the fastest-rising stars in WWE at present and he should be the one to stick the final nail in Cena's coffin, forcing him to leave his sweatbands in the ring and ride off into the sunset until he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Josh Lawless