John Cena made an emotional announcement at the WWE Money in the Bank Premium Live Event last year, stating that he would embark on his farewell tour the following year. At the end of December this year, Cena will hang up his boots and retire from in-ring competition. The flag off happened on the debut episode of Monday Night RAW on Netflix and took a drastic turn two months later.
At the WWE Elimination Chamber PLE this year, The Cenation Leader embraced the years of hate and shocked the world by turning heel. Since that night, he has laid out his plans to ruin wrestling and retire as the WWE Champion. With 100 days over since heel Cena emerged, here is a look back at five epic moments from that run so far.
5. The heel Cena gets emotional in a rare moment
John Cena’s first opponent after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 was unveiled to be Randy Orton. The Viper struck on the RAW after Mania to kick off one last feud with his iconic rival. This led to a showdown for the title at the WWE Backlash PLE, taking place in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
The match was a stellar showdown and ended with Cena retaining the same title he once held for five minutes, following massive chaos. However, a poignant moment came when Cena, despite being a heel, was visibly in tears and looking emotional. This was possibly realising that it was the last time ever he shared a ring with Orton, whom he had respected and had one of the greatest WWE rivalries of all time.
4. John Cena’s first heel promo directed at a kid
The wrestling world was seeking answers from John Cena regarding his actions at the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. He made his return to RAW weeks later in Brussels. As soon as he grabbed the microphone, he began spitting hate towards the fans for their hostile treatment of him for years.
“Each one of you, even that little kid there, are a toxic, dysfunctional relationship… You have made the butt of an invisible joke for 15 years and you still think it’s funny, it’s not funny!”
— John Cena during #WWERaw today pic.twitter.com/tPNMS2xH6r
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 17, 2025
Moreover, one particular moment took the internet by storm when Cena singled out a young fan, who was dressed as him and sitting in the front row. The Champ took shots at him, and that moment went viral all over social media.
3. Cody Rhodes mentions John Cena’s relationship with Vince McMahon
During the road to WrestleMania 41, John Cena and Cody Rhodes went up against each other. During a war of words on an episode of RAW in London, Rhodes dropped the bombshell on him when he indirectly mentioned former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. The American Nightmare reminded him that he was chosen by a man in the office, whom they are not allowed to mention, while he was chosen by the fans, which led to a loud reaction from the fans in attendance.
2. John Cena sells his soul to The Rock
The ending of WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 PLE will always be remembered as one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history. John Cena won the chamber match and met Cody Rhodes in the ring as they looked ahead to their WrestleMania 41 match for the WWE title.
John Cena’s heel turn at Elimination Chamber was a topic on ESPN’s First Take this morning😭
I want y’all to put the word out there that we back up. WRESTLING IS BACK🔥pic.twitter.com/yQEZzWFVGJ
— Public Enemies Podcast (@PublicEnemiesHQ) March 3, 2025
At that time, The Rock and Travis Scott came down to the ring. The Final Boss asked for Rhodes’ soul, but he refused and embraced Cena. Just then, the look on his face changed as he got the signal from The Rock. Right after, he low-blowed Rhodes and sent shock waves across the entire landscape. It is safe to say that Day 1 of John Cena turning heel will be an epic moment to remember for the ages.
1. John Cena winning his 17th World title
Arguably, the greatest moment in John Cena’s run as a heel would be his glorious win at WrestleMania 41 over Cody Rhodes. Towards the end of the bout, Travis Scott came down to help him, but Rhodes took him out. The American Nightmare had the title in his hand and could have hit Cena, but he hesitated. That led to Cena capitalizing with a low blow and hitting him with the belt to make history and become the record-setting 17-time WWE Champion.
John Cena’s next WWE title defense will take place at WWE Night of Champions
With his farewell tour having only 18 dates left, John Cena will defend his Undisputed WWE title next at Night of Champions PLE in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His opponent will be another of his rivals, CM Punk, who accepted the match on the June 9th, 2025, edition of RAW.
This will be the last time fans witness John Cena vs CM Punk inside a WWE ring. The Best in the World had been firing shots at Cena after his heel turn, and now the stage has been finally set for their final match.
However, this time the roles have been reversed, as Cena is the heel and Punk is the baby face heading into the match. So it will surely be a highly captivating bout to witness when the Night of Champions event comes around.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
