Following his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, did John Cena show up on Raw after retiring?
Did John Cena Show Up at Raw?
“I made John Cena GIVE UP.”
Gunther could not be happier, but the WWE Universe is letting him know exactly how they feel about his actions at SNME. pic.twitter.com/j3pPL9Rtxo
— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2025
John Cena is a man of his word.
On December 13, Cena had the final match of his career against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Instead of prolonging his career, Cena is choosing to retire from in-ring competition at the age of 48. He will now serve as an ambassador to WWE. However, Cena does not plan to wrestle again.
Like many WWE “retirements,” numerous superstars have stepped back in the ring after supposedly hanging up their boots. For now, that won’t be the case with Cena, who did not show up to kick things off on the latest episode of Monday Night Raw.
Gunther kicked off the first Raw in the post-Cena era. “The Ring General” defeated Cena by submission, sending him out of the WWE with a loss.
Gunther gloated the entire time in the ring, saying he made John Cena “give up,” a shot at Cena’s “never give up mentality.”
Prancing around the ring in jubilation wasn’t enough for Gunther. Instead, he humiliated Cena by calling him a “little b—.”
After the segment, Raw general manager Adam Pearce sent Gunther packing for the night. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, AJ Styles confronted Gunther, so expect these two superstars to face off at some point in the future.
John Cena’s Last Match
The Last Time Is Now.
After a year of thunderous entrances and memorable matches, Cena came out to the ring one final time as an active wrestler.
The entire Capital One Arena greeted Cena with a standing ovation as they sang his entrance music one final time.
Waiting for Cena in the ring was Gunther, who earned his spot in the match by winning the Last Time Is Now Tournament.
Considering Gunther has only lost a handful of times in the WWE, Cena had his hands full in his final match.
Gunther lived up to his Ring General nickname by dominating Cena for the beginning of the match.
However, Cena pulled out every move in the book, including an AA through the announce table and a Super AA off the top rope.
In the end, it wasn’t enough, as Gunther choked Cena and forced him to tap out.
After the match, many superstars surrounded the ring and gave Cena a standing ovation. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk allowed Cena to hold the championship belts one last time.
After leaving his sneakers in the ring, Cena saluted the crowd one final time before walking in the back.
