John Cena’s Best—And Worst—Options For Final WWE Retirement Match

John Cena returned to WWE at the Money in the Bank premium live event in Toronto to make a special announcement: 2025 will be his final year in professional wrestling.

The 16-time world champion announced a retirement tour in which every premium live event of the year will be his last as he will call it a career in December.

The announcement sets up a year-long journey for Cena that should see him involved in new rivalries, reignite old feuds, and wrap up a legendary career that saw him rise to the top of the industry as one of its faces and a living, breathing superhero for young fans.

Ahead of his return to the ring for one last run, these are the best and worst options for his retirement match opponent.

No Superstar’s rise to the top of the professional wrestling world more closely mirrors that of Cena’s than Randy Orton’s.

They emerged from the same Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental system and even though Orton struck world championship gold first, would establish themselves as main event attractions in WWE seemingly on the same schedule.

They became the faces of an entire generation of WWE and would embark on a rivalry that spanned a decade and featured some of the most unforgettable matches and moments.

Their rich history and catalog of epic encounters, as well as the fact that they need no contrived storyline or overthought creative direction to resume their rivalry, make Orton a perfect option for Cena’s last match.

Orton can turn heel and attack Cena or stay babyface and recall their long history as the reason that he should have the honor of wrestling the GOAT in his last match. Whatever the case, it is a story that tells itself and a match that would mean the world to an entire generation of fans who were brought up watching the two of them wage war for championship gold, bragging rights, and the establishment of legacies.

John Cena and Solo Sikoa have unfinished business.

Sikoa defeated Cena at Crown Jewel in October of 2023, leaving the franchise star shaken and questioning his future in the industry. Cena returned at WrestleMania XL, delivered an Attitude Adjustment through a table, and created a path for Cody Rhodes to defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

With Sikoa now established as the face of a new incarnation of The Bloodline, and WWE attempting to push him as the lead heel on SmackDown, it would make sense to revisit that rivalry and potentially have Sikoa beat Cena to put him over the top as one of the guys of this generation.

The match-up just does not pack a hard enough punch, nor does it have the prestige enough to be Cena’s last match.

Cena is a guy on the Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling. He defines a generation. His last match could be utilized to put someone younger over, sure, but it would feel somewhat lackluster given the number of extraordinary programs he has been a part of and the wealth of legendary rivals he has that are still available for him to work with.

Could Cena still put over Sikoa during the retirement tour? Sure.

Just not as part of his final match.

Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. The Rock.

Those matches are era-defining showdowns featuring top stars with completely different ideals, characters, and personalities but who meshed incredibly well, thanks to undeniable chemistry and a fan base eager to watch them do battle.

The same can be said for Cena and CM Punk, who wrestled their first match against each other in November of 2009 on Monday Night Raw but would gain notoriety together at Money in the Bank 2011 in one of the best matches in company history.

Their rivalry would intensify over the two years that followed, with additional superb matches, including a February 25, 2013 match that rivals the Money in the Bank epic.

Punk has already expressed his desire to wrestle Cena again and there is an entire generation of fans who would eat up the opportunity to see them go to battle one more time on a major premium live event stage.

WWE has often been accused of leaning on nostalgia to a detrimental extent but this match-up is one that it should absolutely explore and actually book for Cena’s last match, especially given Punk’s status as the Joker to his Batman.

There is going to be an urge for WWE to book Cena vs. Cody Rhodes as a generational battle between the hero of yesteryear and the franchise star of today.

It would be a mistake.

There is absolutely no reason to pit two of the most beloved stars in modern wrestling history against each other and force the audience to choose between them. It is an unnecessary risk that could lead to negative reactions for each man and do very little of note for either.

Book them as a tag team, let them fend off the new Bloodline, or use Cena in another manner to put Rhodes over as the guy who has picked up the mantle of a modern-day superhero and carried it on.

Pitting them against each other is potentially problematic and wholly unnecessary, even if there is, on paper, business to be done with that potential contest.