John Cena will be going to WrestleMania, but it won’t be to challenge for a world title in the main event.
The grappler turned Hollywood star is back in WWE in 2025 for what he’s confirmed is his farewell run as he prepares to bring down the curtain on an iconic career with retirement.
He’d long been slated to appear across the year at landmarks including Saturday’s Royal Rumble, and the Elimination Chamber and Mania in Vegas that will follow.
Many fans had speculated that Cena might be given the ultimate send-off by WWE with an historic 17th world championship run that would obliterate records.
The cleanest route to have the movie star back on top of the mountain would be by winning the men’s Rumble match before moving on to Mania – we know now that won’t be happening, thanks to what long tenured WWE commentator called the biggest upset in Royal Rumble history.
After dispatching of villainous Logan Paul, Cena might well have fancied his chances of headlining in Vegas, but that does little to speak to the determination – and popularity – of Jey Uso, who upset the odds to eliminate Cena at the death to net himself the biggest match of his career.
It was a simply phenomenal, passing-the-torch moment that saw Cena gift Uso the chance to shine, the emotion in the voices of Cole and fellow commentators Wade Barrett and Pat McAfee very much evident.
The 47-year-old may or may not go on to win his 17th world title and break that record, but he’s now missed out on another record that stretches back some 21 years.
Down to the final two in the 2025 Rumble, Cena was within touching distance of winning a third men’s match and the feat of winning a third such bout of his career. It’s more than two decades since the only man in history did so – Stone Cold Steve Austin in 2001.
That’s a milestone Cena will neve reach, but it feels as though that will matter little to the veteran – or the WWE fans, who were jubilant after the finale of Saturday’s Indianapolis show.
“We need new stars and [Triple H] is putting it all behind Jey Uso. I like it!” beamed one, while a second said: “He’s the most over [popular] guy in the company, deserved to be fair.”
A third went on: “Gotta be honest. Didn’t see Jey winning it but I am absolutely delighted for him that he has, he deserves it.”
“As much as I wanted Cena to win,” a further fan explained, “this was a nice swerve. Everyone was thinking he was going to when it got down to the end.”
Uso will now go on to challenge – most likely – either World Champion Gunther or Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania.
The latter defeated Kevin Owens to retain his gold on Saturday night, while Charlotte Flair also punched her Mania ticket by winning the women’s Rumble match.