John Cena's Crown Jewel performance has thrown a massive wrench into the retirement conversation. Is he really ready to hang up his boots? Or is this just the beginning of an epic farewell?
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Chris RolingOct 11, 2025
After witnessing that absolute barnburner of a match between John Cena and AJ Styles at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, something feels...off. It doesn't feel like we're nearing the end of Cena's career; it feels like we're just getting started. Maybe it's wishful thinking, maybe it's denial, but Cena looked anything but ready to retire. He looked revitalized.
The match, preceded by a heartfelt introduction penned by Cena himself, saw two soon-to-be-retired legends of modern wrestling put on a 27-plus-minute clinic. It was a masterclass in finisher-fests, a beautiful symphony of callbacks and respect. Cena and Styles peppered the match with nods to wrestling icons, hitting moves like Undertaker's Tombstone, Randy Orton's RKO, Samoa Joe's Coquina Clutch, and Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music. It was a love letter to wrestling history.
But here's where it gets controversial... What really elevated the match was the meta-narrative: Styles himself is planning to retire in 2026. This wasn't just Cena throwing out honorary moves at a random opponent; The Phenomenal One was right there with him, doing the same thing, for the same reasons. They're both legends, both rivals, both saying goodbye in their own way. It felt like Cena was just warming up, especially when you compare this to the rest of his farewell tour.
Up until Crown Jewel, Cena's goodbye run had been...lackluster, to put it mildly. Downright bad at times. There were a few bright spots, like the quick one-offs with Randy Orton and CM Punk where nostalgia and chemistry created some brief magic.
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But the rest? A mess. Remember that disastrous heel turn that never took off, culminating in the Travis Scott debacle at WrestleMania? Or the random R-Truth segments? What about that weird match against Logan Paul, or the brutal, nonsensical loss to Brock Lesnar? These appearances ranged from wasteful to downright insulting. Sacrificing one of Cena's final matches to someone like Paul felt like a missed opportunity. And the Lesnar beatdown? It was a bizarre way to remind a new ESPN audience that a 48-year-old Lesnar is still dangerous. We already knew that!
And this is the part most people miss... Throughout all those missteps, it was clear that Cena, despite his age (48) and part-time status, could still go. This wasn't some embarrassing Undertaker-Goldberg level disaster. This was a failure of creative vision, a mismanagement by Triple H and Co., likely influenced by the whims of The Rock and other factors. Was the creative team truly maximizing Cena's potential, or were they chasing fleeting moments of hype?
But if there's one thing we know about John Cena, it's his unwavering "Never Give Up" attitude. It's fitting that he's bounced back after those stumbles and delivered a performance that reminded everyone why he's a legend. So, the question is: why cut it short now?
He reportedly has four dates left on his schedule, and the rumor mill is churning with predictions of predictable matches against the likes of Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series, followed by a final pinfall loss to a rising star like Gunther. While these matches might serve their purpose, especially to elevate younger talent, they don't feel like a fitting end to this chapter.
If Cena can consistently deliver matches of the quality we saw at Crown Jewel, generating genuine excitement from the fans, why not extend the farewell tour? Why not add a few more dates and share the ring with some of the legends he paid homage to during the Styles match? Why not stretch things out until WrestleMania 42 next April?
Why not give us a Miz match, a proper rematch with Orton or Punk, or even a feud with the Mysterio family? And if we're indulging in fantasy booking, why not see if Edge becomes a free agent and steps into the ring with Cena one last time? It's a long shot, sure, but remember, this is the same run that almost gave us a heel turn. Anything is possible. But the question remains, is the risk of the quality declining worth the potential reward of a longer, more memorable sendoff?
Fresh off the high of the Styles match, it feels like Cena and WWE have finally cracked the code. NBA legends don't break scoring records and then stop shooting. MLB home run kings don't pass a record and then stop swinging. Cena is operating at that level, performing at that level.
The ever-principled Cena, as we all know, is committed to honoring his word and sticking to his planned end date. But one can't help but wonder if even he recognizes the logic and feels the momentum building. There will come a time when we can't see him anymore, but right now, the argument for extending this retirement run has never been stronger.
What do you think? Should Cena extend his farewell tour and give us more matches like the one with AJ Styles? Or should he stick to his original plan and end things on his own terms? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
