John Cena's Retirement Tour Tells the Story of WWE in 2025—In and Out of the Ring

We're nearly halfway through John Cena's farewell tour, which has, ironically, mirrored the highs and lows of 2025 for WWE.

Coming off a hot streak last year, the company has lost much of the positive buzz it had going for most of 2024. That's largely because of negative press and uninspiring creative decisions, but also because its overwhelming corporate trite and political connections have never been more apparent.

The move to Netflix came with obligatory shots of waving celebrities ringside, sponsors plastered all over the mat and the "Prime Hydration Station" ever present next to the commentary desk. Fans have also started to complain about skyrocketing ticket prices for live events.

Meanwhile, viewers and wrestlers have voiced their displeasure with the move to let R-Truth's contract expire because many thought he was a lifer. When WWE regularly touts record gates, viewership and merchandise sales, it seems cold and impersonal to cut ties with someone who has been with the company for so long.

Ultimately, this is a business; making money and cutting expenses is the priority over everything else. That's understandable, but its approach, the visibility of its partnerships and the influences of its merger with UFC have become a bit overbearing.

To that end, it's hard not to see Cena's latest run with WWE as a blatant cash-grab complete with commemorative T-shirts for every city he makes his "final" appearance in. Yes, you would be naive to think the goal isn't always to get us to shell out as much of our hard-earned money as possible.

However, it shouldn't be so obvious that it takes the fans out of the story or the show they came to see. Let's face it: It was abundantly clear the 48-year-old would win his 17th world championship when “The Last Real Champion” shirts went up on WWE Shop.

A Promise Made, A Promise Kept

Longtime viewers have demanded and fantasized about a Cena heel turn for over a decade. It became such a potent wrestling "what if" that he discussed plans to do so during his interview with Chris Van Vliet, and it led to a reference in the Firefly Fun House match.

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Most of us assumed it would never happen as the future Hall of Famer reached the twilight of his career. When it finally did occur at Elimination Chamber on March 1, the unexpected change of direction opened up so many possibilities.

Although viewers will remember the initial turn as the most shocking moment of the year, the aftermath hasn't quite lived up to its potential. Honestly, this storyline has been all tell and no show so far.

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Cena doesn't come off as a believable antagonist, and it feels like we're all essentially going through the motions until this reaches its logical conclusion. It's hard to tell if real heat still exists in wrestling anymore, but this character doesn't feel natural.

The 17-time champion has often been at his best in recent memory when he's comfortably breaking the fourth wall and smirking as he does just enough to let us in on the joke. That worked because it obscured the perception that he was just a hand-picked company guy.

As a result, he became congenial as opposed to a contrived white-meat protagonist. His current character isn't nearly as engrossing because it's too on the nose. It's too heavy-handed in its attempt to subvert expectation and lean into assumptions that he's phoning it in.

The Death of a Salesman

The nuance from his earlier promos and interactions with Cody Rhodes has gotten lost in translation. Even worse, some of his motives are noticeably not in service of the character or the story; it's to get you to buy more merchandise or a ticket to a live event.

In fact, it's rather genius in its simplicity, but it doesn't make for an interesting TV character. The countdown to his final appearance is a clever way to mock fans and encourage them to go and see him one last time.

Cena says he didn't change his ring gear because we're getting what we deserve, nothing. In truth, he can't stop wearing his trademark jorts and colorful shirts because WWE is making a lot of money selling different merch for every city he appears in.

Even more, he points out fans in the crowd wearing his shirts and hat like that kid in Brussels, and he gives them a moment they will never forget. See? Now, buy his wares and a ticket to the show in your hometown, and maybe you will be a part of the show and go viral just like him.

At its worst, that's exactly what's wrong with the weekly programming as well. It has become less about delivering a compelling episodic television show and more about selling us on the WWE live experience.

Cena's heel turn is a microcosm of what WWE does best right now, for better or worse. It's not offensive enough to dissuade its hardcore fans, but it's on brand for its most vocal detractors and lapsed viewers.