John Cena's Historic Career Honored by Sports World Ahead of WWE Retirement Match

Several prominent figures, teams and leagues from the pro wrestling and sports world showed their appreciation Saturday for John Cena on the day of his retirement match.

In a post on X, WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker reflected on the first on-screen interaction he ever had with Cena back in 2002 when he told Cena, "Nice job," in a backstage segment after Cena lost to Kurt Angle in his first WWE main roster match:

At that time, The Undertaker was considered the unquestioned leader of the locker room and one of the faces of the company, but Cena grew into that role over the course of his 23-year WWE career.

Angle, who is also a WWE Hall of Famer and was Cena's first opponent on the main roster, congratulated Cena on his impending retirement as well:

After answering Angle's open challenge and declaring that he possessed the "ruthless aggression" needed to compete with him, Cena went on to become a record 17-time world champion, and his longevity as one of the top guys in WWE is unmatched.

While Cena has proved over the course of the past year that he can still perform in the ring at a high level despite being 48 years of age, Saturday will be his swan song.

Along with legendary wrestlers, the NFL's Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, and NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns paid tribute to Cena in social media posts Saturday, adding to the posts made by the NFL's New York Jets and Major League Baseball on Friday:

During the earlier days of Cena's career when he was known as the Dr. of Thuganomics, one of the featured characteristics of his gimmick was to wear a sports jersey that represented the city he was performing in.

The Lions, Packers, Sixers, Cavs, Suns, Jets and MLB showed their love for Cena with photos that showed him adorning their respective threads over the years.

At Saturday Night's Main Event in Washington, D.C., Cena will compete in the final match of his illustrious career when he meets Gunther, who won the Last Time Is Now tournament to earn the distinction of being his last opponent.

A former world champion in his own right, Gunther has announced his desire to make Cena tap out for the first time in over two decades.

No matter whether or not that happens, or if Cena wins or loses, Saturday will be about honoring one of the all-time greats in the history of sports and entertainment, and the sports world has already gotten a head start on doing so.