Booking WWE Farewell Tours for Randy Orton, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, More
WWE took an unprecedented approach to John Cena's retirement by booking an entire tour throughout 2025, starting with Raw's Netflix premiere on Jan. 6 and culminating with a special Saturday Night's Main Event built around his last match.
To say Cena's year had its highs and lows would be a massive understatement, but it did feature a slew of monumental moments and memorable matches befitting of his legendary status. It also afforded countless crowds across the globe an opportunity to appreciate The Unseen 17 one final time and celebrate his career before he rode off into the sunset.
From a business standpoint, his "Last Time Is Now" run couldn't be considered anything but a smashing success for WWE based on the amount of money made from event attendance, merchandise and much more. Additionally, he did the honors for an elite few on his way out and indeed left the business better than he found it.
Now, the powers that be at WWE have to be setting their sights on who they can announce a retirement tour for next to keep the momentum rolling. Realistically, the focus should be on the future and not nearly as much on the past, but that hasn't stopped them from monetarily capitalizing on fan nostalgia before.
Several Superstars are either rumored or have outright confirmed they'll be wrapping up in the ring sooner rather than later, and this is how their farewell tours—or lack thereof—should be handled.
AJ Styles
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WWE has stuck to their guns in referring to John Cena as "the greatest of all-time" for years now, but AJ Styles undoubtedly deserves to be in that conversation as well for all he's accomplished in the company and beyond.
January will amazingly mark a decade of The Phenomenal One in WWE. He debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble match and went on to exceed every expectation fans and officials alike had for him, including capturing the WWE Championship twice and headlining WrestleMania with The Undertaker.
Styles has made it abundantly clear that 2026 will be his last in the ring, and that when his current contract with WWE expires, he'll be done as an active competitor.
He's 48-years-old, but you'd never know it from watching a majority of his matches and how well he moves around. Despite that, he wants to retire still being at the top of his game so he doesn't become a parody of himself as so many others have before him.
A September 2025 report from Fightful Select confirmed that his deal is set to run out in February, though there's a high chance he'll agree to extension to either finish up at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas or at SummerSlam so he can go out on a grand stage.
Styles has faced pretty much everyone from Raw and SmackDown, but the three best options to retire him are CM Punk, Gunther and Je'Von Evans. Punk and Styles have never had a one-on-one outing in WWE, Gunther is fresh off retiring Gunther and Cena, and Evans would benefit the most from beating Styles in his sendoff.
Regardless of who he shares the squared circle with in his last-ever match, Styles should wrap up at WrestleMania when the lights are on bright and be showcased more on his own going into the event. He and Dragon Lee can lose the World Tag Team Championship soon so Styles can settle into a significant storyline for WrestleMania season, and then call it a career from there.
Randy Orton
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Randy Orton has been conspicuous by his absence from WWE TV as of late, including at Saturday Night's Main Event when it would have made sense for him to be present for John Cena's last match.
He's been away from SmackDown since October, not because he's hurt but rather for creative reasons. WWE has held off on him feuding with Cody Rhodes over the Undisputed WWE Championship or really doing anything else of note for months, so he should be back relatively soon to kick off his next program.
Cena's in-ring swan song will spark conversation as to whether Orton is next considering they both debuted on WWE's main roster in 2002. The Viper is a few years younger than Cena at 45, but he's been much more of a full-time performer for the company throughout his career and thankfully doesn't seem to be on the brink of retirement.
Orton has a few good years left in him physically, and using him in a meaningful role until then is imperative. That obviously includes putting over Rhodes eventually and maybe getting another world title run, but that shouldn't be saved for his final run.
Of all of the company's current main-eventers, WWE can likely hold off on Orton's anticipated retirement the longest barring any more serious setbacks. His retirement tour can resemble Cena's with the two being so synonymous with each other and achieving such longevity, but having him around more than Cena was would be ideal for whatever stories at told with him at that point.
Brock Lesnar
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John Cena made an interesting comment during his latest interview with Chris Van Vliet revealing that the decision was made to have him lose to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza so Lesnar would be made to look strong heading into what could be his final year with WWE in the ring.
Cena heavily hinted at SummerSlam in Minneapolis next August being where Lesnar will retire. Dave Meltzer backed up this rumor in this past week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
It would be an appropriate place for Lesnar to call it a career with Minneapolis being where he's billed from and SummerSlam being where he had so many of his most iconic matches and moments. It was also at SummerSlam where he shockingly resurfaced in both 2021 and 2025.
Lesnar's only two matches during this run have seen him emerge victorious at Wrestlepalooza and in WarGames at Survivor Series, so he must be in the process of being built up for something or someone. Gunther can't retire every aging icon on the roster, but in this case, he'd be a fantastic fit.
Aside from their brief interaction in the 2023 Royal Rumble match, Gunther and Lesnar have never crossed paths. The Ring General should embrace the reputation of being the modern-day Legend Killer and be the one who puts Lesnar out to pasture in his home state following a hard-hitting battle.
Lesnar isn't active enough to warrant an extensive retirement tour, but he should be involved in the Royal Rumble and at WrestleMania 42 in some form or fashion before winding down at SummerSlam and eating defeat at the hands of Gunther.
Rey Mysterio
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It's a miracle Rey Mysterio is not only still wrestling in WWE but also doing as exceptionally well as he is considering how close he was to having an early retirement a decade and a half ago.
His injuries were racking up at such an alarming rate that it seemed highly improbable for him to continue wrestling past 40. Undergoing stem cell therapy gave him a new lease on life and allowed him to extend his career by several years.
Mysterio returned to WWE in 2018 and hasn't missed much time at all. Being around for his son Dominik's debut and development has been the main motivator for him sticking around and continuing to contribute as an active competitor.
Speaking of his son, it would stand to reason that he be involved in Rey's inevitable retirement somehow when the time comes, not that it will necessarily be anytime soon.
They've had two televised singles matches against each other dating back to April 2023 and Rey won both bouts. If Dominik gets that elusive victory over his father before Rey is ready to retire, then Rey's last matchup should consist of them teaming up, ideally in for a massive premium live event in Mexico City in either late 2026 or 2027.
Mysterio has essentially been on his retirement tour since being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023, so nothing super special needs to happen going into his actual farewell, but the sendoff itself should be heavily touted given the historic career he's had.
Chris Jericho
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There's been a ton of chatter surrounding Chris Jericho's status with AEW and a potential return to WWE once his contract reportedly expires soon.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter added fuel to the fire by reporting in late November that WWE pitched Jericho a retirement storyline for 2026 with that being what the company would be interested in using him for. Jericho hasn't wrestled since April but has been extremely active with AEW otherwise since signing with the rival promotion at the onset of 2019.
That would mean a WWE comeback is entirely dependent on how much longer Jericho intends to wrestle for. Sticking with AEW would ensure he retires on his terms whenever he wants, but this could be his last chance to have a real run with WWE while it's still feasible.
Jericho just turned 55 last month and is far from his physical peak. Doing a retirement storyline in WWE in 2026, starting with a Royal Rumble return at the end of January, would make the most sense, but WrestleMania 42 wouldn't need to be where he wraps up if that's also where AJ Styles has his sendoff.
WWE would need to spread out the retirements over the course of the year so all of them feel equally important and are given the attention and effort they deserve. Jericho is old enough that a formal retirement tour isn't going to happen, but less is more with him at this point and he can be an attraction once more if he isn't overexposed the way he was in AEW.
LA Knight is a logical candidate to retire Jericho given the magic they could make on the mic, but Dominik Mysterio is another appealing option as the reigning Intercontinental champion—a title Jericho has held a record-setting nine times—along with his connection to one of Jericho's greatest rivals, Eddie Guerrero.
The Rock
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The Rock stated in a 2019 interview that he considered himself "quietly retired," yet fans held onto hope that he'd be back one day for a dream match with Roman Reigns.
The Great One did in fact finally return to the ring five years later at WrestleMania 40, but instead of facing Reigns per the original plan, the cousins joined forces for a mega match against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins in tag team action.
Rock was incredibly active during that run, not only on WWE TV but also on social media promoting his storyline with Rhodes. His heel turn was a breath of fresh air for his stagnant character and it admittedly made the Road to WrestleMania that year infinitely more interesting.
Despite pinning The American Nightmare in that bout and teasing on that Monday's Raw he wanted a shot at his newly-won Undisputed WWE Championship, there was never any follow-up, or at least follow-up that truly mattered.
Rock hasn't been full-time with WWE in over two decades and has wrestled a whopping eight matches since then. He's not getting a WWE retirement tour, nor is it a guarantee he'll ever compete again now that he's 53.
That aforementioned matchup with Reigns appears to be off the table but not impossible. He should have one final match to put that exclamation point on his career once and for all before being enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame.
There's been no indication it will happen in 2026, but it should be soon before it's too late.
CM Punk
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Fans were fortunate enough to witness CM Punk rekindling his rivalry with John Cena during the latter's retirement tour this year, first in the Royal Rumble followed by the Elimination Chamber and again at Night of Champions.
Their chemistry as foes was always unmatched and they made some more memories with each interaction in 2025. That said, while showing respect toward Cena on the night of his retirement at Saturday Night's Main Event, Punk confirmed that the end of his own career isn't imminent.
Punk recently regained the World Heavyweight Championship and will defend it against Bron Breakker on the first Raw of 2026. Even at 47, he hasn't shown signs of slowing down or working a reduced schedule, instead appearing and competing on Raw most weeks.
It's understandable he wouldn't want to commit to a five-year deal with WWE that would force him to continue competing until he's 52, but his retirement tour shouldn't be until 2028 at the earliest. He has more to do and there's plenty of people he hasn't faced, making up for all of the time he missed while away from wrestling.
Furthermore, The Voice of the Voiceless is the antithesis of Cena in the sense that he presumably won't want a full year devoted to him. As he has in the past, he'll wind down when fans least expect it and quietly hang up the boots while treating every experience he has in every city until then as his last just in case it all ends tomorrow without warning.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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