John Cena’s WWE retirement tour has taken another huge twist – and nobody wants to take the blame.
The wrestling icon is in the midst of a year-long farewell to the wrestling industry having long since vowed to call it a day in 2025.
After more than two decades of performing at the highest level of WWE, the veteran grappler turned Hollywood star is enjoying the send-off of all send-offs, his run so far including an historic 17th world championship reign.
That came at the expense of Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania earlier this year and as a part of a dramatic heel turn for Cena – the wrestling act of a fan favourite ‘good guy’ switching up their character to embrace the role of a villain.
For many fans, it was a jarring shift given his long history as WWE’s moral compass, and one that wasn’t entirely convincing to a live audience who continued to cheer him regardless.
The recent Netflix documentary Unreal detailed the intricate creative process involved in the turn, with writers, producers and top names like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson all involved.
At the head of the WWE table sat President Nick Khan and the company’s Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. With bosses all sold on the idea, Triple H pitched it to his former rival in Cena who, he claimed, was quickly on board and buzzing with the idea.
After its initial shock value, the loss of The Rock as an on-screen presence and absence of any real logic to explain the twist left support waning. After a handful of title defences, the ‘heel’ act disappeared entirely, with Cena abruptly reverting to his ‘good guy’ role and no explanation offered.
At SummerSlam earlier this month, Cena dropped the world title back to Rhodes before being confronted by Brock Lesnar, who returned after a lengthy absence to set up what appears to be the next chapter of the farewell tour.
Conflicting stories from Triple H and John Cena spark talk of backstage feud
The moment drew both excitement and anger, the latter tied to Lesnar’s controversial absence from WWE and the sudden shift in storyline direction.
The retirement run has a few months left to go – the star’s final bout slated for December – but exactly who is shaping his last matches is now a point of real contention.
Fans have picked up on contrasting interviews from Triple H and Cena in recent weeks and are convinced it’s a sign of a deeper divide behind the scenes.
Triple H, in short, has stated Cena has all-but dictated the names he’d like to work with during his final year, and WWE have simply facilitated his wishes.
In the wake of fan backlash for Lesnar’s return, The Game commented on SummerSlam’s post-show: “One of the first things I said to him [Cena] is who do you want, and how, and we’re working through that.”
Cena, however, insists that’s far from the case. Speaking with the Boston Herald, he countered: “I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and I’ve never once chosen my opponent.
“I’ve always lived by the philosophy that life will give you opportunities every single day, and you have to do the best you can every single day with what life gives you.
“So whoever challenges me for that last match, I’m going to give it my best shot.”
In another post-SummerSlam interview, Cena appeared to distance himself further from being behind the decision making of his retirement run. Speaking to Adam’s Apple, he noted he does simply as asked, saying of WWE: “They deal ’em, I play ’em.
“I’ve been saying the same thing for 25 years. They deal ’em, I play ’em. You know, I’m just really excited.
“We got like 12 of these things left. I think SummerSlam was an indication from the audience where everybody kind of knows where we’re closing our book.”
The ‘who is choosing what’ behind Cena’s last few months, Lesnar’s return and all that involves is becoming a keen point of discussion for fans, who feel responsibility for the parts that aren’t going so well is being well and truly dodged.
WWE fans convinced politics and power plays are shaping Cena’s farewell
“Triple H really tried to throw John Cena under the bus,” vented one social media user. “Cena is not having it and he’s making it known.”
Another fumed a little more strongly at Triple H: “… Take leadership for your decisions and mistakes instead of throwing the blame on your employees.”
A third, siding with the WWE exec, insisted: “Maybe he never used to choose, but he would be now for his retirement tour.
“I think John is very calculated and careful about everything, including how people perceive him, he never wants to come off looking bad for anything. So I think that is what he is doing here.”
“Triple H and John Cena refuting what the other is saying is crazy,” reflected another, while one other was adamant: “Well somebody is lying!”
That Cena’s final year has involved so many twists and turns makes it about as WWE as you could get – the ultimate soap opera.
Like any good soap – and wrestling show – you need a good villain and a hero for every piece. Right now, it’s hard to be sure is cast in which role.