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John Cena’s illustrious in-ring career with WWE will come to an end in just over a month, as his final match is scheduled for December 13 in Washington at the Capital One Arena.
Cena made his main roster debut in 2002 when he faced Kurt Angle, who was having an open challenge on “SmackDown.” The rest is history, as Cena left an indelible mark on the industry and became a 17-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 41.
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Court Bauer of Major League Wrestling photographed at an event. (Major League Wrestling)
Major League Wrestling founder Court Bauer was a WWE writer just as Cena was rising through the territorial system and eventually making it to top shows. Bauer recalled Cena’s courage and professionalism throughout his career in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital.
“John Cena is what Vince McMahon looked for his entire career as a promoter,” Bauer said. “Someone who would come to work early, leave late, be an incredible soldier and leader on the field, or in the ring in this case. He would always represent the company, go above and beyond, whether it was charity, whether it was something he could do to help other talent and elevate them. Never a complaint. Never a problem.
“You look at all the guys who were anointed, ‘the guy,’ during Vince McMahon’s tenure as head of the company and maybe there was a guy who didn’t like to do the honor to someone else or had a financial conflict or was complaining about some problem or was dissatisfied or thought the grass was greener somewhere else or something would just come up. John Cena was battle tested, always dedicated and was just a true champion of the company.”
MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING’S COURT BAUER DISCUSS THE EXCITING GROWTH AND IMPORTANCE OF ECONOMICALLY FRIENDLY EVENTS
John Cena makes his entrance during Crown Jewel at the RAC Arena on October 11, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
Bauer noted that Cena learned Mandarin, which helped bring WWE to China.
“You could start a cloning factory and not reach the prototype that John Cena was for WWE,” Bauer continued. “And when you look at how the company changed and evolved with him at the helm as the man, it’s undeniable what his contributions were as a performer, in terms of what they were, what Vince McMahon always looked for and couldn’t find in Shawn Michaels, couldn’t find in Ultimate Warrior, couldn’t find in the guys that passed, you could go down the list for 40 years, there was like, ‘Yeah…’ And then it all went to hell.
“John Cena’s start is strong, his finish is strong, and he was a constant in every way. So when you see someone like that, I’ve worked with him, and I think, ‘What a great experience it was to work with him.’ I always kept it light on set, I always made positive contributions and comments on things, it was never difficult, always with the shared goal of, ‘Let’s do this the best we can, let’s make it great.’ And sharing that feeling, let’s give the fans the best we can.”
Bauer said that same mentality has carried over to other projects Cena has worked on outside of the ring, including the “Peacemaker” series and the commercials in which he appears.
Cody Rhodes and John Cena in the ring during SmackDown at the Prudential Center on August 1, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
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Cena’s in-ring career will culminate in a match with the winner of the Last Time is Now Tournament. The winner will get a chance with Cena and presumably carry the company’s torch until 2026.
Cena has four scheduled dates left. The first of them will be Monday night in Boston.
