Stephanie McMahon has revealed she will join the broadcast team for John Cena’s retirement match in December.
In a sit-down interview with Megan Morant posted on Saturday, McMahon confirmed she will co-host alongside Joe Tessitore when Cena wrestles his final match in Washington, D.C. on Saturday Night’s Main Event in two weeks.
McMahon also addressed speculation regarding her reaction to being named the first inductee for the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026. While the announcement by The Undertaker at Wrestlepalooza appeared orchestrated to some viewers, McMahon insisted she had no prior knowledge of the segment’s true nature.
She explained that her husband, Paul Levesque, had informed her that production planned to film a standard crowd shot of her, known as an “ID shot,” which she noted is a routine occurrence when she is in the audience. When The Undertaker approached her during his entrance, she initially believed he was stalling for time due to a mechanical issue with his motorcycle.
It’s like the biggest level of achievement in our business. And our business means so much to me. It’s unfathomable.
Regarding Cena’s career, McMahon recalled the pivotal moment in 2002 when she encouraged him to bring his rapping skills to television. While eating tuna during a European tour, she challenged Cena to freestyle, crediting that interaction as the catalyst for the “Doctor of Thugonomics” persona.
I said, ‘John, have you ever thought about doing this on television?’ And from there, you know, there were various conversations and many other things that had to happen. And it wasn’t like, oh, I had this great idea, and suddenly he was the Doctor of Thugonomics. That’s all him. But I was, I guess, the first person to support him actually doing that on television.
Cena is currently finishing his retirement tour, having recently captured the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career by defeating Dominik Mysterio in Boston. The two are scheduled for a rematch for the title tonight at Survivor Series in San Diego.
John Cena’s final match is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. in mid-December, marking the conclusion of his year-long farewell campaign.
