John Cena has broken his silence following his retirement match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The 17-time champion appeared on Cody Rhodes’ What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast in a wide-ranging, two-hour conversation.
The interview covered his polarizing heel turn, his philosophy of having a “conversation” with the audience, and the return of some old-school road traditions during his farewell tour.
He also praised CM Punk for his apology in Saudi Arabia. Cena mentioned Vince McMahon’s name only twice, and then only in passing, rather than discussing any controversies.
“Facing death with a smile”
Speaking to Rhodes less than 48 hours after his submission defeat in Washington D.C., Cena addressed the facial expression he made while locked in Gunther’s sleeper hold during the match’s conclusion.
Cena described the moment as the end of a “cycle of life” story he had been telling throughout his final year, comparing the submission to a peaceful acceptance of the end.
I envisioned something beautiful. Saturday far exceeded whatever was in my heart and soul… So as I essentially take my last breath, I have struggled. If you think of somebody, the natural causes scenario or however we picture loss in our life… They struggle, they struggle, they struggle, they hang on just long enough to make sure to say goodbye to everybody that’s been meaningful in their lives.
And then you realize I’ve connected with everybody I love. Physically, I feel great. I think it’s time to take that last breath… I hate to keep going back morbidly to obituaries, but this person died peacefully. He faced death with a smile. And knowing that, man, we are in a good place.
The 2025 heel turn
The conversation turned to arguably the most controversial chapter of Cena’s farewell tour: his heel run after Elimination Chamber earlier this year.
Cena admitted the turn was a creative risk taken to generate a “moment” amidst a compressed timeline, noting that he was willing to sacrifice his positive reputation to make the story work. He alluded to original plans involving The Rock and Travis Scott changing, necessitating a pivot.
Going into Rumble, the story is like, just happy to be here. I want to make out the year in one piece. And then I almost win… Flash forward to Elimination Chamber and this is how the business works… They wanted to make Elimination Chamber a moment. I get it. The business is about making moments.
[…]
Hey, you have The Rock and Travis Scott. Awesome, we can plan all this stuff.
Hey, you don’t have those two guys anymore. Not once [did we have] a conversation about what would it have been like if we had those guys. No, it was like, “Okay, what now? What’s next? What do we do now?”
The “Ring General”
Cena spoke with admiration for his final opponent, Gunther, describing him as “relentless” in his mastery of the ring.
He acknowledged their differing philosophies, specifically Gunther’s “The Mat Is Sacred” credo, but emphasized his respect for the Austrian.
I cannot tell you how much respect I have for him, and I know he’s not going to say the same thing about me, and he shouldn’t and I I’m okay with that… It is such an honor to be able to step in there with someone who whose moniker is the Ring General… and in my last one if I could add a star to his uniform someone who believes the mat is sacred. I believe the same thing we just see it through different lenses.
Saudi Arabia and CM Punk
Cena singled out a pre-show segment with CM Punk in Saudi Arabia as his favorite moment of the year.
He praised Punk for his accountability and the audience for their willingness to forgive, viewing it as a triumph of wrestling’s ability to bridge divides.
I think it’s one of the best moments in wrestling… You have a man who’s brave enough to walk into the lion’s den. And for young performers, old performers, please watch that pre-show. I think it fell under everybody’s radar. I was bawling my eyes out, saying like, this is the best thing ever. Phil goes out there… In the right moment, Phil was accountable for what he said.
Rhodes said:
When people ask about going to Saudi Arabia all the time, I’ve really gotten less about answering in a way that’s political and more in a sense that I’m there performing to do something that they love as much as we love.
Cena responded by heaping praise on the Saudi fans.
I went over there the first time in 2018. The are couches in the front row. Nobody is allowed to make noise. It’s like you go there now, it is an incredible crowd to perform. So they’ve done their work too. They’ve invested in us. And far beyond a paper IOU. They’ve invested their heart in us.
Wrestling as a conversation
Throughout the interview, Cena emphasized his philosophy of wrestling as a conversation with the audience, rather than a performance directed at them.
He cited this approach as the key advice he tries to pass on to younger talent, specifically mentioning Je’Von Evans as a performer he has mentored.
When I get most agitated is when performers talk at the audience. They don’t allow the conversation. And all the old school guys would be like, “Slow the fuck down”… I like the comparison of we are out there to have a conversation.
“Dirty 30” and the old school
Cena and Rhodes reminisced about the “Dirty 30”, a term referring to a case of beer consumed by the roster after shows in previous eras.
While Cena admitted he brought back the tradition of a “road cooler” for his farewell tour, he cautioned against romanticizing the arduous travel schedules and hazing aspects of the past.
If you go around back there romanticizing about days that don’t exist anymore, that creates a culture that romanticizes about shit that doesn’t exist. And that’s bad… It would be very difficult for me, especially looking at the business model and the success of the business, to go into Connecticut and petition for 220 live events a year.
He shared a toast he gave to the locker room after his final match, emphasizing that the current generation has the metrics, such as sellouts and revenue, to prove their success surpasses previous eras.
The toast was to the metrics of the evening. Largest arena in WWE history… I wanted to have that one last chance with the brotherhood, the family, the fraternity, to say we got here because of these folks, we need to surpass this because of you guys.
Future plans
Regarding his immediate future, Cena stated he has no plans to return to the ring and will focus on family and health.
I got to get my third run on a [dental] implant. I’ve lost three of them, and I’ve got to get another one… So I’m going to get that done two days from now. And then holiday travel. Be present with curiosity and purpose with my family for seven days, and then for my other family for 10 days. And then after that, whatever hill I have next.
