𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 | #𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙔𝙤𝙪𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙖

Sacrificing the entire retirement tour for a shock-value moment, unforgivable. Cena had a six-year losing streak heading into his final run, chasing a record-breaking championship, the underdog story wrote itself. WWE had a layup, and overcomplicated it anyways. So many dream matches left on the table, Cena was still giving five-star matches and wasted half the year on stinkers. Cena was already an established larger-than-life presence for years, you didn’t need a shocking moment for relevance. At the end of his career, Cena was always going to have sympathy supporters, sell merchandise, sell arenas, a heel run was so shameless and embarrassing.

John Cena originally believed WrestleMania 36 was going to be the final match of his career. “Honestly, no kidding. I thought the Firefly Fun House was going to be the last match of my career. I really did think that the Firefly Fun House match was going to be the tail end, and that was kind of a meta journey for me through facing all of my demons, and then letting go.” It wasn’t until he returned 16 months later that he realised he had more to offer, despite his initial plan to retire six years ago. ‘I’m still loyal to WWE,’ he added. (@MetroUK)

John Cena confirms again that he will never work another in-ring match: “I’m out, dog. No Khan has got the pocketbook. Nick, Tony, they ain’t got the money. I’m out. I’m gonna take your chant and then say that because a lot of you folks spent a lot of resources on my farewell tour. If I decide to selfishly come back for ego-driven reasons, basically, that’s saying I’m lying to every one of y’all. You might not mind, but there are people who paid a fortune to sit at that last match. And for me to be like, ‘Just kidding.’ I met so many families that put effort into saving just to see those moments. For me, I’m out of it with my health. I feel good. I got good clarity and closure. As far as me falling down ever again, that’s out.” (FanExpo Canada)

John Cena says that becoming a 17x World Champion meant more to the industry than to him personally. Cena much preferred winning the Intercontinental Championship in Boston. (FanExpo Canada)

25 years ago today, John Cena and Randy Orton competed against each other one-on-one for the first time ever. The beginning of an all-time rivalry.

Following John Cena’s comments about the “financial suicide” it would take to get him back in the ring, WWE sources confirmed that he remains under a multi-year deal with WWE in an ambassador role following his in-ring retirement. The claim within WWE when asked is that he wouldn’t be able to wrestle elsewhere contractually. (@FightfulSelect)

John Cena says his match against Brock Lesnar at WWE Wrestlepalooza was the toughest match of his career. “I’d always say my next match was going to be my toughest, but that’s not true now that I’m retired,” said Cena. “The toughest one was from the retirement tour against Brock Lesnar. The reason I say that isn’t just because it was physically demanding–any match with Brock is physically demanding. What was tough about that one is I’ve had my butt kicked by Brock Lesnar before, and you guys loved it. In Indianapolis, I got my butt kicked by Brock Lesnar and you hated it. So that made it physically and mentally tough. It was easily the toughest match of my career.” (@JustinBarrasso)

Five years ago today, John Cena made his iconic return at Money in the Bank. One of the greatest returns in pro wrestling history, timeless moment after a 16-month hiatus from the ring. Loudest pop of all-time?

15 years ago today, the iconic John Cena vs. CM Punk classic at Money in the Bank 2011. All-timer, one of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history. Masterpiece.

12 years ago today, John Cena won the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship (15x) at Money in the Bank!

John Cena addresses changes to his fitness routine: "I started lifting weights at 12 and haven’t stopped. The passion I have for strength and resistance training is still there. "To do that, I need to do more warm-up, a bit more cardiovascular training to keep my heart healthy. Way more mobility, static stretching to keep everything moving. "I look at it like an old sports car. You can still put your foot to the floor, but you’ve got to warm it up … and you’ve got to cool it down." (@usweekly)