As one chapter closes, another begins.
During the November 10 edition of Monday Night RAW, John Cena announced that the December 13 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event will not only feature his final match but will also showcase talent from NXT, with the goal of leaving the wrestling business in a better state than when he entered it. Reports have since indicated that the idea originated with Cena himself, and the seventeen-time world champion has now explained what led to that decision.
Joining Sam Roberts and Megan Morant on the Raw Recap ahead of his final Monday Night RAW appearance, John Cena explained why he chose to showcase NXT talent on his final night rather than host a full tribute show, saying he wants fans to get a glimpse of what lies ahead after his departure.
“I really want to take my hats off to Triple H. I called him up, I said I got an idea. We got to do two hours for the tribute show. And if you do a whole John Cena Tribute, two things are going to happen. You’re either going to do too much or too little. You’re never going to please everybody. I would like to propose that we have big name WWE superstars fighting exhibition matches versus the brightest in NXT. So that way, we have a sold-out building. Hopefully, the world’s watching on Saturday Night’s Main Event. I get to wrestle one final time. But in doing that, everyone also gets to look at what to look forward to. I think that’s the most important thing. It’s my last match, but collectively, we’re all just kind of closing a chapter of an era in sports entertainment. And I want people to be able to look forward to what’s next.”
-John Cena
With the Last Time is Now tournament underway to determine John Cena’s final opponent at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW saw a returning GUNTHER defeat NXT’s Je’Von Evans to advance.
John Cena’s final appearance before his retirement will be at Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29, where he will defend his newly won WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio.
Elsewhere during the podcast appearance, Cena said he is grateful for the opportunity to work with Dominik Mysterio and added that he sees both himself and the mistakes he made throughout his career in the former Intercontinental Champion. You can read more about that here.
Cena also stated during the podcast that he is not retiring on his own terms, citing his inability to perform at the highest level as the reason for ending his career. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on NXT talent featuring on Saturday Night’s Main Event as soon as we hear more.
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