Blockbuster John Cena WWE Run Buried
WWE legend John Cena’s recent blockbuster run got blasted by a popular personality.
John Cena had his retirement tour throughout 2025 after more than two decades in the WWE. The tour started with Cena failing to win the Royal Rumble despite being in the final two. He later won the Elimination Chamber and turned heel before challenging Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.
John Cena captured his 17th WWE title at Mania and continued his heel run for months, which was not received well by the wrestling community. Cena eventually turned babyface before SummerSlam last year, and his retirement tour ended by shockingly tapping out to Gunther in his final match in December last year.
Although WWE and TKO did record business during the retirement tour of John Cena, many fans were not pleased with Cena’s creative booking throughout the tour. Meanwhile, the veteran journalist, Ariel Helwani has also shed light on Cena’s retirement run last year.
WWE got blasted for John Cena’s retirement run booking
Speaking with Eric Bischoff on the 83 Weeks podcast, Ariel Helwani stated that the current WWE product is soulless, and that he didn’t like WrestleMania 42:
I find the product right now soulless. I really did not like WrestleMania. WrestleMania really, it upset me, to be honest, because I adore everything about wrestling and I adore the pomp and circumstance that comes with WrestleMania.”
Ariel Helwani further shifted his attention to John Cena’s retirement tour, saying it was not good and blasted his last match against Gunther and the direction of The Ring General after that:
The Cena retirement tour, I didn’t think was good. The Cena retirement match, don’t get me started on that. I could do 30 minutes just on how bad I thought that was. And I feel like I’ve been vindicated when it comes to that one, because what has become of Gunther? What has become of this guy?” said Helwani.
Ariel Helwani concluded that the WrestleMania 40 main event was the apex, and the WWE product has been on a downward spiral since then:
If you were to ask me where I kind of felt like there’s nothing left, it was that Philadelphia [WrestleMania 40] match. The Philadelphia match felt like the apex, and everything since then has felt a little less than.” [H/T f4wonline.com]
Ariel Helwani gives his thoughts on John Cena's retirement match:
“The match should have never been Cena vs. Gunther, and the result should have never been Cena losing, and it sure as hell never should have been him tapping.”pic.twitter.com/XG6B0DwrJq
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) December 15, 2025
After his in-ring retirement, John Cena has appeared at WrestleMania 42 and Backlash 2026 and has also announced ‘The John Cena Classic’ tournament.
Also read: John Cena Drops Major Surprise About Retirement Tour & New WWE Tournament