John Cena Confirms Final WWE SmackDown Appearance As An Active Superstar
John Cena’s final time on SmackDown will be in the same building as his first time on the blue brand.
The first time John Cena officially appeared on television was on the June 27th, 2002 edition of WWE SmackDown in Chicago. It was a show that was taped two days earlier, as Cena told the legendary Kurt Angle that he was all about Ruthless Aggression.
Angle and Cena went on to have a competitive match, in which the veteran Angle won. After the match, The Undertaker praised the “rookie” Cena for his performance.
That was 23 years ago, and in the decades since then, Cena has gone on to become arguably the Greatest Of All Time WWE superstar.
As part of his 2025 retirement tour, John Cena has mostly been a SmackDown guy, but he has been on Raw, too. It was reported by Wrestlevotes that today’s September 5th episode of SmackDown in Chicago would be Cena’s last time on the blue brand as an active wrestler.
That report was confirmed by John Cena, who shared a message on social media about it.
My @WWE debut was on #Smackdown at @AllstateArena. Few, if any, places rival the feeling in that building with a sold-out Chicago crowd. We get to do it one last time for my final Smackdown appearance.
Tonight is one you are NOT going to want to miss. Let’s go CHI-TOWN!
My @WWE debut was on #Smackdown at @AllstateArena. Few, if any, places rival the feeling in that building with a sold-out Chicago crowd. We get to do it one last time for my final Smackdown appearance.
Tonight is one you are NOT going to want to miss. Let’s go CHI-TOWN!
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 5, 2025
The Chicago crowd is among the best in WWE, and Cena certainly isn’t the first wrestler to praise them.
John Cena’s Final WWE Date As A Performer
We are in September, so the clock is ticking on the number of appearances by John Cena as an active WWE superstar.
WWE announced that Cena’s final appearance in Boston will be on the November 10th episode of Raw, and his final appearance in New York City will be on the November 17th Raw.
As for his final match, it was reported that John Cena’s WWE career will end as an active wrestler on the December 13th edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event (now airing on Peacock in the US), and it will take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Cena has mentioned that he does plan to appear on WWE TV again after he retires, but this is his last year as an active wrestler.