WWE Moves John Cena to Alumni Section After Emotional Retirement

John Cena is officially retired.

The Last Real Champion wrestled his final WWE match against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. The crowd at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, saw The Ring General force the WWE legend to tap out.

The arena and the whole WWE Universe were in disbelief after what they witnessed in the ring as Cena closed his legendary 23-year long career.

After the match, the entire WWE locker room came out to pay their respects to The Never Seen 17. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes handed their World Titles to Cena, which he held on his shoulders for a while.

After shaking hands with Triple H and sharing a hug, Cena left his armbands and shoes in the ring as a symbol of his retirement from professional wrestling and a final gesture of respect to the WWE Universe.

Despite losing to Gunther, Cena left the ring with his head held high, tears welling in his eyes, showing how much he’s going to miss wrestling.

WWE Adds John Cena To Alumni Section

Many fans still hope that Cena may return to the ring one day for another match, but he is a man of his word and has clearly stated that he is done with wrestling.

That said, WWE also moved him to the alumni section on their website after his retirement, signaling that Cena has indeed retired from in-ring competition.

WWE has moved John Cena to the alumni section on their official site. pic.twitter.com/kMbG7xAizQ

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) December 14, 2025

Although Cena has retired from the ring, he’ll still be a part of WWE.

Speaking on Saturday Night’s Main Event post-show, WWE’s Creative Content Officer Triple H commented on John Cena’s future.

He stated that the former Intercontinental Champion has only retired from the ring, not WWE.

“John Cena’s passion for WWE didn’t end tonight. John Cena’s in-ring career ended tonight, his competitor stature,” Triple H said.