John Cena, one of World Wrestling Entertainment's¡¯s biggest names, is set to call time on his illustrious career later this year. His retirement tour officially kicked off at the Royal Rumble 2025 when the icon entered the marquee match for the last time. The special moment, however, did not go as planned as Jey Uso beat the odds to emerge as the winner. This unexpected event coupled with the leader of C-Nation¡¯s absence on TV ahead of the Elimination Chamber 2025 event on the road to WrestleMania 41 has left fans wondering whether the concept of a? ¡®retirement tour¡¯ is worth it at all? Well, the answer is not a simple one
While it¡¯s too early to say whether Cena¡¯s? tour will end on a good note despite the less than ideal start, the fact is such attempts have yielded mixed results in the past. In 2008, Ric Flair ¡®ended¡¯ his career with an unforgettable farewell tour. It saw him put his career on the line in several compelling matches.
?¡®The Nature Boy¡¯ eventually hung up his boots after a loss to Shawn Michaels in a classic match at WrestleMania XXIV. This, however, counted for nothing as he soon went to TNA where he had a series of underwhelming matches. This diluted his legacy and the terrific send off WWE gave him.?
Similarly, Kurt Angle¡¯s farewell tour¨Cwhich culminated at WrestleMania 35¨Cleft fans with a bitter taste in the mouth. The Olympic Hero locked horns with Baron Corbin in his final match at the event but the result was not up to the mark as the contest received a low rating of 2.5/10 and failed to do justice to his legacy.?
Coming back to John Cena, the erstwhile ¡®Doctor of Thuganomics¡¯ is gearing up for Elimination Chamber 2025. He will be competing in the titular match for the right to take on Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania 41. The match also features Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Logan Paul, Drew Mcintyre, and Damian Priest. The outcome will have an impact on his road to WrestleMania and eventually the response to his retirement tour.?