Cena will be in the building on Friday night for his final appearance on SmackDown as an active wrestler. WWE has advertised a celebration honoring his nearly quarter-century run with the company, which saw him become its only recognized 17-time world champion.

John Cena became a 17-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 41, defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event. The match was memorable for Travis Scott getting involved in the match and Cena embracing his heel personality. Fans were left disappointed by the match, though Cena, now a babyface, and Cody had redemption at WWE SummerSlam in a street fight.

Cody Rhodes defeated John Cena at SummerSlam 2025 to kickstart his second reign as WWE Champion. After climbing up the ranks to become the new face of WWE following his comeback to the company, Rhodes has had more success than anyone in the last few years with two Royal Rumble wins,

A popular current WWE champion recently took shots at John Cena ahead of the latter's retirement. He also took jabs at Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. The name in question is Ethan Page.

Oba Femi made his arrival to WWE SmackDown, confronting Cody Rhodes ahead of their clash at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event.

John Cena's time as a WWE superstar is almost over, but as much as fans love him, there have also been many horrible booking decisions.