As WWE gets ready to head to Germany for “Bash in Berlin,” behind the scenes, they are mapping out plans for the farewell tour of the legend John Cena, who will retire as an active wrestler at the end of 2025. In anticipation of that, Cena has been on a media tour to promote his final year as he looks to make the most out of the moment. Recently, Cena joined Shannon Sharpe in the widely popular Club Shay Shay podcast. They discussed various topics in a setting that made Cena feel comfortable opening up about things never discussed in previous interviews.
One of the early topics in the 74-minute podcase was Cena’s love for hip-hop and how that eventually made it onto the WWE screen. In 2002, Cena’s character was Doctor of Thuganomics, and he played a rapper who often incorporated rhymes in his promos. It was a popular storyline that would lead to him recording an album titled “You Can’t See Me” in 2005. The album would debut at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 140,000 copies sold and eventually go platinum with 1.3 million copies sold to date. Sharpe asked about his early influences on his passion for hip-hop.
“This is what I will say this: super passionate about hip-hop. That is why I was bullied as a call back to the story because in a white, small town, West Newbury [Massachusetts], you wore jeans, sh*t kicking boots, you drove a pick-up truck, and you listened to country music or Rock. I had a high-top fade, wore rayon polka dots, wingtips or Adidas, airbrushed overalls, and wore that sh*t backward. Rap music found me because it was rebellious.” Cena later said, “When I got to showcase that on television, it resonated with the audience. So again, this was life putting an opportunity on my lap again.”
Cena made that gimmick work and went on to become a wrestling icon who is loved worldwide. During last month’s Money in the Bank PPV, Cena announced that he would be retiring from WWE and that 2025 would be his last year as an active superstar. This drove social media to begin fantasy booking what that would look like, and although those things are fun to discuss, for Cena, it’s more about giving the fans the best possible experience each time he goes out there next year.
“Personally, I would like it to just be worth it and I don’t mean I won’t get value from it. I’ll enjoy every second. I just want to justify it. I hope it is good for WWE business. I hope it continues to build the future of the brand and company. I hope the events are satisfying for the audiences from an audience perspective. I hope that everyone can come to these events and either relive memories that they may have had the past 23 years or make new memories because there is a whole new generation of superstars out there,” said Cena. He would then talk about stories that fans have told him about WWE events that created bonding moments between father and son, which motivated him to give it a go one last time.
Cena is in a unique position as he is tied with the great Ric Flair for most world titles at 16. Those on social media have been discussing whether Cena should be the one to break the record during his farewell tour or whether that accomplishment should be left to someone else like Randy Orton or Charlotte Flair. Cena was clear when it came to any title talk, as he has too much respect for the business not to be.
“I think that is a thing because of the legacy Ric Flair has. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I think what’s interesting about the tour is that there is some jackpot long-shot scenarios where it can happen, but to win a number one contendership in a story-driven purpose, you have to earn it. I had my chances. I’ve been a part-timer since 2018. I haven’t won a match since 2018. That’s a slump.” Cena added, “Being the champion, I respect the process and don’t ever want to take someone’s spot.”
One of the other topics that already has internet buzzing is who Cena’s “GOAT” is when it comes to wrestling. Cena feels torn because he’s still a performer and has built relationships with many throughout the industry. For Sharpe, it’s Ric Flair, but for Cena, he said it was Roman Reigns. He marveled at the work of Reigns and used the example of the WWE stock being at $11 in 2012 to now being at $117 as the reason he feels Reigns is the GOAT. Obviously, it’s a team effort, but Cena feels Reigns has carried the company to that point, and he’s surpassed The Rock in those categories, making Reigns’ impact that much more significant for WWE. Cena feels The Rock is a super close number two, but Reigns is number one for him.
The whole interview is well worth watching as Cena gets into buying a fake Lamborghini and more. Cena is leaving the wrestling world soon, so fans need to enjoy these moments as they are coming to an end next year.
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