John Cena is set to wrestle his final WWE match on December 13, 2025, at Saturday Night’s Main Event inside the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The 17-time world champion and one of WWE’s most decorated superstars will officially close the curtain on his 23-year in-ring career at this highly anticipated event.
The match will serve as the grand finale of Cena’s farewell tour, which has featured marquee appearances at WrestleMania 41, SummerSlam, and several international shows throughout 2025, like Clash in Paris and Crown Jewel.
While Cena’s final opponent has yet to be confirmed, reports indicate that Gunther is the frontrunner, with WWE planning a qualifying tournament to determine the official challenger. Billed as a historic celebration of Cena’s legacy, the show is expected to feature a diverse array of celebrities and political figures in the crowd.
President Donald Trump Expected To Attend John Cena’s Final Match
WWE has invited a significant number of political figures to John Cena’s final match, including members of the White House. Sources indicate that President Donald Trump may attend the grand event. However, nothing is confirmed on that front as of now.
The POTUS is scheduled to be in Baltimore earlier on the same day to attend the Army vs. Navy football game, but could feasibly attend Cena’s match later that evening due to the proximity of the venues. This potential presence adds a notable political element to the event.
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Pro-wrestling media outlet Wrestle Purists recently shared an X post by Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter highlighting this update. The caption of the post was as follows:
“WWE expects leading political figures to be invited and attend SNME with John Cena’s Final Match. Donald Trump has not confirmed coming. Right now, the belief is there will be a ton of people from the White House at the show, but Trump is undecided at the moment. A lot of major people have already told WWE they are coming.”
WWE expect leading political figures to be invited and attend SNME with John Cena’s Final Match.
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 10, 2025
Donald Trump has not confirmed coming. Right now the belief is there will be a ton of people from the White House at the show, but Trump is undecided at the moment, a lot of major… pic.twitter.com/mR2yzdcbRY
Industry insiders confirm that WWE has decided to go forward with Gunther as Cena’s final opponent, with plans for a tournament to determine the challenger likely serving as a storyline device rather than an actual selection process.
According to Meltzer, two independent sources have confirmed WWE’s intention to book Gunther as Cena’s adversary for his last match.
Who Is John Cena’s Final WWE opponent?
Wrestling media outlet Wrestle Purists updated the news regarding John Cena’s final opponent via a post on X, captioning it as:
“As originally shared in July by @WRKDWrestling, Dave Meltzer states that Gunther is planned to be John Cena’s final opponent.“
The report further stated, “Two sources have confirmed that the latest plan is for a tournament to be announced, possibly on the air by Paul Levesque, with top wrestlers vying to be Cena’s last opponent. But multiple have confirmed however it reaches the conclusion, that Gunther was the person chosen for the match.”
As originally shared in July by @WRKDWrestling, Dave Meltzer states that Gunther is planned to be John Cena’s final opponent:
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 6, 2025
“Two sources have confirmed that the latest plan is for a tournament to be announced, possibly on the air by Paul Levesque, with top wrestlers vying to… pic.twitter.com/0vapAw0krB
Triple H, both the WWE CCO and on-screen authority figure, is reportedly planning to announce a tournament on WWE programming to build excitement leading up to John Cena’s farewell match.
However, sources indicate that the decision for Gunther to face Cena has already been finalized backstage, setting the stage for a monumental showdown honoring the 17-time world champion’s legendary career.
Meanwhile, wrestling veteran Vince Russo has voiced his own opinion on the matter, stating that Brock Lesnar should have been Cena’s final opponent, arguing that their long-standing history and star power would have made for a fitting end to Cena’s iconic run.
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For the unversed, Lesnar returned from a two-year hiatus earlier this year at SummerSlam and went on to defeat Cena at Wrestlepalooza 2025 with ease. Owing to their history dating back to 2003, the former WWE head writer believes that a final match against Lesnar would provide proper closure for Cena’s storied career.
Despite Russo’s call for Lesnar, WWE’s decision to go with the Austrian star underscores the company’s faith in its current generation of stars. ‘The Ring General’ has firmly established himself as one of WWE’s most dominant forces, recently retiring Goldberg in convincing fashion in July 2025, a statement win that solidified his place as a top-tier talent.
Before his final match, John Cena also defeated AJ Styles at Crown Jewel 2025 in Perth in an all-time classic, adding another marquee chapter to his farewell tour as he prepares to close the book on his legendary career.
