How Many Dates Are Left in John Cena’s Last WWE Run?
John Cena’s final WWE run took a shocking turn when he attacked Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber 2025, aligning himself with The Rock. Now, the new Undisputed WWE Champion is looking past WrestleMania 41 and Rhodes and has turned his attention to long-time rival Randy Orton. Cena’s goal with this new heel persona is to be the last real WWE Champion, as he plans to keep the title on his waist after he officially retires in December of this year. With that being said, Cena has reminded fans once again that the last time is certainly now.
“36 dates. I told you at the beginning of the year, 36 dates, and I’m gone. Time passes, guys, time passes so quickly we have no idea. Let’s count down the time you’ve already lost. Netflix debut, Indianapolis, Toronto, London, Brussels, Glasgow, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas. 27 dates. Not matches, not matches, appearances.”
On Monday Night Raw, after breaking the record for the most WWE world title reigns, John Cena’s focus was on how many dates he had left. Despite only having 27 dates left, Cena explained that an appearance does not mean he has to wrestle, which is why he’s only had three matches so far in 2025. After he cut his promo on the Raw after WrestleMania, Cena was attacked and hit with an RKO by his biggest rival in WWE history, Randy Orton. The two are confirmed to face off at Backlash 2025 in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis.
This past week on Friday Night SmackDown, Randy Orton came out to address the crowd following his RKO on John Cena. To the surprise of fans in attendance, Cena was in the building that night and interrupted Orton’s segment, which led to a heated exchange between the two. The promo ended with Nick Aldis confirming the Undisputed WWE Championship match for Backlash, and Orton RKOing Cena once again. That has already cut Cena’s appearances down to 26, and with the match at Backlash confirmed, he will be at 25 once he competes at the PLE.
John Cena will likely be the Undisputed WWE Champion for a majority of the rest of his run, as his heel character currently relies on the title. Fans have been vocal about wanting to see Cena win the Intercontinental Championship so he can be a Grand Slam Champion, though Cena completely dismissing that thought would continue the storyline of not wanting to cater to the fans anymore. With his rivalry against Cody Rhodes being over for the time being, and him already scheduled to face Randy Orton, some other names that Cena will likely feud with during his run include CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and A.J. Styles. Although 25 dates might not seem like a lot, it’s important to mention that Cena has only used 10 appearances in his first five months, which means that fans will be seeing him more often than they currently have been.
