Czarina Faith Abuso

John Cena officially retires from WWE by tapping out in a match for the first time ever

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Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Pro wrestling superstar John Cena officially ended his 24-year WWE career at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. stunning fans with his first-ever tap out in a match for more than two decades.</p><p>Cena completed his final WWE match on Sunday, December 14 (PHT), facing Gunther at <em>Saturday Night’s Main Event</em>. His final match lasted just under 25 minutes, with Gunther eventually securing the victory by locking John in a sleeper hold. As the hold tightened, the crowd grew louder, cheering for John whom they had watched for generations. He fought, but eventually tapped out, drawing gasps from the crowd.  </p><p>Some fans stood frozen while others wiped their tears, knowing fully that this is John’s final moment in WWE.</p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOndyFjOxT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOndyFjOxT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOndyFjOxT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by WWE (@wwe)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Gunther, a two-time WWE heavyweight champion, eventually emerged as the match winner after John submitted. After the bell rang, John stayed in the ring, soaking in the final moment. He then stood before the crowd, endlessly saying his gratitude towards all his fans around the world and bowing in front of them.  </p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOoUbjDHuO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOoUbjDHuO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOoUbjDHuO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by WWE (@wwe)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>Members of the WWE soon followed, stepping out to honor the retiring icon. WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes handed their championship belts to John in a show of respect, while Paul “Triple H” Levesque presented him with a video package dedicated to his journey.</p><div><br/></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOo6uljHlu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOo6uljHlu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSOo6uljHlu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by WWE (@wwe)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>John chose not to deliver a farewell speech. Instead, he removed his wristbands and shoes and left them in the ring, symbols long understood in wrestling as a sign of retirement. He then walked up the entrance ramp, turned back one last time, and saluted the camera and the fans who had followed him for more than two decades.</p><div><br/></div><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@overtime/video/7583550622310370615" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7583550622310370615" id="v10439921812115894" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v10439921812115894" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7583550622310370615?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-12-14T10%3A03%3A57.780015%3Acbc5a692-cd6a-49d2-99d2-14e86c633ed5%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:739px;display:block;visibility:unset;max-height:739px"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>The audience inside the arena had mixed emotions over John’s tap-out and the result of his final match. Online, netizens shared their own interpretations, with many seeing the moment not as surrender, but as acceptance.</p><p>“John Cena gave one final smile to the camera and tapped out. Except he didn’t tap out… He let go. John Cena was at peace. A very symbolic finish to an iconic career. #ThankYouCena,” one netizen wrote.</p><p>“He didn&#x27;t tap in the traditional sense. Watch his face. He just said ‘that&#x27;s it. I&#x27;ve done all I need to do.’ That smile and the way he tapped was beautiful,” another shared.</p><p>John signed with WWE in 2001 under the ring name &quot;The Prototype&quot; and made his <em>SmackDown</em> debut on June 27, 2002. His career took a defining turn when he adopted the “Doctor of Thuganomics” persona, using freestyle rap to carve his identity. From there, John rose to become one of WWE’s most recognizable figures and a 17-time world champion.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2024/7/7/john-cena-has-announced-his-retirement-from-the-wwe-after-23-years-1809" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: John Cena has announced his retirement from the WWE after 23 years </strong></a></div><p>It was in July last year, during a surprise appearance at the Money in the Bank event in Toronto, when John revealed his plans to retire from WWE. </p><p>“The 2025 Royal Rumble will be my last, the 2025 Elimination Chamber will be my last, and I’m here tonight to announce that in Las Vegas, WrestleMania 2025 will be the last WrestleMania I compete in. Thank you so much for letting me play in the house that you built for so many years... Thank you so much always for your voice because it’s really loud, and your honesty because it’s beautifully brutal. Most of all, thank you so much for allowing me to be here with you tonight,” John said at the time.</p><p>Beyond the ring, John has also built a successful career in film and television, with projects including <em>Daddy’s Home </em>(2015), <em>Daddy’s Home 2 </em>(2017) <em>Hidden Strike</em> (2023), <em>The Suicide Squad</em> (2021), and his role as lead and co-executive producer of the HBO Max series <em>Peacemaker</em> (2022).</p>

<p>John Cena officially closed a 24-year chapter in WWE history with a moment fans had never seen before—him tapping out inside the ring. The final image of the 17-time world champion was not one of defeat, but of farewell, as he signed off on his own terms.</p>

John Cena officially closed a 24-year chapter in WWE history with a moment fans had never seen before—him tapping out inside the ring. The final image of the 17-time world champion was not one of defeat, but of farewell, as he signed off on his own terms.

John Cena officially retires from WWE by tapping out in a match for the first time in over two decades

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John Cena officially retires from WWE by tapping out in a match for the first time in over two decades

Alyana De Guzman,

Push Team

Published Dec 14, 2025 11:11 PM PHT

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Updated Dec 15, 2025 12:32 AM PHT

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