John Cena loses his final ever wrestling match as he officially retires from the ring

John Cena, the most decorated wrestler in the history of the WWE, has officially retired from the ring.

His career came to an end on Saturday evening, December 13, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The 17-time world champion ended his wrestling journey with a submission loss to former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther (Walter Hahn) for his retirement match.

Cena tapped out after being put in a sleeper hold by Gunther, his first tapout in 21 years

Tributes flooded in on social media while the entire arena stood up to applaud the man who brought curtains down on an iconic 24-year career.

The entire WWE locker room came out to the ringside to pay their tributes to the retiring legend. Cena bowed in all directions as he humbly accepted the applause.

SEE DETAILS BELOW OF JOHN CENA’S INCREDIBLE CAREER

• 17-Time World Champion: Broke Ric Flair’s historic record at WrestleMania 41 in 2025.
• Grand Slam Winner: Completed the full set of titles by winning the Intercontinental Championship in November 2025.
• Make-A-Wish Record: Granted over 650 wishes, the most by any celebrity in history.
• Royal Rumble Victor: Won the 30-man spectacular twice, in 2008 and 2013.