NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
John Cena’s illustrious WWE in-ring career will come to an end in just over a month as his final match is scheduled for December 13 in Washington at the Capital One Arena.
Cena made his main roster debut in 2002 when he faced Kurt Angle, who had an open challenge on “SmackDown.” The rest is history as Cena left an indelible mark on the industry and became a 17-time WWE Champion at WrestleMania 41.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Major League Wrestling’s Court Bauer pictured at an event. (Major League Wrestling)
Major League Wrestling founder Court Bauer was a writer for WWE just as Cena was progressing through the territory system and eventually reaching top shows. Bauer recalled Cena’s courage and professionalism during his career in a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital.
“John Cena is what Vince McMahon was looking for his entire career as a promoter,” Bauer said. “Someone who would show up to work early, leave late, be an incredible soldier and leader on the field, or in the ring in this case. He would always represent the company, go above and beyond, whether it was charity, whether it was something to do to help other talents and elevate them. Never a complaint. Never a problem.
“You look at all the guys who were referred to, ‘the guy,’ throughout Vince McMahon’s tenure as head of the company and there was maybe a guy who didn’t like to honor someone else or had a financial conflict or was complaining about a problem or was unhappy or thought the grass was greener on the other side or something was going to happen. John Cena was tested, always delivered and was just a true champion of the company.”
MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING’S COURT’S BAUER TALKS ON EXCITING GROWTH AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ECONOMICALLY FRIENDLY EVENTS
John Cena makes his entrance during Crown Jewel at the RAC Arena on October 11, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
Bauer pointed out that Cena learned Mandarin, which helped WWE gain a foothold in China.
“You could start a cloning factory and not create the prototype John Cena for WWE,” Bauer continued. “And when you look at how the company has changed and evolved with him at the helm as a guy, it’s undeniable what his contributions were as a performer, in terms of what they were, what they were, what Vince McMahon always looked for and couldn’t find in Shawn Michaels, couldn’t find in Ultimate Warrior, couldn’t find in the guys that came through, you could go down the list for 40 years, there was like, ‘Yeah…’ And then everything went to hell.
“John Cena’s start is strong, his finish is strong and has been consistent in every sense of the word. So when you see someone like that, and I worked with him, and I was like, ‘What a great experience working with him.’ I always kept things light on set, always just giving input and positive feedback on things, never difficult, always with the common goal of: “Let’s make this as good as possible, let’s make this great.” And sharing that sentiment, let’s give the fans the best thing possible. »
Bauer said the same mindset has carried over to other projects Cena has worked on outside of the ring, including the “Peacemaker” series and the commercials he is involved in.
Cody Rhodes and John Cena in the ring during SmackDown at the Prudential Center on August 1, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Cena’s in-ring career will culminate in a match with the winner of the Last Time is Now tournament. The winner will get a shot at Cena and will likely carry the torch for the company until 2026.
Cena still has four dates scheduled. The first will take place Monday evening in Boston.
