NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
It’s hard to think of what John Cena hasn’t accomplished during his legendary WWE career.
He holds the WWE record as a 17-time WWE Champion, which he set at WrestleMania 41 when he defeated Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. After losing the title at SummerSlam, it didn’t look like there would be any more gold around his waist for the remainder of his schedule.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
John Cena enters the ring during SmackDown at 3Arena Dublin on August 22, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. (Joe Maher/WWE via Getty Images)
That changed on RAW on Monday when Dominik Mysterio joined Cena in Boston – just a few miles from his hometown of West Newbury, Massachusetts. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque arranged the impromptu match between the two with the Intercontinental Championship on the line.
To Mysterio’s credit, the son of the legendary Rey Mysterio controlled most of the match. But his “dirty” tricks didn’t fool any WWE officials. He tried to finish Cena with a 619 and a frog splash. But Cena caught him.
Cena picked up Mysterio and performed the Attitude Adjustment before pinning him for the win. He became the new Intercontinental Champion.
“Thank you very much Boston, thanks to you, tonight the champion is here,” he told the crowd at TD Garden before the pyrotechnics went off to celebrate his victory.
Dominik Mysterio celebrates after defeating Bron Breakker, Penta and Finn Balor to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship during WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium on April 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
JOHN CENA WAS “FIGHT TESTED, ALWAYS DELIVERED AND WAS JUST A TRUE CHAMPION” OF WWE, SAYS MLW FOUNDER
Cena was congratulated backstage by his fellow WWE Superstars.
Although Cena’s reigns as WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion were the most talked about during his career, he was also a five-time United States Champion and four-time Tag Team Champion while teaming with The Miz, David Otunga, Batista and Shawn Michaels.
Cena’s Intercontinental Championship victory makes him the last Grand Slam champion WWE has to offer. Modern WWE Grand Slam Champions have held the WWE, Intercontinental, United States, and World Tag Team Championships. The last two to accomplish this feat were Kevin Owens and Finn Balor, both in 2013.
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)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
It’s unclear who the No. 1 contender for Cena’s title will be. The Last Time is Now tournament began later Monday evening. The tournament will determine who Cena’s final opponent will be.
