John Cena Breaks His Silence After Saturday Night’s Main Event: “The Last Breath,” The Last Lesson, and a Farewell Cody Rhodes Won’t Let Us Forget

The ring doesn’t usually feel quiet after a legend leaves it — not in WWE, not in an era where the noise never really stops. But in the days following Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, 2025, that silence hit different. John Cena is retired, and his final chapter ended in the one image that still doesn’t sit right in a lot of fans’ stomachs: Cena submitting to “The Ring General” Gunther.

So when the now-retired 16-time World Champion sat down for his first interview since walking away, he didn’t do it at a press conference or behind a WWE podium. He did it the way Cody Rhodes’ show was designed to do it — one-on-one, personal, and unfiltered — on WWE & Fanatics’ podcast “What Do You Wanna Talk About?”

And what came out of Cena’s mouth wasn’t a tease. It wasn’t a “never say never.” It was something far more raw: a man trying to explain what it feels like when the character everyone grew up with finally reaches the end of the road — and chooses peace anyway.

The smile before the submission wasn’t Cena “giving up.” It was Cena

letting go.

If you’ve watched John Cena for any length of time, you know the mantra by heart: “Never Give Up.” That’s why the finish at Saturday Night’s Main Event landed like a gut punch. The tap-out wasn’t just a loss — it looked like a contradiction.

Cena addressed that head-on with Cody Rhodes, explaining that the ending wasn’t meant to be “I quit.” It was meant to be a final exhale — a visual that resembled someone holding on just long enough to say goodbye to everyone who mattered, and then finally… resting.

He described the entire day around that match as filled with “meaningful and vulnerable conversations,” and framed the moment as the point where he felt he’d connected with everyone he loved — physically okay, emotionally full, and ready to end the story with intention.

That’s the part a lot of fans missed in real time: Cena wasn’t trying to “protect” anything in that moment. He was trying to complete something.

Cena’s retirement tour, as he sees it: a human story WWE fans lived in real time

Cena also gave the most revealing explanation yet of what his final year was supposed to mean. He compared the entire retirement run to the cycle of a person facing the end of their life — the bargaining, the frustration, the stumbles, the realization, and finally the acceptance.

In that framing, the messiness wasn’t a mistake — it was the point. The “one more time” mentality. The urge to reach for immortality. The moments where you don’t recognize yourself. Then the pivot back toward your values — not because the spotlight demands it, but because someone who truly knows you pulls you back to who you are.

Whether fans loved the road or hated it, Cena’s explanation makes one thing clear: he didn’t view this as a highlight reel. He viewed it as a conversation — with the audience, with the locker room, and with the version of himself that had to learn how to say goodbye.

Why Cody Rhodes was the right person to ask the questions

There’s also something poetic about Cody Rhodes being the one to sit across from Cena for this first post-retirement talk.

“What Do You Wanna Talk About” was built for moments exactly like this — WWE describes it as a place for career-defining stories and never-before-heard conversations, filmed in that now-signature Rhodes setting that turns interviews into confessionals.

And Cody didn’t just host the interview — he’s been woven into the emotional aftermath of Cena’s goodbye. In the wake of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Rhodes publicly reflected on Cena’s legacy and how the crowd felt united behind him in that final moment.

That matters, because this wasn’t just Cena “talking.” It was Cena being heard — by the champion carrying WWE forward, and by the audience that grew up measuring heart, hustle, loyalty and respect through Cena’s voice.

The final takeaway: Cena isn’t coming back to “fix” your feelings — he’s asking you to make peace with the ending

The hardest part of a wrestling farewell is that fans don’t just mourn the performer — they mourn the time of their lives that performer represents.

Cena acknowledged, through his explanation of the finish and the day surrounding it, that he wanted people to be at peace with the decision and with the reality that this was the end of his in-ring career.

That’s the thing about legends: we always want one more entrance, one more match, one more miracle. But Cena’s last message — the one underneath the metaphors — is that the miracle already happened.

It was the run. It was the years. It was the fans who never stopped believing, even when the character on-screen finally decided it was time to stop fighting and take that last breath.

And whether you loved the finish or you’re still angry about it… John Cena made sure you felt it.

You can watch the full interview below: