John Cena's Last Ride: One More WWE Title Before Retirement and a Final Showdown With Gunther

John Cena might be about to add one last wild chapter to a career that already reads like a fever dream. Fresh off beating AJ Styles at Crown Jewel 2025, WWE is mapping out his next two stops: Survivor Series: WarGames and a supposed final match on the December 13 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event. And yeah, there is a very specific title-shaped wrinkle being floated.

The working plan on the board

Per Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE creative has kicked around the idea of Cena challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. If Cena takes the belt, the expectation from the same report is that his last WWE match would be Cena vs Gunther on December 13. Not locked in yet, but it is an actual scenario the company has discussed.

Why the IC title would actually matter for Cena

Here is the fun bit: Cena has 17 world title reigns in WWE, but he has never touched the Intercontinental Championship. If he wins it, he completes the Grand Slam and jumps into the same club as names like Kurt Angle, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, and a few others. Not a bad line to add to the plaque before he hangs up the boots.

Of course, that means getting past Dirty Dom doing Dirty Dom things. Mysterio has already made it clear he is game. Speaking with Graps & Yaps, he tossed this out there, and the clip made the rounds on October 15, 2025 via WrestlingWorldCC:

"At the end of the day, I am here. If John Cena wants some, he can come get some. He has got four dates left, you said? If that old geezer wants me to put a final nail in his coffin, I will be more than happy to. That is what I am here for. I am here to be and stay your dirty double champ."

Cena vs Gunther on 12/13? That is the word

The same report points to Gunther as Cena's final opponent at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13, which is already driving serious interest. Wrestling News noted that around 45,000 people were stuck in a virtual queue during the pre-sale for Capital One Arena, which obviously cannot seat anywhere near that many for wrestling. Demand is there.

What it means for both guys

Cena spent most of his run as the hyper-resilient babyface superhero, and the report even suggests WWE steered him heel before circling back for this farewell stretch. Either way, ending with a classic 'never give up' push against a tank like Gunther makes sense.

For Gunther, this is a free swing. He has not wrestled since SummerSlam 2025, where he and CM Punk cracked each other open in a nasty scene. Coming off that layoff, even a loss does not really ding him. For Cena, sharing a ring with The Ring General on the way out doubles as a passing of the torch. Win or lose, he is getting a standing ovation.

Where Cena's farewell tour has gone so far

• Royal Rumble, Feb 1, 2025: Cena entered the 30-man match; Jey Uso won
• Elimination Chamber, Mar 1, 2025: Cena beat Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Logan Paul in the Chamber
• WrestleMania 41, Apr 20, 2025: Cena defeated Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship (title change)
• Backlash, May 10, 2025: Cena defeated Randy Orton
• Saturday Night's Main Event 39, May 24, 2025: Cena defeated Ron Killings (R-Truth)
• Money in the Bank, Jun 7, 2025: With Logan Paul in his corner, Cena lost to Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso in a tag match
• SmackDown, Jun 20, 2025: Ron Killings defeated Cena by disqualification
• Night of Champions, Jun 28, 2025: Cena defeated CM Punk
• SummerSlam (Street Fight), Aug 3, 2025: Cody Rhodes beat Cena to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion
• SmackDown, Aug 8, 2025: Cena and Cody Rhodes defeated Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre by disqualification
• Clash in Paris, Aug 31, 2025: Cena defeated Logan Paul
• SmackDown, Sep 5, 2025: Cena vs Sami Zayn for the United States Championship ended in a no contest after Brock Lesnar interfered
• Wrestlepalooza, Sep 20, 2025: Brock Lesnar defeated Cena
• Crown Jewel, Oct 11, 2025: Cena defeated AJ Styles

Bottom line: If WWE pulls the trigger on the IC title detour and then runs Cena vs Gunther on December 13, you are looking at a finale that checks the boxes for history, spectacle, and pure fan-service. I would not bet against one last feel-good title moment to spike the sendoff.