The Final Boss Returns: Did The Rock Just Accept John Cena’s Retirement Challenge?

File this under things I did not have on my 2025 bingo card: The Rock just low-key teased retiring John Cena himself. And yes, he did it with a wink.

So... is Rock actually angling to retire Cena?

On the Oct 13, 2025 episode of the New Heights podcast, Dwayne Johnson (53, still ridiculous charisma) got asked who should be Cena's final opponent. He tugged at his T-shirt like, c'mon, you know who, which is about as subtle as he gets.

He also admitted he has a little pull behind the scenes these days. Translation: if he really wants back in, he can probably make the call. There is even a very specific landing spot on the calendar: Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec 13, 2025, which is positioned as Cena's retirement night.

"I have a tiny bit of influence in the booking of it, but it really is just whoever John wants. Really that's what it comes down to. It's not me or Nick Khan or Triple H. It's whoever John wants."

Worth noting: he said all of this with a smile. The bottom line, according to him, is that the choice belongs to Cena.

Quick refresher: Rock vs. Cena, the blockbuster years

• 2012: The Rock returns, needles Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect nonstop, and the whole thing peaks at WrestleMania 28. Rock wins, Miami melts down, the feud becomes gigantic business.
• 2013: They do it again at WrestleMania 29, this time with the WWE Championship on the line. Rock walks in as champ, Cena beats him clean to take the title and finally get that win back.
• The injury you maybe forgot: About 20 minutes into that WM29 match, The Rock tore his quadriceps and his adductor off the bone. He told Terry Gross on Fresh Air (as circulated by Cageside Seats) that he stayed in, said nothing to Cena, and gutted it out on one good leg because he knew if he mentioned it, they would have gone to the finish early. In his words, saying 'let's go home' in the ring means wrap it up, and he did not want to cut off Cena's moment.

That 2025 heel turn chaos

Fast-forward to this year. Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025, attacking Cody Rhodes on orders from The Rock. Then Rock ghosted WWE TV entirely. Which left Cena, who had just torched two decades of goodwill with fans, out there solo taking the boos.

Right before SummerSlam (the go-home SmackDown on Aug 2, 2025), Cena flipped back to babyface. In a promo to Cody and the crowd, he basically said Rock left him hanging and admitted he was wrong about a lot. He also went out of his way to say he loves pro wrestling and never wanted to wreck it. Rock did not pop back up after that to defend himself or double down on anything.

What this all might add up to

If The Final Boss decides to step in, and if Cena signs off, Johnson vs. Cena: One Last Time on Dec 13 is absolutely on the table. The tease felt playful, but the mechanics are there: Rock has some sway, the date exists, and their story is already loaded with history, receipts, and a very public mess from earlier this year.

Personally, if Cena is picking his last dance partner, you could do a lot worse than the guy who beat him once, lost to him once, then accidentally supplied half his 2025 character arc. Feels poetic. Feels expensive. Feels like exactly the kind of spectacle both of them were built for.