As John Cena will get prepared for his remaining appearances of his retirement tour, which concludes on Dec. 13, WWE faces a grave and daunting query they should handle quickly. What’s subsequent for the corporate as soon as Cena retires from in-ring competitors?
Some followers sense an finish in sight for WWE as soon as Cena retires. Given the place the corporate is heading this yr, it might be getting into probably the most unstable and difficult part in WWE historical past.
John Cena’s legacy in WWE
Earlier than wanting forward at WWE’s future, let’s take a second to have fun Cena’s exceptional profession. Debuting in 2002, Cena turned a family identify within the mid-2000s and stays one right now. Cena turned the face of WWE by 2005 and influenced audiences for 20 years. He touched followers and his fellow locker room members by granting over 650 needs to children and others in want. Cena served as a world ambassador for WWE.
At WrestleMania 41, Cena turned a record-breaking 17-time world champion, surpassing the legendary Ric Aptitude. Cena’s legacy is not simply constructed on his in-ring achievements, but additionally on his work exterior the ring and the inspiring moments he shared with followers.
Cena’s legacy and his retirement tour are probably the most talked-about storylines in WWE this yr, carrying a lot of the corporate’s weight amid a scarcity of compelling ones. With out Cena, how can the WWE get again on monitor?
Repetitive and uncreative storylines
In 2025, WWE struggled to ship content material of that high quality. The product comes throughout as boring, stale and missing inspiration, even with outstanding stars like Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
Followers discover it exhausting to remain engaged with the exhibits, which regularly change into repetitive, notably on Uncooked and SmackDown. These packages are inclined to recycle the identical feuds repeatedly, and their predictable construction can drive followers away, as they will solely tolerate a lot repetition.
Questionable reserving choices and administration of expertise
WWE’s reserving choices additionally elevate eyebrows. As an illustration, Drew McIntyre has suffered two back-to-back losses to Rhodes for the undisputed championship, which has introduced down his credibility as a high heel or “unhealthy man” in WWE.
Overexposure of wrestling expertise can have its negatives, too. Jey Uso is an ideal instance of overexposure for a wrestling expertise, and that may flip followers away as they get burned out by him. WWE ought to focus extra on up-and-coming expertise to guide the WWE into the post-Cena period. Prioritizing recent expertise and modern storytelling is a big consider retaining the followers’ loyalty to the corporate.
TKO deal: Issues after the post-Cena period
Within the 2023 TKO merger, which mixed WWE and UFC beneath CEO Ari Emanuel’s management, WWE believed it was a groundbreaking transfer for the corporate. Nevertheless, longtime WWE followers really feel it prioritizes company earnings over followers’ pursuits.
The choice to host WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia has acquired principally adverse suggestions from followers: excessive ticket costs and an growing variety of Premium Dwell Occasions overshadow the corporate’s fundamental storylines. If these traits persist, WWE’s future might be in danger.
An unknown future forward for WWE
As Cena’s retirement tour is coming to an finish quickly, WWE faces one among its greatest challenges. The dearth of artistic storylines, the questionable reserving choices involving expertise and the discontent beneath TKO are risking WWE’s lack of followers. As soon as Cena bids farewell, the followers may too.
