John Cena in action against Dominik Mysterio during Monday Night RAW at TD Garden on November 10, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Rich Wade/WWE/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment His time is (almost) up - the time to say thank you and farewell to a Mt. Rushmore pro-wrestling legend is now. And last night, in New York City, U could C him one final time. John Cena kicked off his last-ever WWE Raw Monday in a fitting forum, Madison Square Garden, the mecca of what we now call sports entertainment (as well as real combat sports), to an extremely hot crowd. The 20,000-plus in attendance, including me, were not disappointed. No surprise there - we've rarely been disappointed by Cena, whose true passion for wrestling and his respect for the WWE Universe has shone through with 23 years of hustle and loyalty. Related Stories TV Netflix Orders 'Boys From Brazil' Limited Series Starring Jeremy Strong, Gillian Anderson TV Neve Campbell Boards 'Black Doves' as Season 2 Begins Filming With all due respect to CM Punk, Cena is still the best in the business on the stick - especially when real emotions are on display as they were last night. Opening the show with Cena, as opposed to making fans wait for hours, worked. The building erupted, and the "Thank You Cena!" chants probably could have continued for the entirety of Raw's runtime. WWE had more in mind. Cena did not defend his shiny, new Intercontinental Championship, which he won for the first time ever last week in his native Boston. Usually that would disappoint an audience, but the six-man tag team match concocted in its place was surprisingly satisfying. After an uncool beatdown at the hands of heel faction the Judgment Day, Cena, Sheamus and Rey Mysterio took Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio (Rey's son and the man Cena defeated for the title) and JD McDonagh on in an official, sanction capacity. The good guys won, of course, and their combined 15-Knuckle Shuffle (and all of the choreographed chaos that took place immediately before and after) was perfectly executed by all. Watch the highlights below: Cena is going out on top, though he's been on top of his game since he personally transitioned WWE from its "Attitude Era" to the "Ruthless Aggression Era," so-named for the fourth and fifth words Cena ever spoke on WWE TV (technically, Vince McMahon spoke the phrase first; Cena's introduction in the face of Kurt Angle was a callback to his boss's roster directive a month earlier). Cena's body of work (and his body - even at 48 he can't turn his swell off) speaks for itself: 17-time WWE World Champion (the most ever), 5x United States Champion (tied for second), 4x Tag Team Champion, one of just six men to win multiple Royal Rumbles and a 3x Superstar of the Year winner (among seven other Slammys). Cena has also granted the most-ever Make-A-Wish wishes (more than 500) and happens to be a major TV and film star. On the subject of Cena's (billed) 6'1, 251-pounds, absolute superhero body - appropriate for Peacemaker! - even Greek Gods can only take so much. Though Cena travels very well these days ("Monetary status is not what matters/but it helps"), the in-ring bumps still turn to bruises. Booking dates have similarly improved from wrestlers' old touring schedules, but the profession still does not exactly provide for what normal people would consider a healthy work/life balance. When Hollywood came calling for Dwayne Johnson, he swiftly packed up The Rock's gear and went west; Cena, whose breakout film role was probably 2015's Trainwreck, has carried two careers simultaneously for a decade. (To be fair to Johnson, McMahon was less-inclined back then to allow his top Superstars to moonlight in the pictures.) Plus, at some point, Cena probably just wants to eat some carbs. John Cena celebrate's his win during Monday Night RAW at TD Garden on November 10, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Rich Freeda/WWE/Getty Images MSG often brings out the celebs, though last night was more packed than usual. Eric André, Brandon Marshall, Gabriel Iglesias, Sam Jay, AZ, Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Kid Mero, Chris Bauer, members of the New York Giants (Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter) and stupid Philadelphia Eagles (Cooper Dejean and Dom Disandro) were among those presented to the midtown Manhattan crowd. (Side note: What the hell are we doing letting Skattebo, fresh off season-ending ankle surgery, participate in a scuffle across the barricade? Let Carter have at it - at least he's now hit somebody this year.) The show itself saw the exciting returns to WWE of crowd favorites Dolph Ziggler and AJ Lee (who is married to Punk). Ziggler did the thing he does best - sell big for his opponent - in a loss, whereas Lee distracted Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch just enough for Maxxine Dupri