Cena has implied his in-ring career is done after yet another defeat.
John Cena just wrestled his first televised singles match since losing to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 and well, it didn’t exactly go to plan. At least not for Cena. Pointing out just how long it’s been since Cena beat someone one-on-one while the cameras were rolling (it’s been more than five years, by the way) during the build to his clash with Solo Sikoa, The Franchise Player wanted to shine a spotlight on what he thought would be a streak-breaking match. Thanks to a flurry of Samoan Spikes from Sikoa, it wasn’t Cena’s night.
John Cena Hints At Retirement
On top of making sure everyone was well aware of just how much Cena has been losing lately, the 16-time World Champion has been talking about retirement a lot. Understandable as after a run like his, and with his Hollywood career continuing to ascend, Cena probably doesn’t have many more matches left in him. In fact, judging by what he posted on Instagram after his loss at Crown Jewel, defeat at the hands of Sikoa may well have been his final outing for WWE.
Cena has a history of posting images to Instagram with no caption and no explanation. However, most of them have a meaning behind them that fans collectively figure out. The final image, at the time of typing this, on Cena’s Instagram is a picture of David Beckham.
Back in the spotlight at the moment following the famous footballer’s Netflix documentary, The Rock even dressed as Beckham for Halloween. Cena didn’t post a picture of the former English international to flaunt his fandom, though.
David Beckham’s Last Match
As football fans quickly pointed out, the image of Beckham Cena has chosen is one from the footballer’s final game as a professional. His last match for PSG which is where he ended his on-field career.
That has naturally got wrestling fans thinking the image is a message from Cena that the match he wrestled at Crown Jewel was the equivalent of Beckham’s last match. The only difference being Beckham ended his career on a high, part of a PSG team that not only won 3-1 that day, but one that also won the league that season.
Much like most of Cena’s Instagram posts, while I definitely think the future Hall of Famer has sparked the exact conversation he set out to, I don’t think we have seen the last of him in a WWE ring.
Cena’s loss to Sikoa was one of many building blocks he and WWE have put in place for a blockbuster match where Cena triumphantly breaks his losing streak, or perhaps he does retire, making it clear his career is on the line. My guess is he breaks the streak against a big name and then loses to that same opponent a year later and calls it a day.