John Cena has already promised fans that he will win the 2025 Royal Rumble to kick off his retirement tour in the perfect way, but will he?
Indeed, this is the final year that fans will get to see one of the biggest names ever involved in the WWE compete. Throughout his career, he has been one of the promotion’s biggest stars, and an athlete that has attracted plenty of interest from eyes worldwide.
Having started with humble beginnings and debuting on Smackdown when confronting Kurt Angle in 2002 following an open challenge under the moniker “The Doctor of Thugonomics”, he became a 16-time world champion, among many other accolades.
He currently ties the record with Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair, so there are many who believe he will break it during his final stint with the promotion, but could the Royal Rumble be used as the way to give him the perfect comeback story?
Is winning the Royal Rumble too predictable?
It’s possible to argue Cena winning the 2025 Royal Rumble would be too predictable. It can make a lot of sense for him to win it given what he would have to go through and achieve, especially as he could encounter a number of rivals that he has had fierce competitions with over the years. For instance, he could be confronted by the likes of CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton in the Rumble, which could help to build further storylines on the road to WrestleMania 41 (his last ever).
However, it could be the way to give him the perfect opportunity to set up a story for him to go up against the holder of the WWE Championship at the biggest show of them all and go out with a bang before ending his career in 2025, where he’ll likely pass the torch in the same way those before him have.
It seems likely that he’ll win, as sportsbooks that offer markets to those betting on WWE have already listed him as the favorite. According to some odds already available, he is listed at odds of 1.50, with Reigns and Rollins both listed at 3.50 and CM Punk further back on 4.50.
Of course, there have been instances where we’ve been shocked by what happens, and with Triple H leading the company instead of Vince McMahon these days, the predictability has gone out the window, but it wouldn’t be a shock if it were something we were to see.
Cena has history with the Rumble
It can’t be forgotten that Cena has history with the Rumble regarding surprise and unexpected wins.
While he has won the event on two occasions, it was his return in 2008 that had shocked everyone. He had revealed that very few people around the company had known about his pending return, which had stopped it from being leaked and ruined by dirt sheets. At the same time, he had a severe pectoralis major muscle injury that had ripped from the bone, leading to an estimated six-month recovery period.
Cena rehabilitated much quicker than that, hence the shock on Triple H’s face when his music hit as the last entrant into that year’s Royal Rumble. He would eliminate The Game and become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship – which he wouldn’t win.
While everyone knows that he will be heading to the Royal Rumble this year as he revealed himself on the first Monday Night Raw of the year (which also happened to be the first on Netflix), it wouldn’t be a surprise if we were to see him be a late entrant. Then again, it wouldn’t be a shock if we were to see him enter from the beginning to try and showcase how strong he is and how long he can last. It would be a great way to show that he still has what it takes, despite having been part-time over the last few years due to Hollywood commitments.
Royal Rumble will be the beginning of the end for Cena
Regardless, while it’s only a matter of time before we actually can’t see him any longer (in the ring) and hearing crowds be split regarding their support for him, the Royal Rumble will be the beginning of the end of an incredible career for John Cena.
It’ll be interesting to see what route the WWE takes to give him the best exit possible.
