WWE is set to present the SmackDown fallout from Clash in Paris in less than an hour. It may be hard to imagine, but John Cena will be making his final SmackDown appearance tonight as an active performer, and the future Hall of Famer apparently has big things planned as his Farewell Tour winds down.
WWE’s 181st event at the Allstate Arena near Chicago will feature Cena’s 29th match inside the legendary building, which joins Madison Square Garden as the only venues to host WrestleMania three times. The high-stakes taping came with a special behind-the-scenes tribute, revealed by Triple H.
Big Match John has been trending today after his final match, and two major send-offs were revealed earlier. Cena has had big moments in The Windy City over the years, including his official main roster debut on June 27, 2002. Cena interrupted Kurt Angle at the Allstate Arena that night, but failed to win the open challenge as the Olympian secured a six-minute victory.
Cena may have come up short against The Wrestling Machine in Chicago that night, but this began his road to the top of WWE. Fast forward 8,472 days from Cena’s debut on SmackDown, and now the 48-year-old is set to finish up his blue brand career, and after tonight, he has just seven more WWE dates before retiring.
John Cena Promises Must-See WWE SmackDown
A unique storyline and match is rumored for tonight’s WWE SmackDown from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. John Cena is set for a big night just days after defeating Logan Paul at Clash In Paris.
Sources earlier revealed that Cena vs. Sami Zayn II is planned for SmackDown, in what would be a rematch from RAW on May 4, 2015, where Sami made his main roster debut in his hometown of Montreal, failing to dethrone Cena after answering his open challenge for the United States Championship. Similar to how Kurt Angle’s 2002 open challenge helped with Cena’s push, 11-minute RAW loss was key to Sami’s main roster future.
Cena and Zayn are both confirmed for tonight’s loaded SmackDown, but the match has not been announced by WWE as of this writing. It remains to be seen if this match will be for the United States Championship, which Sami won from Solo Sikoa a week ago.
However, Cena took to X/Twitter to mark tonight’s milestone SmackDown episode, and looked forward to the Chi-Town crowd energy. The 17-time World Champion also warned fans that they would not want to miss tonight’s show.
My @WWE debut was on #Smackdown at @AllstateArena. Few, if any, places rival the feeling in that building with a sold-out Chicago crowd. We get to do it one last time for my final Smackdown appearance. Tonight is one you are NOT going to want to miss. Let’s go CHI-TOWN!” John Cena wrote.
My @WWE debut was on #Smackdown at @AllstateArena. Few, if any, places rival the feeling in that building with a sold-out Chicago crowd. We get to do it one last time for my final Smackdown appearance.
Tonight is one you are NOT going to want to miss. Let’s go CHI-TOWN!
— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 5, 2025
If the John Cena vs. Sami Zayn title match happens tonight, a win for Cena would make him a six-time WWE United States Champion. Ric Flair has had six reigns with the title overall, but Cena holds the record for most United States Championship reigns under the WWE banner.