John Cena’s last WWE in-ring performance is not going to happen in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
On Friday Night SmackDown, John Cena wrestled a United States Championship match against Sami Zayn. The barnburner had no winner as Brock Lesnar crashed the party, attacking both men, though his real target was Cena. The Beast then cut a short and sweet backstage promo, stating, “Hey John, I’ll see you at Wrestlepalooza, bi**h!”
With that, The Greatest Of All Time made his final SmackDown appearance as an active wrestler. It was also his last showing as an in-ring performer in the city of Chicago. The night was special for the veteran, as he had debuted on the main roster and had had several memorable moments in the Windy City during his storied career.
Speaking of locations, John Cena was heavily rumored for Boston in December, and this was meant to be the final stop in his WWE Farewell Tour. However, things have changed.
John Cena’s WWE Retirement Show Has Been Moved To Washington, DC
John Cena has seven more dates left, which include his high-profile match against Brock Lesnar, two more premium live events, and Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. SNME will air live from Washington, D.C. at Capital One Arena, and it will be Cena’s last WWE show.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has explained why WWE made this drastic move at this point, and it seems that financial reasons might have been the deciding factor.
The reason the John Cena retirement show won’t be in Boston is because WWE wanted money similar to what they got from New Jersey for SummerSlam, to host the event, which would have been for multiple shows the weekend of 12/12 to 12/15. Boston didn’t bid high enough and then they moved to Washington, DC,” reported WON.
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Cena and Brock Lesnar have had several significant high-profile contests over the years. The two heavyweights tussled in an Extreme Rules match at the eponymous pay-per-view in 2012, which marked Lesnar’s WWE return after 8 years at the time, after he’d left to find a successful career in UFC. Meanwhile, their SummerSlam 2014 main event remains one of the most shocking squash matches in history.
Lesnar and Cena’s upcoming showdown at Wrestlepalooza is billed as “One Final Match,” and it is again a bout of significance as this PLE marks WWE’s debut on ESPN.