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ONE LAST TIME: FINN BALOR ON JOHN CENA'S GENIUS, HEEL TURN, AND GUNTHER MATCH

John Cena's 23-year WWE run ends Saturday vs. Gunther. We look back at his controversial heel turn, 17 titles, and his painful split with Nikki Bella.

One Last Time: Finn Balor on John Cena's Genius, Heel Turn, and Gunther Match
Cena Clashes with Gunther to Retire After 17-Title Career

It was June 22, 2002—just another SmackDown episode, or so everyone in WWE thought. But that night changed things, becoming a show that people would remember.

A 25-year-old John Cena stepped into the ring and challenged Kurt Angle, one of the biggest names in the company. He muttered the words 'ruthless aggression.'

Sure, it was planned. But the fact that WWE trusted a rookie from Massachusetts in such a spot showed how much faith they had in him. And it paid off big time.

This Saturday, Cena will say goodbye to WWE for good. His 23-year career has included pretty much everything: tons of titles, a broken relationship with a fellow wrestler, and a final year that got mixed reactions.

It feels unreal to see John leaving, Finn Balor, a former WWE world champion and Cena's opponent, told Daily Mail Sport. Fun fact: the last piece of WWE stuff that I bought as a fan was a John Cena shirt.

John talks to everyone. People might think his character is for kids, but I was an adult when I bought that shirt. I was already in the wrestling business, performing in Japan. He connects with everyone—kids, adults, boys, girls, young and old. He’ll be remembered as one of the greatest.

John Cena's WWE career ends this Saturday with his final match.

His time with the company has had its ups and downs, like his controversial run as a heel in his last year.

But here's the thing about John Cena: he's always won over fans from all walks of life.

That's partly why his farewell year was so interesting. In March, he turned heel—the bad guy—for the first time, joining forces with The Rock to win a record-breaking 17th world title against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania.

To many, it felt off, maybe a bit rushed. The Rock disappeared, and the story kind of fizzled, especially after rapper Travis Scott, who was part of their trio, vanished from TV.

"I enjoyed it because I like it when people try new things," Balor said, sharing his view from inside WWE. It was made for that moment when the screens went from dark to bright. Maybe some didn't like it while it was happening, but when we got the John Cena we love back, it was great. I think it was brave and well done, and I'd like to see more of that in wrestling.

And so Superman, as Cena is sometimes called, turned good again. On August 1, he said his time as a bad guy sucked, and he'd go back to being the star everyone loved.

Some more than others, it seemed. In 2012, Cena started dating Nikki Bella, one-half of the Bella Twins (with her sister Brie). Nikki is now in the WWE Hall of Fame, and she and Cena became a power couple.

They dated for years and got engaged at WrestleMania in 2017, but broke up less than a year later, right before their wedding.

"We had an amazing relationship, but we wanted different lives," Bella said on Maria Menounos' Better Together podcast in 2020. We tried to make it work.

Cena used to be engaged to Nikki Bella, but he's now married to Shay Shariatzadeh.

Bella said they broke up because they disagreed about having children.

Finn Balor shared what Cena is like behind the scenes with Daily Mail Sport.

Even when he was willing to have kids, I could tell he didn't really want to. And that's what pushed me away.

If I force someone to be a father, what if he regrets it later, and then we have this child and this life? I didn't want that.

So Cena went back to wrestling and acting. After being a bodybuilder in the late '90s, he realised wrestling was where he wanted to be.

That's right. After college, Cena became a bodybuilder, competing in local events and working in gyms until his wrestling career took off.

He got praise for his wrestling skills. Not always, though. Fans sometimes criticised him, booing him while "John Cena sucks" echoed during his walk-on song, My Time is Now.

But he climbed the ranks, winning titles and having memorable rivalries with guys like Edge, CM Punk, and Randy Orton, and soon became a household name.

His attitude and character helped, too. He's always willing to help, and he's always there for the fans. He even holds the Guinness World Record for granting the most wishes—650—through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

When I joined WWE, John was at his best, Balor said. He was the top guy, the leader. As a new talent from Japan, he could have seen me as a threat. Instead, he saw me as someone who could help him grow the business.

Cena, who used to be a bodybuilder, has been wrestling part-time to take on acting roles in Hollywood.

Gunther, also a former world champion, will be Cena's final opponent this Saturday.

Cena will end his 23-year career on his own terms at Saturday Night's Main Event.

He always advised in and out of the ring. I thought all top WWE superstars were like that. But 11 years later, I realised not everyone is like that. That was just John being John. I was naive to think everyone would be like John Cena because there's only one John Cena.

He's earned the respect and recognition he has because of how he's acted throughout his career, and I'm grateful for that. I'll try to learn from him and use his example as guidance for how I should act.

In 2006, he was in The Marine, but he changed things up in the mid-2010s by wrestling part-time to pursue acting. Since then, he's been in movies like Daddy's Home, F9, The Suicide Squad, and Barbie, with more to come.

His wrestling and acting have helped him build a net worth of around £60 million, which will likely grow as he seems to be going into Hollywood full-time after wrestling.

Outside the ring and acting, he's now married to Shay Shariatzadeh, his second wife, whom he married in 2020. He seems settled, happy, and ready for his next chapter.

This Saturday, after a tournament to decide who it would be, Gunther gets to be Cena's last opponent. He's also a former world champion and is highly regarded in WWE.

"I won't be at the show," Balor added. We were supposed to be there, but since JD [McDonagh, Balor's tag team partner] is injured, I'll be at home with a cup of tea, watching like I would have 30 years ago as a Cena fan, cheering him on.

I'm looking forward to John versus Gunther. It's going to be an amazing match—a clash of styles and chapters of my life.

And when it's all said and done, after 23 years, the wrestling world will say goodbye to John Cena for good.

John Cena’s final match takes place on Saturday, December 13, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, which you can watch for free on WWE’s YouTube channel. Finn Balor will be back in Europe this January during the ‘Road to Royal Rumble’ tour. Get your tickets now from Ticketmaster.

INSIDE LIV MORGAN’S CALCULATED PLAN TO CHOOSE HER WRESTLEMANIA 42 CHAMPIONSHIP OPPONENT

Liv Morgan claims a dream match with AJ Lee would "solve world hunger" as she weighs her WrestleMania 42 title shot options.

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Liv Morgan eyeing WrestleMania 42 title shot

Liv Morgan has a wild sense of humour—she actually said that a match between her and AJ Lee would do more than just entertain fans. According to her, it’d solve world hunger. Seriously. In a recent chat with GQ Sports, Liv read a fan comment that said, “Her vs. AJ Lee would feed families,” and she took it even further: “We’d feed more than families. Like, world hunger would not be a thing.” When they asked how she pictured the match ending, Liv didn’t hesitate. “With me winning, obviously. But she’s a feisty one. Still, I’m putting my money on me.”

Fans have been dying to see Liv Morgan vs. AJ Lee ever since AJ returned to WWE last year. There’s a catch, though—rumour has it AJ Lee’s got a different WrestleMania 42 opponent lined up. And Liv? She’ll still be challenging for a Women’s Championship at the big event, but this dream match probably needs a little more time.

Liv’s still weighing her options for WrestleMania 42.

After she won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble, Liv told everyone at the PLE post-show that she’s not in a rush to choose her opponent. “I can pick any champion I want, and I don’t want to make some quick decision I regret. I’m taking my time. I’ll decide when it feels right and when I know who’s right.” She doubled down on that on RAW this week, saying she’s even planning to scope out SmackDown to see if she wants to go after Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

But if you’re looking for clues, Liv might’ve already dropped one—she ambushed Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer right after Stephanie defended her title against Raquel Rodriguez on RAW. Looks like Liv’s keeping her cards close, but she’s not shy about making a statement.

LIV MORGAN AND BIANCA BELAIR NOW JOINT FAVORITES TO WIN 2026 ROYAL RUMBLE

WWE hits Riyadh! Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair lead the betting odds as the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble takes over Saudi Arabia.

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Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair top final betting odds for Royal Rumble

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is coming up, and the women’s Royal Rumble is only in its ninth year—but you wouldn’t know it, looking at the lineup. The 30-woman battle royal feels as stacked as ever.

We’ve already got some big names confirmed, including former champions like Alexa Bliss and Asuka. And, you know how it goes—everyone’s waiting for those surprise returns. Last year, Charlotte Flair entered at No. 27, tossed out four people, and walked away with her second Royal Rumble win.

Honestly, Flair’s win didn’t really lead to much, but this time around, the field is wide open. That alone makes the women’s Rumble one of the most exciting matches on the card. With so many stars possibly coming back and no obvious challenger lined up for either main title, there’s no clear favourite.

Still, if you follow the backstage buzz and those little hints WWE likes to drop, you can start to see who’s got the best shot. Here are the five women everyone’s talking about as possible winners for 2026.

Charlotte Flair, looking back, Flair’s win in 2025 probably wasn’t the best move for her character. It didn’t do “The Queen” any favours, creatively speaking.

But she turned things around, thanks in part to an unexpected but really entertaining team-up with Alexa Bliss. Now, Flair’s one of the top stars in the division, so if she wins again—making it back-to-back and her third overall—it actually feels more earned this time.

Right now, she’s working in the tag division, but here’s the thing: there just aren’t a lot of clear challengers for Jade Cargill, the current SmackDown champ. Flair vs Cargill would be a legit dream match. If WWE can’t come up with something better, don’t be shocked if Flair wins another Rumble.

Becky Lynch, Some folks think Becky Lynch’s Intercontinental Championship win means she’s out of the world title picture for a while. Don’t count on it.

Raw’s Women’s World Champ, Stephanie Vaquer, looks set to hold onto her belt through WrestleMania. She needs someone credible to face, and Lynch is right there. She’s been doing great work, building up new talent like Maxxine Dupri and Lyra Valkyria.

A WrestleMania showdown with Lynch might be exactly what Vaquer needs to reach that next level. The Rumble win could set that up perfectly. Sure, there’s a chance someone like AJ Lee makes a surprise return and eliminates Lynch, but it makes a lot of sense for Lynch to go all the way and challenge Vaquer in Vegas.

Word is, Lynch was one of two big names WWE considered for a spot against Vaquer at WrestleMania 42.

Bianca Belair hasn’t wrestled since last year’s WrestleMania 42. She messed up her finger pretty badly, and it’s kept her out for months.

We haven’t heard much about a return, but she’s still one of the top betting favourites for the Rumble. People figure she’s probably close to being cleared, since she’s been gone so long.

Belair is a natural pick to challenge Vaquer, but honestly, she’d be an even better opponent for Cargill—her old tag partner. Cargill’s expected to keep her title through WrestleMania, so it just lines up: Belair comes back at the Rumble and wins the whole thing.

Rhea Ripley, as I said earlier, WWE considered two major names to face Vaquer at WrestleMania 42: Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley.

Ripley might be the most popular woman in WWE right now. She’s a constant presence on Raw, and you can bet she’ll be front and centre at WrestleMania 42. Lately, she and Iyo Sky turned from rivals into tag champs, but apparently, WWE doesn’t plan for them to keep those belts all the way to WrestleMania.

That probably means Ripley and Sky will split up soon—maybe even during the Rumble, maybe a little later and on good terms. As much as their team has done for the tag division, both belong in singles competition.

Ripley’s clearly headed for a big match at WrestleMania, and another Royal Rumble win is the ticket to get her there.

WWE’s got big plans for Liv Morgan heading into WrestleMania 42. Honestly, it almost feels like a lock at this point—she just checks all the boxes for a Royal Rumble winner. She just came back; fans are wild about her, and she’s got the skills to back it up. Even though she’s technically a heel right now, crowds are cheering for her like she’s the hero, so a face turn might be right around the corner.

Plus, her Judgement Day group looks like it’s about to fall apart. If that happens and they handle it right, Morgan’s popularity could skyrocket even more. She’s already a key player in WWE’s women’s division, and making her the centre of attention seems like the smart move.

Fans have wanted her to win the Royal Rumble for a while now. She’s come close—runner-up twice—but this year feels different. This might finally be the year Liv Morgan gets her big win.

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