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.