Summary
- WWE picked Washington, D.C. for Cena’s final match after Boston declined a roughly $7M site fee.
- Boston said December timing wouldn’t drive enough tourism to recoup the cost.
- Cena’s final match is Dec 13 on Saturday Night’s Main Event, airing only on Peacock; opponent TBA.
It was on Friday, September 5, when WWE announced the location of John Cena’s final match. Fans thought it would be Boston, Massachusetts, a place close to where Cena was born (West Newbury, Massachusetts). Anyway, WWE threw a curveball and announced that the location was in Washington, D.C. Well, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there was a reason behind WWE’s decision, and it had to do with money.
Financial Reasons Behind John Cena’s Final Match Location
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, those with knowledge of the talks with Boston revealed that WWE had asked for a site fee from Boston that was said to be around a whopping $7 million. That was the same price that New Jersey reportedly paid for two nights of SummerSlam.
Reportedly, those who work with the city of Boston felt that the number was too high and couldn’t justify the cost. The officials in Boston felt that it was too close to Christmas, and the city didn’t think they would do a lot in tourism and make their money back. So the city passed on hosting Cena’s final match.
The final match is set for December 13 and will be part of the Saturday Night’s Main Event card. The special will be airing exclusively on Peacock instead of NBC. An opponent has yet to be announced for Cena’s last match. Whomever it is, they’d better wow the crowd.
John Cena’s Last Match In Boston Will Be In November
Cena is still scheduled to make it to Boston one more time. The 17-time World Champion will be part of the November 10, 2025, episode of WWE RAW. The episode will take place at the TD Garden.
Cena’s next big match is set for September 20 at Wrestlepalooza. He will be facing Brock Lesnar. Lesnar first returned to WWE at the end of the SummerSlam PLE, where he attacked Cena. He later attacked Cena on the September 5 episode of SmackDown. The episode marked Cena’s last time on the Blue Brand. So, hopefully, Cena will get his revenge at Wrestlepalooza.
Cena first announced his WWE retirement tour at the 2024 Money in the Bank PLE. The tour has been odd to say the least. What made it odd was Cena’s heel turn. At first, it was fun to see Cena do something else, but it seemed too late for him to try new things. He should have done it earlier in his career, maybe. A heel turn during his retirement was a bad idea, especially since it abruptly ended the night before SummerSlam. He seemed to struggle with it, so in all honesty, it was good to see him back as his usual self. WWE won’t be the same without him.
