John Cena will compete in his final match in Washington, D.C.) Credit: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, John Cena will ride off into the sunset after a storybook career that includes multiple Royal Rumble wins, 17 world titles and a Hall of Fame resume that has many labelling him as the greatest WWE star in history.
On Cena’s final night as an in-ring performer, “The Champ” won’t be competing for a title or wrestling a former hated rival. Instead, he will face Gunther for the first and only time on a match card that Cena himself helped design to put a much-needed spotlight on the brightest rising stars from WWE’s developmental brand NXT.
With Cena’s high-profile retirement match sure to generate strong viewership on Peacock, WWE will undoubtedly want to make the latest edition of Saturday’s special event a night to remember. In fact, WWE reportedly has some surprises up its sleeve for Cena’s final match.
Here are five potential surprises and returns that could take place in Washington, D.C. for John Cena’s final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
AJ Styles And Dragon Lee Shockingly Lose WWE World Tag Titles
Je’Von Evans is one of the best prospects in all of pro wrestling and has absolutely dazzled fans in NXT and in rare appearances on the main roster. He’s likely going to remain in NXT as the face of the brand well into 2026, but there’s nothing wrong with showcasing him on Raw as well.
AJ Styles and Dragon Lee appear to be a short-term solution to provide depth to Raw’s tag team division, which just got a massive boost with the reunion of The Usos as an official tag team. It’s likely that the Usos will be tag team champions by or at WrestleMania 42, but putting the titles briefly on Evans and TNA’s Leon Slater would be a great way to boost both TNA and WWE NXT.
As TNA gets set to move to AMC while NXT looks to grow its audience, Evans and Slater are clearly going to be cornerstones of their respective brands. If WWE wants to really highlight that synergy between TNA, NXT and WWE’s main roster, a massive upset by Evans and Slater at Saturday Night’s Main Event could go a long way toward getting more eyes on the NXT and TNA products.
Bayley Turns Heel, Attacks Sol Ruca at Saturday Night’s Main Event
WWE has been teasing a split personality gimmick for Bayley here and there, sometimes highlighting it on Raw and other times forgetting it altogether.
The reality, though, is that Bayley has proven to be a more compelling character when she’s a villain and is in desperate need of a heel turn. After months of anticipation and little to show for it, who knows if that will actually happen. Saturday Night’s Main Event does, however, provide Bayley with an underrated opportunity to turn to the dark side.
Sol Ruca is a wildly talented and popular star who will quickly win over WWE’s main roster fans with her incredible work. In the ideal scenario, she will be on Raw or SmackDown in the near future, and SNME could set that in motion. Of all the NXT stars who could pull off the upset on Cena’s retirement show, Ruca is the best candidate.
Bayley isn’t being pushed as a world title contender while a heel turn would do her some good. So, an upset by Ruca at Saturday Night’s Main Event complete with a post-match attack by Bayley takes care of two birds with one stone.
Oba Femi Defeats Cody Rhodes
One thing sorely lacking in WWE’s recent booking? Legitimate surprises.
The company has a huge opportunity to remedy that at Saturday Night’s Main Event when NXT Champion Oba Femi steps up to challenge WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. While WWE is reportedly considering a blockbuster WrestleMania 42 match for Rhodes that would suggest he won’t lose between now and then, “The American Nightmare” is one WWE’s most protected stars and can afford a loss more than just about anyone on the roster.
Imagine, therefore, what it would mean for Femi if he were to beat Rhodes at SNME. Better yet, imagine how meaningful it would be if Femi dominated Rhodes much like Brock Lesnar demolished John Cena at WrestlePalooza in September.
Of course, WWE’s recent track record of paint-by-numbers booking suggests Femi will lose to Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event, making an upset for Femi a potential shocking conclusion to 2025.
Drew McIntyre Attacks Cody Rhodes Before Saturday Night’ Main Event Match
Especially if WWE is considering having Femi upset Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event, one logical way to get there is for Rhodes to be weakened before the champion vs. champion match. Enter Drew McIntyre.
The Scottish superstar remains embroiled in a bitter rivalry with Rhodes that is expected to reach its climax in the near future. According to a report from BodySlam.net (h/t Ringside News), “The feud between Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre is set to continue with another match taking place very soon. While specific match details are being kept tight, the expectation is that the next confrontation will have significant storyline implications for both men.”
Rhodes vs. McIntyre would make sense as a Royal Rumble title match or a major attraction on the first SmackDown of 2026, and those are the two likeliest destinations for that blockbuster bout. The question is how WWE gets there, and if McIntyre viciously attacks Rhodes before his match on Saturday, that accomplishes a few things.
One, it gets more heat on McIntyre. Two, it paves the way for Femi to win. Three, it keeps Rhodes looking strong even in defeat.
John Cena Defeats Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
The logical and most logical outcome of Cena’s retirement match against Gunther is a clean loss in order to put over “The Ring General” on his way out. But then again, what if Gunther doesn’t win?
Although the general consensus is that it would make little to no sense for Cena to win his last match, WWE’s booking, well, often doesn’t make sense. It’s also worth considering that Cena has probably lost more than he should have during his retirement run, including an interference-filled defeat at the hands of Dominik Mysterio just last month at Survivor Series.
As arguably the “GOAT” of pro wrestling, Cena certainly doesn’t need to defeat Gunther on his last night as an in-ring performer, but because he’s such a respected star, perhaps Cena gets the honors of being a rare performer who goes out on top. Cena is still performing at an incredibly high level, after all, and it really wouldn’t damage Gunther’s character to lose to a star like Cena.
All factors considered, is Cena winning at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event likely? No. Impossible? Definitely not.