John Cena will retire at Saturday Night’s Main Event. (Credit: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event will take place this Saturday at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and it’s more than just the final WWE event of 2025. It will also mark the last match in the storied career of arguably the greatest WWE superstar of all-time, John Cena.
In a show also dubbed “John Cena’s Final Match,” the 17-time world champion will don his jorts and lace up his sneakers one final time. He will face former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, who also retired Goldberg earlier this year, in a show also built around matches highlighting rising NXT stars against main roster stalwarts.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Cena confirmed that Saturday’s highly anticipated bout with Gunther will indeed mark his official in-ring retirement, saying, “I will never wrestle again.” Cena’s final performance at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event should be quite the spectacle as “The Champ” calls it quits after more than two decades in WWE.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Start Time and Streaming Info
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
- Start Time: 8 pm EST/7 pm CST
- Streaming Info: Peacock (United States), YouTube (select regions internationally)
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Match Card
WWE has four confirmed matches for the 42nd edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event. Below is the show’s full card for “John Cena’s Final Match:”
- John Cena vs. Gunther
- WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi
- World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater
- Bayley vs. Sol Ruca
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Ticket Sales for John Cena’s Final Match
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event featuring John Cena’s retirement match is a virtual sellout. Below is the latest ticket sale information for the show:
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Betting Odds
The 42nd edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event features a unique mix of matches, including Cena’s retirement bout and three matches that will showcasing some of NXT’s brightest stars. Below are full betting odds from BetOnline. ag (odds current at time of publication):
John Cena (+350) vs. Gunther (-600)
Aside from it obviously being built around Cena’s retirement, the major premise of this edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event is to highlight WWE’s rising stars on a show that will get plenty of eyeballs thanks to Cena.
As such, it’s hard to imagine Cena doing anything other than putting Gunther over on his way out. Earlier this year, Gunther had the honor of beating Goldberg in the WCW icon’s retirement match, and odds are, he will do the same with Cena. That way, Gunther can reestablish himself after losing the World Heavyweight Championship earlier this year, this time doing so as a “Legend Killer” similar to Randy Orton two decades ago.
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes (-275) vs. NXT Champion Oba Femi (+185)
While it would obviously do wonders for Oba Femi to pull off an upset against Cody Rhodes, that is, well, highly unlikely.
One potential scenario in which Femi could win is via pre or mid-match interference from Rhodes’ nemesis Drew McIntyre, but even that would be a bit of a surprise. Rhodes is one of WWE’s most protected and strongly pushed stars, making it difficult to envision him losing anytime before WrestleMania.
Expect Femi to give Rhodes a great, evenly booked match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but a win for the NXT Champion would be a downright shocker as WWE typically plays it safe.
World Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Dragon Lee (-350) vs. Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater (+225)
WWE Raw’s tag team division is in the midst of an obvious resurgence, thanks in no small part to AJ Styles and Dragon Lee as an unlikely duo that has clicked incredibly well.
Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater are the future of pro wrestling, but Slater is signed to TNA while Evans is likely going to be the No. 1 star in NXT in 2026 and perhaps beyond. Though WWE’s main roster could really use an injection of youth in the form of stars like Evans, that’s unlikely as WrestleMania season nears.
Lee and Styles should retain after a back-and-forth, highly competitive match that may very well be the best match on this edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Bayley (+135) vs. Sol Ruca (-175)
Sol Ruca is a bonafide superstar in the making, possessing unbelievable athleticism that should make her a hit on Raw or SmackDown.
Ruca’s match with Bayley, a selfless superstar who’s great at elevating new talents, should be a phenomenal showcase for the talented star. At this stage of her career, Bayley appears to be moving away from the world title picture and instead focusing on helping rising stars get acclimated to the main roster.
Bayley’s Hall of Fame resume is already set, and at Saturday Night’s Main Event, a loss to Sol Ruca wouldn’t hurt her a bit.