Latest update on John Cena's WWE retirement match & outcome of match against Brock Lesnar

The 17-time World Champion is set to retire at the end of 2025!

The 17-time WWE World Champion, John Cena, is set to hang up his wrestling boots at the end of 2025. According to Bryan Alvarez, Cena’s long-awaited retirement match may be moved to directly compete with AEW’s year-end pay-per-view, Worlds End, on December 27, 2025.

However, a new report from WrestleVotes Radio suggests NBC has had its say about when they want the ‘G.O.A.T.’ to hang up his wrestling boots.

WWE was previously targeting early December

Originally, WWE was targeting early December for the match, possibly during Saturday Night’s Main Event. This still seems like the plan, and while scheduling Cena’s final match opposite AEW’s Worlds End would undercut their promotional push, NBC has more significant commitments on December 27.

“After asking around about the rumoured dates for John Cena’s last match, we’re told NBC’s preferred choice is Saturday night, December 13.

December 27 remains an option, although unlikely, as NBC has already an NFL contractual obligation with an exclusive game on Peacock that night, and they’d rather not compete with themselves, according to a source.

While 12/27 does line up with the AEW Worlds End pay-per-view, something WWE could and would like to counter, sources doubt it will be chosen because of the NFL obligations on NBC’s part,”

WWE is divided on the outcome of the Brock Lesnar vs John Cena match

The feud between Brock Lesnar and John Cena was reignited at SummerSlam 2025 when Lesnar made his earth-shattering return and attacked Cena, who was coming off a loss, dropping the WWE title to Cody Rhodes in the main event.

WWE is planning for the showdown between the two to take place at a yet-to-be-announced premium live event on September 20, the same date as AEW All Out. This move is part of WWE’s intensified strategy to counter-program AEW pay-per-views amid ongoing efforts to push the rival promotion out of the market.

Although the event date appears locked in, a new report reveals that internal discussions are still ongoing, with no clear agreement on who should come out on top in the high-profile matchup.

According to BodySlam, Many within WWE are pushing for John Cena to defeat Brock Lesnar in the match, though some influential voices in the company argue Lesnar should win, given that it marks his return after a two-year absence.

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