Final Match vs. Final Boss: Why John Cena's Last Opponent Should Be The Rock

A December to Remember—and the rubber match that writes itself.

If this ends the way I think it will, consider this my friendly apology for planting the spoiler seed—but here’s why John Cena’s last match should be against The Rock.

John Cena’s farewell run hasn’t been a nostalgia tour. He flirted with the dark side for a beat, stood next to the most powerful heel act in the industry, then walked it back and took the consequences. That’s not theory—that’s a closer deciding how the last pitch of his career should look.

And there’s one piece of unfinished business that actually matters.

The turn that started the clock

At Elimination Chamber 2025, Cena shocked the audience by siding with The Rock—“The Final Boss”—and dropping Cody Rhodes moments after refusing Rock’s offer. It landed because it was jarring. Cena hadn’t been a true villain in years, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Rock’s rule-bending persona made you wonder if the franchise babyface would really finish that way.

He didn’t. By late summer, he’d centered himself again, talking openly about listening to the crowd and how he wants the end to feel. He’s also been public about the window: this is the last lap.

The ledger that makes the finale obvious

Start with the simplest math in wrestling: Rock vs. Cena is 1–1—WrestleMania XXVIII to The Rock, WrestleMania 29 to Cena. The rubber match sells itself.

Layer in the Brock Lesnar chapter. Before their 2025 meeting, national previews had Lesnar leading their singles series 4–2 across six bouts from 2002 to 2014. In their 2025 clash, Lesnar beat Cena again. That isn’t a knock—it’s the point. Brock has historically had Cena’s number. If you’re writing the last page, you don’t spend your final night trying to rewrite that math; you finish the rivalry that still has a question mark next to it.

Why The Rock is the right last dance

Dwayne Johnson’s Final Boss has been presented as the ultimate antagonist, someone who bends the show to his will. Pair that with Cena’s stated end date and you get a closing image that doesn’t need a title: Final Match vs. Final Boss. One tiebreaker to decide a decade-long rivalry that helped define modern WrestleMania business.

The road to get there

This isn’t fantasy—it’s connective tissue that already exists.

• Brock Lesnar—closed chapter. 2025 gave closure on a two-decade rivalry and reminded everyone that not every mountain is meant to be climbed by force. That honesty sharpens the endgame.

• One legacy equal, straight up. A singles bout with a peer who represents the wrestler’s-wrestler lane—Randy Orton or AJ Styles—re-centers Cena without Brock’s aura or Rock’s shadow.

• A public mending with Cody Rhodes. The Elimination Chamber turn is an emotional IOU. Address it on screen so the Rock match stands alone.

From there, the poster writes itself: John Cena vs. The Rock III. No stipulation required. The hook is the billing: Final Match vs. Final Boss.

Where things stand right now

As of this writing, neither Cena nor The Rock has announced the match, and nothing since Elimination Chamber changes the core math: they’re still 1–1 with the cleanest possible final chapter ahead. WWE has circled Saturday, December 13, 2025—Saturday Night’s Main Event—for Cena’s farewell match.

The finish that fits

Cena’s been honest: time’s almost up. He flirted with the shortcut, rejected it, and returned to the version of himself that built a generation of fans—some who cheered, some who booed, most who never missed the first chord. Ending with Rock isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s closing the last rivalry that still needs a definitive answer. Two standard-bearers, one fall, and a result that writes the headline for you.

The final match, against the Final Boss. Sometimes the straightest line is the best booking.