Even in retirement, John Cena proved to be a massive draw for WWE.
The Cenation Leader had his farewell after more than 20 years of giving his blood, sweat, and tears to the WWE Universe. His in-ring sendoff came against Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington on December 13, 2025.
According to POST Wrestling, via Pollstar, John Cena’s retirement event drew the biggest live gate for an arena event in WWE history when adjusted for inflation. The show generated $6,553,883 in ticket sales, surpassing the record set by RAW’s Netflix premiere in January 2025.
A total of 17,121 tickets were distributed for Cena’s retirement show at Capital One Arena, with the average ticket price reported at $383 compared to $300 for WWE RAW’s Netflix debut. Only WrestleMania events in recent history have recorded higher known average ticket prices.
John Cena explains why he chose to retire in December instead of WrestleMania
John Cena recently revealed why he chose to retire in December rather than ride off into the sunset at WrestleMania.
During a recent appearance on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Cena explained that he intentionally picked December to help WWE during what is traditionally a slower month for viewership and live attendance.
“So it’s a weak month for viewership. It’s a weak month for live attendance. And the fan fans are like, ‘Wait till January.’ We’ve advertised it. That’s when the road to WrestleMania starts. When I presented this idea to Nick Khan and Triple H, they were awesome,” John Cena said.
Fans can read his full comments here.
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