John Cena’s final match takes place on Saturday, December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC, which is available to watch for free on WWE’s YouTube channel
John Cena won’t be missed when he retires from the wrestling ring, his long-time rival Wade Barrett said. Cena’s farewell tour comes to and on Saturday night when he goes one-on-one with Gunther, bringing down the curtain on a 26 year wresting career.
But Wade Barrett – who locked horns with Cena during a memorable feud in 2010 – says that despite being one of the biggest names in company history, the record-breaking 17-time world champion won’t be a huge loss to the locker room.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, Preston-born Barrett said: “To be fair he’s not been around much for the past six or seven years, so I don’t think it’s going to be a seismic change.
“Despite all his commitments in Hollywood and his commercial commitments, he’s done a great job for being around WWE for around the best part of the last 12 months.
“But in terms of him suddenly being taken out of the locker room, I think we got to that point in 2019 or 2020 and we really did rumble along really well. I think the management is different now. I think the company is just run better than it ever has been before a
“And you’ve got guys like Cody, like Roman, like CM Punk who have really filled that locker room leader hole where younger guys coming from NXT can look up these guys.
“I think we have the personnel behind the scenes now and in the locker rooms that can really help younger guys. John Cena, of course there’s a void whenever he’s not there, but it’s one we can cover off.”
British grappling legend Barrett burst onto the WWE scene in 2010 as the leader of the Nexus faction and had a main event feud with Cena.
Looking back on that time, he told us: “I was thrust into the spotlight in 2010, I went from a complete unknown in the developmental system of its day to suddenly main eventing PLEs and being in the biggest storyline in 2010.
“It was quite a seismic shift in my world to go from unknown to the brightest of spotlights with the biggest star in the industry. It was really a sink or swim time for me. I was wrestling a lot in FCW at the time and most of the matches were five or six minutes long.
“It was a huge shift for me. The level I was wrestling at was also lot higher. It was a time for my career that was hugely positive for exposure and breaking into that top tier of wrestlers around the world. But it was kind of scary.”
He said his early interactions with Cena were “very business-like”, adding: “He was there with a mission to progress his career, progress WWE and put on a good show for the fans.
“I wouldn’t say we were friends or on a particularly close level but it was a very formal, business-like relationship every time we interacted.
“He certainly gave us advice on things. Maybe mistakes he would see us making in matches or reasons for storylines or programmes that were going in directions we didn’t like. There was always advice.
“And historically for the locker room, he was where a lot of guys would go to when they were coming back after their matches. He’s always been there pretty much for the entire locker room.
“From the very first match to the last match of the card, he would sit at the monitor and watch everything and know everything everyone is doing on each show. The work ethic of John Cena was always incredibly apparent and he’s always been very giving back to these youngers guys trying to figure this game out.”
Barrett, who last stepped foot in the ring in 2016, himself featured in some films before taking up a role as WWE commentator, said he was looking forward to calling Cena’s last match. And he refused to rule out one more match of his own.
He told us: “I’m very lucky that I’ve had this second career at the top level of professional wrestling with my commentary. I’m absolutely thrilled with what I’m doing and I love the fact I get to sit in the best seat in the house sat next to the GOAT, Michael Cole.
“Obviously I’m going to be calling John Cena’s final ever match which might be one of the most historic moments of my entire career to get sit there and call this. So I feel very lucky.
“I’m not second guessing what happens the down the road. I’ve got a couple of years left on my current deal. I hope to continue here after that.
“There’s always a chance. You never know. It’s not something I’m pushing for, that’s for sure. It’s not something management are pushing with me. I’ve never ruled it out.
“The key point at the moment is that I’m enjoying my current role so much I don’t have the impetuous to say ‘hey let me get back in the ring’, but you never know.
“If the call comes in and the situation is right, maybe I’ll dust of the boots and get that Nexus armband back on and cause some more chaos.”
John Cena’s final match takes place on Saturday, December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event, available to watch for free on WWE’s YouTube channel. Wade Barrett returns to Europe this January during the ‘Road to Royal Rumble’ tour, tickets available now from Ticketmaster.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .