Is John Cena Moving to WWE Raw From SmackDown Amid His Retirement Tour?
While John Cena started his journey on SmackDown by answering Kurt Angle’s open challenge back in 2002, he was often seen on both brands later in his career.
Starting in 2019, John Cena was seen regularly on SmackDown while occasionally making appearances on Raw.
But now, with less than 100 days left until his retirement, tonight’s SmackDown might be his last appearance on the blue brand before he steps away.
Some within WWE are quietly expecting tomorrow night to be John Cena’s final SmackDown.
— 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 | #𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙔𝙤𝙪𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙖 (@TheCenaMark) September 5, 2025
According to a source, with only seven remaining dates left, and just two yet to be announced, it’s unlikely another will be a SmackDown event, meaning Cena will have debuted and ended his… pic.twitter.com/yjlg2lROPU
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, the 17-time champion might be giving his farewell to SmackDown on tonight’s show.
“John Cena is on SmackDown tomorrow. WrestleVotes is saying it could be his final SmackDown appearance. I can confirm that John Cena, for whatever it’s worth, is now considered a Raw talent. I can’t say this is his final SmackDown appearance ever, it very well could be. But he is now going to be a Raw talent.”
Therefore, with this statement, it confirmed that John Cena is moving to the red brand after this week, but it’s not entirely sure that tonight is his last appearance in the blue brand.
John Cena’s Confirmed Appearance Left on WWE Retirement Tour
With Cena’s retirement date approaching, there are only a few confirmed dates left for him to appear in a WWE ring.
It’s been more than two decades since the “Never Give Up” man, John Cena, has been a part of WWE, but now it’s finally time for the legend to rest and enjoy his days outside the wrestling world.
With John Cena set to make his final #SmackDown appearance this Friday, it seems to be the best time to have that one last match between him and AJ Styles!
— Tony The Wrestling Nerd (@WrestlingNerd00) September 4, 2025
John Cena vs. AJ Styles in the house that made John Cena and the house that AJ Styles built! pic.twitter.com/AblRJBLK9J
Therefore, with his retirement tour ongoing, there are a few confirmed appearances that the 17-time world champion is set to make.
- September 5: WWE SmackDown (Chicago, IL
- September 15: WWE Raw (Lowell, Massachusetts)
- September 20: WWE Wrestlepalooza (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- October 11: WWE Crown Jewel: Perth (Perth, Australia)
- November 29: WWE Survivor Series (San Diego, CA)
- December 13: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (Retirement Match)
While his opponents for these confirmed dates are not yet revealed, speculation suggests that he may face Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza.
Lastly, for his final match, several opponents have been speculated. Most recently, Oba Femi, the NXT Champion, seems to be in line, with Drew McIntyre and Gunther being mentioned from the start.
