Last night, John Cena made a special stop on his farewell tour, a tour that now only has three dates left: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, just 30-some miles away from the town of West Newbury where the Greatest of All Time grew up. The occasion was marked by an introduction from Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who brought the pro wrestling icon out to the ring in front of a positively rapturous sold-out crowd. In fact, it may have been the first time in nearly 20 years that not a single “Cena sucks” chant was uttered by anybody in TD Garden – there was nothing but pure gratitude for the sometimes polarizing but always appreciated star.
Cena thanked the crowd and everyone watching at home on Netflix, and soaked in the moment before making an announcement regarding his final match next month, set for Saturday Night’s Main Event from Washington, D.C.: in addition to his final match against the winner of the ongoing Last Time is Now Tournament, the rest of the card will consist of main roster talent facing off against up-and-coming Superstars from NXT. It’s a fitting way to end a career that, as has become enshrined in WWE lore, started 23 years ago with an opportunity against Kurt Angle, then amongst the top dogs in the company. Cena claims this was his idea, and it’s not hard to believe it.
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“My goal is to leave this business better than I found it,” Cena said. “And to do my damndest to pay back all the opportunities and chances to showcase myself in front of an audience that the WWE has given me, and that the fans have been gracious enough to put up with over the years.”
Cena also confessed that bringing his farewell tour to Boston was one of his requests to WWE management. “I did have one last ask. Thank you for this one, because it’s selfish: I wanted to come to Boston one last time. I don’t book the dates, I don’t book the towns – man, we’ve been in Brussels, we’ve been in London, we’ve been in Perth…I just wanted to come to Boston one last time.”
“It means everything to me to stand in the TD Garden to feel the magic in the air. To look up at the banners from the rafters. To feel the greatness in this building,” he said to a roaring crowd that rivaled that of the most storied Boston Celtics playoff games.
The love fest was broken up by “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, who ran down Cena and gloated about his current position as Intercontinental Champion. (At least, I assume that’s what he said – I legitimately could not hear a single word Mysterio said over the unending chorus of boos at the Garden.) This led to Cena laying down the challenge for Dominik’s Intercontinental Championship, the one title that has somehow eluded John Cena his entire career. Triple H was happy to oblige.
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What followed was a great TV match full of hallmarks of both participants – Dominik’s modern-day-Eddie Guerrero schtick was on full display, while Cena dialed back the time machine to become Super Cena of old, only this time to universal adulation from the crowd. In the end, Cena was victorious, adding one of the very few missing accolades to his crowded trophy shelf at the 11th hour of his career.
Fans in the New England area have been upset that Cena’s final match is taking place in Washington, D.C. rather than the Boston area, as evidenced last night by the boos at the mere mention of the show next month. But WWE managed to deliver something truly special to the hometown faithful, as seeing Cena accomplish something he’s never done in his decades-long, illustrious career is remarkable. By winning the Intercontinental Championship for the first time, John Cena became the 30th men’s grand slam champion in WWE.
Cena wasn’t the only one to receive a hero’s welcome in Boston. Photo by me
Kicking the show off with what virtually everybody was there to see was a bold decision, but the rest of the show was nearly as eventful. Fans were treated to appearances from World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso, who teamed up to challenge The Vision and Logan Paul to a WarGames match. The Women’s World Championship was successfully defended by Stephanie Vaquer against Raquel Rodriguez, who celebrated with her friend Nikki Bella before Bella shockingly turned heel and made her intentions to become World Champion known. In the main event, the Women’s Tag Team Championship changed hands as the Kabuki Warriors dethroned Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss before loads of chaos led to the return of Rhea Ripley and another WarGames challenge.
All in all, it was an incredibly eventful, must-see night in Boston, one fitting of the final time the biggest wrestler of the 21st century will appear in his hometown as a WWE Superstar. WWE and John Cena pulled out all the stops for the fourth-to-last appearance in his career, and for a guy who has nearly done it all in professional wrestling, it was incredible to say one last time that The Champ Is Here.
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