John Cena is no longer the face of WWE as he's busy concentrating on his Hollywood career. We can't fault him for that and 2025 will mark his final year in the ring as he embarks on an official retirement tour.
In his place, current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has stepped up to carry the company on his shoulders. He's benefited from Triple H being charge in place of Vince McMahon, and like the rest of WWE's Superstars, is given a lot more freedom than in previous years.
However, there's one rule that still can't be broken...unless you're John Cena.
"When I went away and came back I was allowed to bring everything back with me, including breaking a lot of the pre-existing rules," Rhodes told SPORTbible in a recent interview. "We're out of the frame of looking at monitors sideways now. You know, what's still a pretty big on-air rule but it's good for production purposes, is not to talk into the camera."
"That's John's thing. John looks at the camera and mentions Stu the cameraman, runs to the ring," the American Nightmare continued. "I don't want to see anyone, including myself, do it - and I probably have done at some point. But that's his [thing] and that's the reason why it's a rule - until somebody beats him and then it's his."
That's such a Cena-ism, it makes sense that it's exclusive to the 16-time WWE Champion. This is an interesting piece of trivia, though, and it will be interesting to see whether the idea is passed on to anyone else when John retires.
Here's what Cena previously said about his upcoming retirement:
"There isn’t a check writer with enough money to change my mind. When I hang it up in December, it isn’t something — I don’t want to continue for ego or financial gain. I built a relationship of trust and authenticity over the years with the WWE, and that’s people who think I suck and people who believe in me. They know that I shoot them straight and I’m trustworthy. I mean what I say. And when I’m done in December, I am done. It is the last time I will perform in a ring. I’ll be a member of the WWE family as an ambassador and a grateful one."
"But you will see me wear this [a suit], not wristbands, jorts, the ball cap. In December 2025, that goes away. And that’s the reason why we’re putting so much equity and emphasis on this farewell tour. Because it truly is the last time for generations — for grandparents and parents and kids to get together in the same time. Grandparents could be like, ‘I didn’t know about wrestling and my son dragged me here.’ That son now has a son and daughter of their own, and they like John Cena, and now their kid likes Cody Rhodes. I want to try to do something special where we can all get together one last time and go through 25 years worth of memories."
Whether a match between Rhodes and Cena is planned for next year remains to be seen, but it's a bout many fans would love to see. After all, it could serve as a passing of the torch!