WWE legend John Cena is winding down his in-ring career with only three appearances left on his schedule - tonight's Raw, Survivor Series WarGames at the end of the month and then Saturday Night's Main Event in December where he will wrestle his final match against an opponent yet to be determined.
Cena appeared on ESPN's First Take to talk about his retirement tour where he stressed that he's looking to give back to other wrestlers by holding a tournament instead of hand-picking an opponent as well as helping NXT wrestlers gain exposure via exhibition matches.
"Everyone is like, ‘Who does John Cena want to face?’ And the way I got my start in WWE was through random opportunity. I got my first match because The Undertaker was sick, so I love the theory of opportunity. And I believe in the meritocracy of the WWE. So I don’t want to face anyone, I don’t want to handpick anyone. I want people to have to get a chance to showcase their skills and earn the right for opportunity. So we’re doing this with ‘The Time is Now’ tournament, where it’s a bunch of the top superstars and some random entrants, even some against-all-odds opponents have a chance to see if they can make it to get a chance to see if they can retire John Cena, which is a really special thing."
"And on the actual retirement night, December 13 in D.C., it isn’t just a show about me. I’m using the time that eyeballs are on the show to give some of the NXT Superstars a showcase. I basically want this tour to be about opportunity for the future and paving the way for the future, because that’s what the class before me did for me."
