9 Ups & 11 Downs For WWE In 2025
8. John Cena's Babyface Run
Though just about every element of it felt like a frustrating tease of what could have simply happened from the beginning, the babyface half of John Cena's final year turned out to be a joyous artistic triumph.
From the second he entered at SummerSlam for his losing effort against Cody Rhodes, order was restored and with it came the magic of what Cena's entire run could and should have been. The turn was a noble flex until the company revealed how little it had in supply for the follow-up, and without the weight of the failure on his shoulders, Cena rolled back the years and unleashed performances that had long lay dormant since he went part-time.
Ending on a high with an Intercontinental Championship victory over Dominik Mysterio ahead the Saturday Night's Main Event in his honour, every appearance really did feel like an emotional farewell, which might be the biggest success story of all - not only did WWE pull off an apology tour of a lifetime, but they worked everybody into thinking it really was the end.