WWE Night Of Champions 2025: 8 Things That Must Happen

…but looks slightly unsatisfied by how it all went down.

Cena has been flashing some interesting facials on TV for months now. If you look hard enough or pay close enough attention, then it’s almost like he knows how he’s been behaving is wrong, but he’s also conflicted and too deep in the weeds to just apologise and go back to high-fiving fans.

He’ll turn babyface again before hanging it up for good, and hollow victories like this one over Punk over in Saudi Arabia can help facilitate that. Ultimately, Cena will realise that effectively having guys like Seth Rollins do your dirty work is no way to bow out as an active in-ring performer for WWE. These are all things he can bring up in promos right before hanging up the garish t-shirts and jorts forever.

Sure, John will also be defensive once he sees the likes of Seth, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker storming down to ringside to cause trouble for Punk. After all, Rollins and his goons could wreck him too, then Seth could cash in MITB to leave Riyadh as the new WWE Champion. That'd ruin the powerful hold Cena's retirement run has on the product's biggest belt, so he'd be heading for higher ground or throwing punches like his life depended on it if cornered.

Isn't that something, actually? WWE may well have Cena fight off Seth's heavies so fans come alive and cheer for one of his traditional 'against all odds' beatdowns. That visual could become a preview of sorts for a babyface turn later in the year. 

Whatever the case, JC holding onto his prize sounds logical for now.