John Cena wins 17th WWE World Championship at WrestleMania 41 in his last possible appearance

Sunday, April 20, 2025, turned out to be a historic day for John Cena, as he won the 17th WWE World Championship at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. The 17-time world champion defeated Cody Rhodes and became the most decorated professional wrestler in the history of WWE.

John Cena's extraordinary win was witnessed by over 63 thousand people at the Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, along with the millions who watched the epic fight on streaming platforms like Netflix and Peacock. The Peacemaker star, who, in 2024, announced that he would be retiring from WWE sometime in 2025, after his recent historic win, might stick around for a little longer.

Last month, while talking to People about retiring from WWE and solely focusing on acting, Cena said:

"I just love it."

After John turned heel and became the villain, as he joined The Rock, he warned his fans of quitting WWE without even looking back, but while talking to People, the professional wrestler/actor confessed that he can never be fully done with WWE. The 47-year-old Cena said:

"When I can no longer compete, I will always be a member of the WWE family in some capacity, whether I can pass on my wisdom through mentorship or be an advocate and a spokesperson for the brand. They certainly will have to shoo me away, because I'm like you, I'm a fan first and I love it so much."

Cena, who has been a pro wrestler for 25 long years, with his recent win, surpassed the legendary Ric Flair, a WWE Hall of Famer, also a 16-time world champion, and became the most decorated professional wrestler of all time. Cena, last month, after turning heel, taunted his fans and WWE enthusiasts and said:

I will win that championship and retire with it. I am taking it home with me. I’m leaving all of you to create a brand new toy belt because the real one comes home with me. I will be the last real champion in WWE."

Well, in retrospect, he wasn't bluffing, as it seems he meant what he said.

John Cena won't fall for clickbait questions

As John Cena became the 17-time WWE world champion after defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41, the celebrated wrestler was asked by a USA Today Sports reporter about what he was thinking while he made WWE history and what it was like being the most decorated WWE wrestler. Cena, in a stern reply, said:

"You know, that seems like a clickbait question. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here that you guys are just looking for headlines."

He further added:

"Keep in mind you are now talking to the last real champion. Step your game up next time."

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